Many readers of this weekly update are familiar with Dan Senor, the American scholar, author and host of the podcast, Call Me Back. It originated after “October 7” and has developed into what, arguably, is one of the most important podcasts on Jewish life.
Senor delivered remarks this week at the 92nd Street Y in New York on the State of Israeli and American Jewry. He narrowed the focus of his address from the State of World Jewry, the subject for which he had been invited to speak. His presentation was immensely instructive, inspiring and even, important.
Senor artfully painted a comprehensive landscape of the present condition of the two largest Jewish communities in the world, i.e., Israel and the USA. With both broad and precise brush strokes, Senor combines Jewish history and current Jewish events to accurately and often movingly depict the valleys and the peaks of Jewish life in the U.S. (North America, really) and in Israel.
Senor’s essential message to American Jewry (One can also read this as North American Jewry), is that the community must evolve from being a “prominent but weak one, into a Jewish and strong one.” Of course, he defines his terms fully in the text of his remarks. And most important for his audience and for others who will subsequently read or view his remarks, after he meticulously describes the state of current Jewish life, he equally as meticulously provides prescriptions for the future.
Space permits reproducing merely a few of Senor’s key observations and conclusions. Not surprisingly, in light of GAJE’s mission, we excerpt some of the pieces that touch upon Jewish education and its place for the future thriving of North American Jewry.
The podcast is available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dan-senors-state-of-world-jewry-address-92ny/id1539292794?i=1000708538635&r=1428
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“My fear is that without something more lasting, a shift at the core of our approach to American Jewish life, we may drift back into that false sense of normal we were living on October 6th.
“The author Sarah Hurwitz put it this way when addressing a group of Hillel’s student leaders. ‘Jews don’t control anti-Semitism’, Sarah said, and I quote here. ‘We can fight it, and I think that’s great, but I think instead of trying to bail out a tsunami with buckets, we should also build an ark. Put differently, there’s one thing that is entirely within our control, and it’s the one thing that the anti-Semites want to disrupt.
“The one thing we can control is whether we choose to lead Jewish lives.”
“Not only is it within our control, but Jonathan Sacks said it best, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, non-Jews respect Jews who respect their Judaism. And it is exactly what has sustained Jewish life and Jewish lives in every century. And I want to talk tonight about some of the ways that could happen.
“How do we invest in Judaism, in Jewish peoplehood, in Jewish communal life, and in connection to Israel? There is really only one way. Immersion in Jewish tradition, rituals, ruach, and learning with other Jews.”
“Day school alumni are more than twice as likely to feel deeply connected to their Jewish identity compared to their peers. They are four times as likely to feel a strong connection to Israel.
“Rabbi Sachs again once said, to defend a country, you need an army. But to defend an identity, you need a school. Day schools strive to be living, breathing communities where students learn not just Jewish ideas, but how to think, how to debate respectfully across difference, and how to build community.
“They learn Hebrew and how to pray. They learn how to be a mensch. At Jewish day schools, practicing Judaism is normative.
“Studying Jewish texts, caring about Israel. It’s all the norm. It’s not weird.”
“There’s no baggage, no connotations, and no apologizing for it. Day schools build Jewish confidence and pride. They develop what I could only describe as Jewish muscle memory.”
“The beginning of a renaissance in Jewish education is already happening. So our question isn’t whether day Schools matter. The question is: what will it take to make them accessible, affordable, and even competitive with the best secular, independent private schools..?”
Senor also emphasizes the successful record of Jewish summer camps in building Jewish identity. “There’s only one environment in America that’s even more immersive than day schools, Jewish camps.”
We reiterate that the entire presentation – the entire podcast – is worthy and remarkably so.
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GAJE expects to be before the Court of Appeal in the Fall, arguing for the right to a hearing on the merits of our application for fair educational funding in Ontario. When we learn the date of the hearing, we will share it with our readers.
If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit, please click here. Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of helping to underwrite the costs of the lawsuit. For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com
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Shabbat shalom. Am Yisrael Chai
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education (GAJE)
May 16, 2025
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 