One of the Jewish world’s most astute observers of past and present Jewish life – Andres Spokoiny – delivered powerful remarks recently in New York to an audience of philanthropists and communally committed but concerned North American Jews.
Spokoiny spoke about the burgeoning sense of disquiet Jews among American about their place in the United States. Though he spoke directly about current events in the USA and about current feelings among American Jews, his observations apply with equal accuracy and force to conditions of Jewish life today in Canada.
We reproduce only portions of Spokoiny’s presentation to convey the gravamen of his ideas and the clarity by which he presented them. The entire address, however, is worthy and important. Regular readers of this weekly update will immediately understand why GAJE has pointed to Spokoiny’s remarks when they read his four-part prescriptive call-to-action.
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“American Jews have lost something invaluable in the last decade: the feeling that their country and their community are exceptional…
“What is changing is the subjective relationship many American Jews have with America.
“After the murderous Hamas raids in Israel on October 7, 2023, that feeling of lost trust grew by orders of magnitude. The places that had come to symbolize the integration of Jews in American society, like universities and cultural institutions, became overtly hostile to us. The explosion of progressive antisemitism showed how alone Jews were politically and culturally. The conceptual structures that Jews had helped build — such as the human rights doctrine and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — were weaponized against them.
“Then came the realization that the left and the right will only fight antisemitism when it’s politically expedient, and that both sides will, to degrees small and large, kowtow to their extremists.
“I believe that antisemitism will recede, and things will “go back to normal,” because antisemitism always ebbs and flows. But we can’t unsee what we’ve been seeing in the last few years.
“So, what are American Jews to do with this realization?
“First, recognizing the truth can be liberating… Jews should stop searching for a permanent home in either political party and begin acting as independent political agents.
“Second, we must invest far more in Jewish education, identity and pride. If our place in American society is conditional, our own identity must be unconditional. Judaism — with its depth, history, and purpose — must fill the void before despair or self-rejection does. (Our emphasis)
“Third, we must strengthen Zionism as a central pillar of Jewish identity, invest in Zionist education, and promote engagement with Israel, even if critical. We should remain engaged in American civic life, but it’s clear now that the American project is not, as we thought, an intrinsically Jewish project – at best, it’s a secular project in which Jews may be able to participate.
“The only collective Jewish project is Israel. That is not an ideological statement but a fact. That, of course, doesn’t mean blindly accepting any Israeli policy or not fighting for Palestinians’ rights. The opposite: if Israel is our only collective project, we must engage with it from the inside, defending its democracy and its liberalism and fighting against the dark forces that seek to capture it.
“Finally, we must stop apologizing for defending Jewish rights. Changing hearts and minds about antisemitism is, at best, an improbable task. Antisemitism rises and falls for reasons largely beyond our control. What we can do is protect ourselves — physically, legally, politically and culturally — and use every legitimate tool available to defend our community.
“Jews should stand in solidarity with other oppressed minorities because it is the right thing to do. But we should cease having naïve illusions about others standing up for us. We need to continue “building bridges” — but we need to learn when to burn them.
“This American Jewish moment is painful and unsettling, but it’s an opportunity to rethink some of our basic premises and plan according to new principles. Thinking less about our exceptionalism may be liberating. Sometimes it’s good to let go. That energy used to keep aloft something that is collapsing can then be used to enrich our own identity and rediscover our tradition. Clinging to delusions won’t help — looking reality in the face just might.”
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Like so many of the scholars, historians, thinkers, planners, educators, parents, grandparents, and ordinary Jews who are studying these unparalleled times and trying to offer the best ways for Jews at home and abroad to forge strongly through present difficulties, Spokoiny too calls for strengthening the Jewishness of who we are. Education is the imperative we must embrace. And treasure.
Spokoiny’s remarks may be read at:
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/american-jewish-exceptionalism-is-ending-heres-what-must-come-next/
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If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit to achieve fairness in educational funding, 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 Thank you, in advance, for considering doing so.
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Shabbat shalom
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education
July 31, 2026
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 