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In a time when the world feels bigger than ever, for the Jewish people it is, in many ways, getting smaller. The challenges are real. The pressure is real. Which means our response has to be real too. Achdus. Unity. Responsibility for one another. Not as a slogan, but as something foundational to who we are.
As we count the days of the Omer and prepare for Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah, we are reminded of Har Sinai, where the Jewish people stood k’ish echad b’lev echad, like one person with one heart. That was not poetic language. It was a prerequisite. We did not receive the Torah as individuals, but as a unified people. And during this very period of Sefirah, we remember the students of Rabbi Akiva who may have perished because they did not show proper respect to one another. They were great scholars, but something essential was missing. Greatness does not hold without respect.
That is what stood out at J2J. Not only the presentations, but the people. Jews from different backgrounds, different perspectives, standing together with respect and dignity, with a shared understanding that we are one people. We may not all agree, but we all care. Because if we do not take care of each other, who will? And if we do not look out for one another, who will step in?
And that is where this becomes real. There are thousands of Jewish teens who do not feel this sense of belonging, not because they do not want it, but because no one has brought it to them yet. When a teen finds the right environment and feels seen, everything can change. That is when unity becomes real. That is the work we do at NCSY. If we want a stronger, more connected future, we have to do more to open doors and create those opportunities.
Because in the end, loving your fellow Jew means every Jew knows they have a place in the room.
With gratitude,
Rabbi Glenn Black
CEO, NCSY Canada
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