2 min read
ByRabbi Naftali Schiff, Rabbi Naftali Schiff
Jewish Futures is happy to continue to blaze the trail
December 7, 2023 14:04Throughout these turbulent months, we have seen a rise in our need to protect ourselves. Our perceived safety as a community, shockingly, has been under threat.
Two formidable organisations have shouldered the responsibility of highlighting hate crime against the Jewish community and of combating it: the Campaign Against Antisemitism and the Community Security Trust (CST). Due to the professional and indefatigable work of these two groups, and thanks to the support of the police and the government, we, as a community, remain physically protected. As a community, we obviously appreciate the urgency and importance of such protection.
Last month, 100,000 people took to the streets of central London in a march coordinated by the Campaign Against Antisemitism to demand greater safety and peace for our community in this country. This is a great achievement. We were all proud to be there.
Yet, our physical safety is only one part of the picture. The ancient philosophers wrote about “form” and “matter”. In other words, the outer shape of something —its contours and boundaries — and the inner material that then make it what it is. We cannot just fortify ourselves against external threats but must also become more cognisant and stronger internally. We cannot be defined by antisemitism, by our boundaries and walls, how others cast and castigate us, but we must be bolstered and animated by authentic Jewish pride within.
While it is vital to protect our “form”, we also need to inculcate and reinforce our “matter”, the inner content with which we actively fill our lives and those of our families. At Jewish Futures, we are proud to protect this pulsating value system, the identity of our young people and connection with the Jewish community.
Our educational environment is heavily results driven. However, Jewish education is also about moulding decent and moral people — proud Jews — and not just about obtaining good grades. To quote Rabbi Sacks, learning must “open our eyes to the world, connecting us to our past and future”.
Supporting a family of organisations, Jewish Futures endeavours to achieve this, enriching the inner lives of young Jews. JRoots provides meaningful and educational Jewish journeys to places of Jewish heritage. GIFT inspires giving. From its food banks in the UK, vast volunteer networks distribute aid to Ukraine and Israel, and even assemble packs for those in prison here to celebrate Jewish holidays. To cite Rabbi Sacks once more, GIFT’s offering enables young Jewish people to gradually understand that it is “what we give to others which makes for a meaningful and happy life”.
Aish UK seeks to make the wisdom, depth and beauty of Judaism accessible to every young British Jew, from when they are about to leave home until they build their own, empowering young Jews, whether in school, on campus or in the workplace, to build a brighter future for themselves and the community.
In short, Jewish Futures’ work opens the eyes of our youth to the Jewish world, its dazzling colour and life-changing positive impact its values can have. It connects them to their unique past and empowered future. Jewish Futures protects the inner Jewish life of our community, just as other organisations protect our physical selves.
As Chanukah, the festival of Jewish dedication and pride, approaches, this is the perfect time to appreciate the dual requirement of our community today. We must protect ourselves physically against any outside threats, but we must also positively set our identity alight from within. We must stand together and march for positive Jewish values, and Jewish Futures is happy to continue to blaze the trail. Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Naftali Schiff is CEO of Jewish Futures