After October 7, Diaspora Jews feel a stronger bond with Israel, Rivi Kirshtein, Educational Programs Director of Nefesh Yehudi said Tuesday while at the Jerusalem Post's Israel Summit, in a one-on-one interview with Tamar Uriel-Beeri, Managing Editor of Jpost.com.
“No one ‘owns’ Judaism – it belongs to all Jews around the world,” she said.
Nefesh Yehudi, “Jewish Soul,” is a Hebrew phrase that has described the essence of Jewish identity for centuries. The organization was established in 2004 and is active among students in institutions of higher education in Israel and the Diaspora, deepening Jewish awareness and the connection to the Jewish people’s historical, cultural, and moral roots.
The organization’s activities in Israel are carried out in 30 centers that address 50 academic institutions, with more than 6,000 students active in Nefesh Yehudi projects each year, being part of an international organization that includes 35,000 Jewish students worldwide. Students around the world are selected each year to participate in parallel programs for the activities of the Jewish soul in Israel on a variety of campuses in North America, Latin America, Russia, France, and elsewhere.
Kirshtein told Uriel-Beeri that the organization has been providing essential supplies for soldiers since the beginning of the war and has hosted and assisted evacuees from Israel’s south. Prior to the war, she explained, when speaking with Jewish people from the Diaspora, they would explain the Jewish connection to the land of Israel by citing verses from the Bible. Since the war started, Jews in the Diaspora want to help and visit Israel. “We don’t need to explain the connection now,” she said. “It is in the Jewish soul and in their blood.”
The challenges faced by college students
In response to Uriel-Beeri’s query about the difficulties faced by college students in dealing with Judaism, she replied that people are interested in Judaism, but are afraid of religious coercion. Says Kirshtein, “I told them, ‘I want to give you the present that Judaism can give to the world. You can choose whatever you want, but it is yours. I want you to know what it means. Knowledge is power – you are Jewish. Know what it means to be a Jew.”
Kirshtein added that Nefesh Yehudi promotes experiential Judaism. “We learn together about our love for the nation – that the Jewish people are brothers and sisters together.”