Last week, I spoke with Phil Rosen, chair of the World Jewish Congress (American Division) and a board member of Yeshiva University. He is intimately familiar with the situation of the Jewish people both in Israel and in the United States and is optimistic about our future.
The song Matan chose
“I’m not worried, because we have the best youth in the world. The younger generation shows us what our future will look like. Take a look at the role models of young people in the West today. For example, Greta Thunberg. She is a young woman with mixed-up values who has become a symbol without really knowing anything at all, not about climate change nor about terror. Her values are so confused that she is supportive of Hamas. Is this a suitable role model for young people?
Now consider the students on campuses who protested for Hamas. These are kids who are so lost. They scream ‘apartheid’ and ‘intifada’ without knowing what these terms mean and haven’t been taught to distinguish between good and evil.”
In contrast, look at the young people of Israel. First of all, they maintain moral clarity, which is so rare in today’s progressive political environment. If you look at Israeli youth and the Jewish people in general, you see strength, spirit, connection to their roots, unity, creativity, and mainly, joy. This is a happy generation. I listen to the Israeli playlist, watch young people flocking to the Western Wall for selichot, and observe how they cope with crisis, and it fills me with hope for the future.
Last week, I saw this trend: Ishay Ribo performed at the United Palace Theater in Manhattan, each night in front of about 3,000 young people. In an era of AI-generated words, these young people wanted to dance for hours to Ribo’s ancient-but-new lyrics. I was given the unique opportunity to speak on stage, to interview Ribo in front of the audience, and to talk with some of the young people after the show. They spoke with glowing eyes about making aliyah, about college students discovering and asserting their Jewish identity, and the growth of Jewish pride everywhere.
The star of the show was Matan Angrest. Ribo wanted to dedicate one of his songs to Matan and asked him to choose the song. Matan was a tank driver who was kidnapped by Hamas from his tank in Nahal Oz on October 7. The three other soldiers in his tank were killed. He was almost lynched after losing consciousness and was kidnapped to Gaza. For two years, he was violently interrogated, severely tortured, and often held in isolation. He requested a pair of tefillin, a siddur, and a Tanach from his captors, which they gave him. Matan drew closer to his faith during his captivity.
So here was this hero standing on stage next to Ishay Ribo in front of thousands of young American Jews, and which song did he request from Ribo? Matan chose “Tocho Ratzuf Ahava” — a song about God’s love for us and our love for Him. It is incredible that this is how Matan feels. Ribo started singing this song and Matan joined him, as the audience erupted in applause.
Countless shows and performances have been staged on Broadway, but I’m certain that there has never been a performance like this one before. As Phil Rosen suggested, I looked around at the young people and saw light and holiness.
The word of the year
The Oxford English Dictionary has chosen the term “rage bait” as the Word of the Year for 2025. This is a term related to social media content designed to spark shock and rage and thus to garner higher online circulation. You might not be aware of this term, but you have surely come across such provocative, annoying and distressing posts.
Meanwhile, Webster’s Dictionary chose the word “slop” as its Word of the Year. It relates to low-quality digital content that is AI-generated, often completely fake, and that goes viral. We are being swamped by this trash.
The Cambridge Dictionary has chosen the most disturbing word of all: “parasocial, meaning a one-sided bond people form with famous personalities, even though they have never met them; or with a bot, which doesn’t exist in reality. It refers to a relationship developed with AI, and the blurring between human and digital connections.
If this is the direction we’re heading in, what will be the Word of the Year in 2026? Will anyone even bother to choose one? Who would be interested?
But there is a role for us to play in all of this. While these were the words chosen for the secular year ending in December, the Academy of the Hebrew language determined, by an overwhelming majority, that the Word of the Year for 5785 was the word “chatufim,” hostages, followed closely by the words “courage,” “responsibility,” and “home,” words that express solidarity and mutual responsibility.
What will be Israel’s Word of the Year for 2026? With all the rage baits digital slop circulating online, this will be our challenge.
Blessing from above
Whenever the rain makes me feel a little blah, I try to remind myself: rain is not “bad weather,” but a blessing we pray for.
In the agricultural community of Yesodot, the farmers have a custom: when the rains are abundant, they give thanks and make a small lechaim after the morning prayers. I saw this note posted in their shul:
“We cannot thank You enough, God, for the rains that have fallen since the beginning of the year and saved our crops here in the moshav. To date, we have received 130 mm of rain. It is certainly not enough, and we must continue to pray. Thank You, God! The congregation is invited for a lechaim.”
In Yesodot, people lift their eyes to the heavens in a very practical way. Thousands of acres depend on those drops: avocado orchards, etrogim, and citrus groves waiting, almost holding their breath.
They give thanks, and they ask for more. For them, the forecast isn’t just information, it’s a conversation; a daily dialogue with God.
Parashat Vayechi: The blessings
In this week’s Torah portion, our forefather Jacob blesses his children and grandchildren before his passing with verses that became eternal and widely known. These blessings were intended not only for his descendants in that generation, but also for us, his descendants today.
“The angel who has redeemed me from all evil shall bless the lads, and through them shall be called my name and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and may they multiply abundantly in the midst of the land.”
Jacob blesses his grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe, the sons of Josef, who were born and raised in Egypt. Despite being immersed in a foreign and tempting culture, they succeeded in preserving their Jewish identity.
The blessing is that wherever Jews may go, Jacob’s name, and the names of Abraham and Isaac, will be called through them. That in every exile, from Egypt to London to Manhattan, and also in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, it will be evident that we are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
He asks that the same angel who supported him through all his trials, the Divine providence and protection he felt throughout his life, will continue to accompany us forever.
To this day, parents bless their sons every Friday night with the words: “May God make you like Ephraim and like Menashe.”