The world has changed. Or perhaps it sprouted the only viable result of careless consumer focused technological advancement we all allowed it to come to. After October 7th, there can be no doubt that Jews worldwide have been disillusioned. We no longer have faith that we are welcome citizens of the world. Even with our own land, we still feel alienated. However slight, this recognition becomes all the more troubling when considering this unique moment in history.
Prior to October 7th, humanity had reached a cusp on the technological front. ChatGPT has made the once sci-fi “artificial intelligence” a reality for which the world is unquestionably unprepared. We have only begun to find avenues with which to approach our “social media” applications and the grasp they have on our psyche. And it has come at our peril. All of these new realities are being used against us. When we provide proof of atrocity, it is said that the footage has been doctored with AI. When the news media reports positively on Israel, it is said that Jews control the media. These are true issues which we must take seriously.
In an age where true knowledge is replaced by half minute faux encapsulations of world history, where search for meaning has been replaced by the appropriate pill to be prescribed, and where faith in mankind is replaced by a belief in ultimate peril, Israel and Jews worldwide have had much to combat besides terrorism. The Anti-Israel propaganda in this era is empowered infinitely by all of these phenomena. Algorithms on social media are undoubtedly skewed in favor of Anti-Israel messaging. Recently, an organization conducted an experiment on TikTok, creating fake social media accounts based on people of different demographics, and the overwhelming majority of the first sixty videos presented were Gaza/Israel videos with a clear affinity for Anti-Israel messaging. None were pro Israel and a minority were simply “neutral,” whatever that means. TikTok is the largest social media platform. Too many people rely on it for information. It is a problem, to say the least. One which I do not attempt to solve in this article, but a problem which I believe will be overcome with the appropriate effort.
Why do I bring this up, you may ask, if I do not propose a solution. In truth, I feel it is an issue many of us are bothered by, but shy away from contemplating. How do we fight Hamas and the internet? While truth is an extremely powerful tool, it seems to be failing us. What are we to do while our brothers and sisters are fighting a war against the most atrocious evil we have seen since the crematoria of Germany? I must admit again I have no true answer to the how, but I have searched for a method with which to rise and persevere despite the silent hopelessness that plagues me. To avoid any confusion, I have immense faith in the IDF and Israel to continue wiping out Hamas while being paragons of a moral military. They are truly an army to aspire to. I hope to one day train my own courage and sacrifice to match theirs. But as a Jew in Diaspora, the Jewish condition of our otherness concerns me.
My search for perseverance in these turbulent times have led me to recall a book I kept passing by in the local bookshop, Eliezer Berkovits' “Faith After the Holocaust” by Maggid Books © 1973, 2019. I picked up a copy around two months ago. I have read it diligently almost every night. It is not a lengthy book, but it is extremely deep. It deals with some of the most intense questions a Jew can have. I did not read this book for comfort, and to comfort was not the goal of the book. What reading this book did accomplish however, was strengthening my faith that fighting the moral fight on the battlefield and the Diaspora is a noble pursuit that is worthwhile for a purpose beyond our mere survival. It is written in a style that can combat the most nihilistic of Jews with a formidable eloquent overview of the Jewish condition and Jewish faith. And despite being published originally around the time of the Six-day war and being about the Holocaust primarily, the book deals with Israel and its place in history. The book even contains passages which, without the title, might lead one to assume it was written about the current conflict. I would like to summarize a key point in the book, as well as quote a few passages pertaining to the Jewish situation on the world stage, and ultimately suggest reading it to become more formidable in the realm of ideas and unity with our brethren in this conflict.
The key point from the book I would like to focus on is the different types of history of the world as opposed to the Jews. The world has survived and looks at history through what Rabbi Berkovits calls “power history.” The Jews, according to power history, should not have survived. Even with the state of Israel, power history should have wiped us off the map. The Jew however, lives based on faith history. In as laymen of a sentence as I can muster, the idea is as follows; while the world chooses to believe in only power as a means of survival and progress, the Jews believe in survival and progress because of our Covenant with G-d. Rabbi Berkovits even goes so far as to say that Jewish survival is the greatest proof of God's existence that there is. Why is this important? For that, let me point to a few passages in the book;
“The emergence of the colossi also illustrates the futility of power as an arbiter of history… The colossi's fear of each other is a very shaky foundation on which to erect a lasting peace. If that is all on which man may base his hope for the future, there is little ground for optimism. (pg. 142)”
The above point is demonstrative of the inevitable hopelessness of viewing history in a secular, dare I say scientific, lens.
Regarding the Jewish outlook on history as faith history he writes, “What kind of a nation is it that through the longest part of its history was lacking all the vital requirements of normal nationhood, yet was impressively discernable as a separate entity? (pg. 150)”
“Judaism contained within itself the likelihood of exile as well as the certainty of redemption from exile. To be a Jew meant to accept the one and wait for the other. Seen in this light, Jewish history does make sense; it is part of the cosmic drama of redemption... Only messianic redemption can lend meaning and bring justification to Israel's martyrdom. Thus must the authenticity of the Messiah be tested: should he save only a contemporary generation, and compel the Jewish people to write off the tragedy of two millennia in exile as a regrettable incident about which nothing more can be done, Israel will know him to be another imposter. (pg. 155)”
In these passages we see that as Jews, we cannot look at history in the manner described initially, as Israel is combating all advances of technology and terrorism. If we do, then we would be correct to lose hope and feel helpless. But, if we look at history from the Jewish lens, then we should be emboldened to do our part, whatever it is, and still remain hopeful that one day we will live in a world that is better, “when man will begin to enjoy the first fruits of another, new and better day. (pg. 173)” As Rabbi Berkovits points out, we do not know when this day will come, but what will keep us alive will be our faith in that day. It is our faith in ourselves and our future that must lend to our faith in humanity and its future.
“As a Jew, I can believe in the future of man only because I believe in the future of Israel. I believe in the future of man only because I believe that power history will make room for faith history. I believe it because ever since the destruction of the Jewish state in the year 69 CE, to the extent which Israel has survived, power history has made room for faith history. I believe in that future because the Jewish endurance of nineteen centuries of violent civilization testifies to it; because the Jew who still well remembers its beginnings, is also present at this contemporary phase of its self-frustrating disintegration. (pg. 172)”
May we all stand strong in our faith. We must resist. We must prove “Never Again" however many times necessary. And most of all, we must have faith in our future. Without it, there can be no mankind. Chazak Ve'Ematz!
Dovidchai Abramchayev graduated with a BS in accounting from Lander College for Men. He is pursuing a CPA and works in the NFP audit industry. In his spare time, Abramchayev learns Torah, philosophy, and theology.
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