The Jewish people are staring into the abyss – and mistaking it for a mirror. Everywhere we look, the warning lights flash: mobs in Western cities chanting for our destruction; politicians emboldened to equate Zionism with evil, racism, and colonialism; media hosts laundering conspiracies once whispered in smoke-filled dive bars.
The atmosphere feels combustible, electric, historically familiar. We are living through the prelude to another catastrophe – and most Jews are too distracted, comfortable, or afraid to admit it.
It’s easy to forget how close the United States once came to joining the chorus of hate. In 1939, 20,000 Americans packed Madison Square Garden for a Nazi rally under the swastika and the Stars and Stripes. Charles Lindbergh, the nation’s hero aviator, told crowds that “the British, the Jewish, and the Roosevelt administration” were pushing America toward war. Had he, not Franklin Roosevelt, won power, the fate of Europe’s Jews could have been sealed long before Auschwitz opened its gates. History turns fast. Civilization collapses quietly, then all at once. We are again at that hinge of history – where applause lines about justice mask contempt for Jews, and politicians flirt with extremism because it plays well online.
In New York, Zohran Mamdani’s victory has produced hysteria across Jewish communities – and rightly so. He is not an aberration; he is the emblem of a new political generation that no longer fears losing Jewish support because Mamdani’s coalition draws strength from blocs that view Israel as a colonial sin and Jewish self-defense as aggression. They are jihadists and communists in suits, and thrive on the moral confusion of Jews who think progressive belonging outweighs Jewish continuity.
Meanwhile, Manhattan’s elite pulpits have become political stages. The Central Synagogue thunders about justice when it flatters their social circle, then goes silent when Jews are beaten on 47th Street. Tikkun olam, once a call to moral repair, has been rebranded as progressive theater – a Judaism emptied of covenant, sovereignty, and self-respect.
For decades, Jews mistook proximity to liberal power for security. That era is over. Access is not protection. Applause is not an alliance.
On the far Right, Nick Fuentes preaches “holy war” against Jews. On the pseudo-mainstream right, Tucker Carlson hosts antisemites who dress conspiracy theories in patriotism. On the far Left, campus radicals scream for intifada. Different uniforms, same creed: the Power Libel – the fantasy that Jews or Israel secretly control the world. The far-right blames us for globalism; the far-left blames us for nationalism. Together, they form the new antisemitic consensus of our time. It is no longer taboo to hate Jews; it is trendy, intellectual, algorithmically rewarded.
The rot within
The World Zionist Organization, once the central hub for Jewish coordination, has transformed into a haven for irrelevant politicians. The recent congress was a disappointing waste of time and resources, especially at a moment when the global Jewish community faces escalating antisemitism. The WZO struggles to form meaningful coalitions, inspire young people, or support the elderly. However, the WZO is not the root problem; it is merely a symptom of a larger issue. Across federations and foundations, Jewish leadership has become risk-averse and overly comfortable. Our institutions seem to prioritize preserving budgets over protecting individuals. They may issue statements about “standing together,” but in reality, they are standing still. Innovation is lacking.
Jewish philanthropy today is a monument to our confusion. We pour billions into museums, galas, and glossy initiatives that make donors feel enlightened but leave Jewish communities undefended. We are funding our extinction one cocktail reception at a time. We celebrate “innovation” in Manhattan while synagogues in Paris hire armed guards. We endow new cultural centers while Jewish schools cannot afford Hebrew teachers. We sponsor interfaith dialogues with those who chant for our destruction and call it progress. This is not a crisis of means; it is a crisis of meaning. The money exists. The will does not.
Nothing captures this era’s emptiness better than the influencer economy that has replaced authentic leadership. Jewish organizations have spent fortunes trying to “rebrand” the Jewish story – hiring content creators, crafting hashtags, chasing virality. But you cannot influence your way out of antisemitism. You cannot algorithm your way to dignity. Influence is not identity. We turned to influencers because we feared being seen as militant, craved validation, and wanted the world to like us. But history does not “like” anyone – it rewards those who stand. While Jewish influencers filmed dance videos about unity, mobs burned Israeli flags in Times Square. While PR teams brainstormed slogans, Jewish students barricaded themselves in libraries. Influence cannot replace courage.
The psychological chasm between Israelis and Diaspora Jews has become a strategic liability. Israelis see the Diaspora as fragile and naïve; Diaspora Jews see Israel as abrasive and extreme. Both are wrong – and both are right. Israelis fight for survival. Diaspora Jews fight for social acceptance. Together, they have forgotten how to fight for each other. Without Hebrew, without shared purpose, we are two peoples pretending to be one. The longer we speak different languages – literally and spiritually – the less capable we are of defending anything together.
The neglected triad
Every civilization stands on three pillars: education, language, and defense.
- Education. Jewish schools teach empathy but not endurance. Students learn to understand their enemies better than to understand themselves.
- Language. Hebrew – the miracle that made Jewish sovereignty possible – is fading from Diaspora life. Without it, we become tourists in our own civilization.
- Defense. Self-defense is not militancy; it is maturity. We need lawful, trained, proud Jewish defense leagues. We need cyber-warriors to dismantle libels before they metastasize. We need rabbis who understand situational awareness as well as scripture.
The parallels to pre-war Europe are chilling: Media narratives blaming Jews for global disorder; politicians are normalizing antisemitic rhetoric; elite indifference to Jewish security; and Jewish leaders insisting, “It can’t happen here.”
It can and it will – unless we act.
An October 7-style assault on Jewish institutions outside Israel is no longer a fantasy. It is a mathematical probability. The question is not if but when – and whether we will be livestreaming our disbelief when it happens. The antidote is not despair but discipline. Imagine a generation raised in Hebrew from birth, versed in Torah and technology, capable of defending both their data and their dignity. Imagine federations funding Krav Maga classes instead of cocktail hours, scholarships for Hebrew immersion instead of consultant-written slogans. A people fluent in its language, grounded in its story, and unafraid of its power would be unbreakable. That future is possible – if we choose it.
The five R’s you cannot ignore
The hour demands clarity:
- Redirect Jewish Philanthropy from vanity to vitality – language, education, defense.
- Reform institutions to train leaders, not administrators.
- Replace influencers with educators with a Zionist vision, not self-promotion.
- Return Jewish strength to the diaspora through self-defense to build the modern Maccabi.
- Rebuild the bond between Israel and the Diaspora through shared service, shared Hebrew, shared destiny.
Our ancestors prayed for survival. We have the privilege to plan it. The next decade will decide whether the Jewish people awaken – or quietly collapse while composing another press release about unity. Silence is despicable – but complacency is worse. Inaction is despicable. Indifference is betrayal.
Adam Scott Bellos is the founder and CEO of The Israel Innovation Fund and author of the forthcoming book Never Again Is Not Enough: Why Hebraization Is the Only Way to Save the Diaspora. He leads initiatives including Wine on the Vine, Project Maccabee, and Herzl AI, dedicated to Jewish strength, Hebrew revival, and Israeli cultural renewal.