My amazing visit to the US with Chabad on Campus - opinion

I have just returned from a three-week visit to the United States, leading a trip on behalf of INEXTG (Israel’s Next Generation) along with 300 Israeli students who are members of Chabad on Campus in Israel, an organization led by my husband, Rabbi Moshe Shilat and myself. Fifty of the 300 students are heads of student unions on campuses throughout Israel. 

First of all, it was a pleasure to feel young! The energy never runs out when one accompanies young people in their 20s and 30s. But most of all, I felt enlightened. I received a boost of solar power during these challenging days. 

Our visit began in New York with a prayer at the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe for the safety of the hostages, our soldiers, and the Jewish people. We continued to a particularly moving event, meeting with Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, and the Jewish-American influencers Lizzy Savetzky and Izzy Karten.

We then walked along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue wearing yellow shirts and holding yellow balloons to support the hostages. Honestly, I expected a skirmish. I was afraid of hatred in the streets. 

The reality was the opposite and, in fact, shocked us all.

We did not encounter hatred. Hundreds of people came out, took pictures, cheered, honked, left their offices and joined us in the march toward Times Square. 

Then came the highlight: We stood in a huge yellow circle and sang the famous song “Our brothers, the entire family of Israel who are in distress and captivity. May God have mercy on them and remove them from distress to relief, and from darkness to light.”

At the foot of the famous red steps of Times Square, hundreds of Jewish people danced to the song “Am Yisrael Chai.” We then released 300 balloons skyward in prayer. The event made an impact worldwide, and I am sure that our prayers were heard in heaven.

Israelis are well-versed in war 

All this happened on September 10. The next day, September 11, a deep sense of national mourning was felt across the United States. We could identify with it more this year, but deep down, we know it’s different. For Americans, September 11 was a one-time event. But we Israelis are well-versed in war and bereavement.  

The Jewish people, used to being hated, from Pharaoh to Hitler to Nasrallah and Sinwar, experience the war for our lives daily as proud Jews. We know that we will make it, with God’s help. We will continue to be a light unto the nations, a minority that affects the entire world disproportionate to its size – if we only remain true to our destiny and significance.

During the trip, we met with the incoming Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon. He was busy preparing for the UN General Assembly, but he welcomed us and answered our questions. It was evident that he had come to fight resolutely for Israel amid the darkness. 

We visited some of the most prestigious universities in the US, including Columbia, Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. We met lecturers – Jewish professors and PhDs, with their students – Jews who had gone through a very challenging year, full of hatred in the classrooms and many friends who turned their backs on them. Their unity and cohesion moved us, and we moved them by our visit. With tears in their eyes, they thanked us. How good we can be when we are united.

As one Jewish professor at Harvard University said: “Leaders on Israeli campuses should not be bothered by what is happening here at Harvard. We will deal with the antisemitic minority. Continue your positive and unifying Jewish work on campuses in Israel. That’s where your focus should be because that’s what will determine the future of Israel.”

The writer and her husband head INEXTG, Israel’s Next Generation. To view videos and posts on this special journey, and her activities, please follow @bracha_shilat