As this year winds down, there is much to say. Against the radical upheavals of our world, we hope and pray that you and yours are well. We feel blessed to have been able to connect with a wide circle of Friends of Siach Shalom during our November visit to the U.S., as we traveled from Long Island, to Manhattan, to Philadelphia, to South Florida and Boston. Many of you played a direct role in enabling us to have inspiring and impactful gatherings. We are so grateful.
This has been a year of learning and discernment, a year in which our personal understanding of Am Yisrael’s challenges has evolved and come into more clear focus. There is a beautiful rabbinic idea that, in times of challenge, our hearts carry our legs, rather than the other way around, according to Rashi on Genesis 29:1. In other words, the strength, love and determination of our hearts enables our legs (and hands and minds) to do the work that must be done. We believe that at the heart and soul of the Jewish people is a love, compassion and generosity of spirit for our fellow Jews and for all human beings. We believe, with every fiber of our beings, that the eternal yearning of the Jewish people is peace. It is this belief, this heart, that enables our limbs to fight horrific wars against Iran and its proxies and to face, with courage and honesty, the threats in North America posed by those who seek to destroy the legitimacy of the Jewish people.
During our recent trip to the U.S. and through many conversations during this past year, we encountered an epidemic of silence among Jews surrounding the subjects of Israel and Zionism. We heard, time and again, from those in our North American Friends of Siach Shalom circles that addressing attacks on Israel and on Zionism can feel dangerous whether at work, on campus or at family and social gatherings. Around the subject of Israel, many North American Jews experience fear, confusion and shame. Many do not know the definition of Zionism. Is it racism, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, genocide, etc.?
At the center of this silent (and sometimes not-so-silent) storm are Jewish Gen Zers, especially those studying on university and college campuses. Within Jewish families, intergenerational conversations about Israel are more strained than ever. Perhaps even more dangerous, the intragenerational (peer-to-peer) conversation among Jewish Gen Zers has broken down. Anti-Zionism is succeeding not only at turning non-Jews against the Jewish people but, even worse, at turning our extended Jewish family against itself. Thus, the central focus of our efforts, through Friends of Siach Shalom, is bringing young Jews into conversation with each other—about Zionism and about Jewish identity.
In Israel, Siach Shalom has always sought to deepen achdut, unity (not uniformity), among Israelis, bringing Jews together across radical differences to listen and to speak. Through Friends of Siach Shalom, we are addressing the five-alarm fire of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the diaspora by nurturing and strengthening a sense of unity—which encompasses difference—as we convene groups of Jewish college-age students. Said one participant in our opening meeting, “I am looking for a space that is not a shouting match and not an echo chamber.” This is what we strive to create.
Gen Z Cohorts
We just completed Siach Shalom’s first Gen Z University Student Cohort. Twelve students came together on Zoom for six 90-minute virtual sessions throughout the course of three months. Participants were from multiple campuses in the United States. To add depth, interest and perspective, we also included two students from Israel (Herzliya and Jerusalem), one from Budapest and two from London. Each participant received a stipend of $500. Our focus for each Zoom learning journey is to enable non-Orthodox Jews in America to be in deep, nurturing, challenging and loving dialogue with each other and with their extended family members in Israel and Europe.
Our second cohort is scheduled to begin on January 19, 2025. By September, we intend to convene five more groups, bringing us to a total of roughly 75 students (in seven cohorts) in this first year. By creating an educational model based on a framework of sacred conversations, our goal is to broaden the work and reach of Siach Shalom. Scaling this model will be the next priority through training facilitators and engaging partners in the Jewish nonprofit world, including Hillels, youth groups, synagogues, summer camps, Jewish community centers and more.
As we kindle the lights of our hanukkiah, we remember the life-changing power of bringing words out of darkness and creating spaces for courageous conversations.
Meir & Tara
We close with the words of this Israeli children’s Hanukkah song:
בָּאנוּ חוֹשֶׁךְ לְגָרֵשׁ
בְּיָדֵינוּ אוֹר וָאֵשׁ
כָּל אֶחָד הוּא אוֹר קָטָן
וְכֻלָנוּ אוֹר אֵיתָן
סוּרָה חוֹשֶׁךְ הָלְאָה שְחוֹר
סוּרָה מִפְּנֵי הָאוֹר
We have come to banish the darkness.
In our hands, light and fire.
Each of us is a small light.
Together we are a strong enduring flame.
Run away darkness, move on blackness.
Run away before the light.
Sponsor a Gen Zer
Consider sponsoring a Gen Zer, enabling them to participate in a cohort, for $1,000 or by sponsoring an entire cohort for $10,000.
To donate, please click here. To make sure that your contribution reaches Siach Shalom, please indicate “Siach Shalom” when asked if there is a project you would like to support.
Know a Jewish Gen Zer who might want to participate?
Share our contact information and the flyer below with them. Have questions? Please be in touch at taratalkingpeace@gmail.com or meirtalkingpeace@gmail.com.
Also, encourage a Gen Zer in your life to take the survey here or use the QR code below, so we can better understand the needs and challenges of Jewish young people today. 
