I blame the Jewish grandparents. It’s this generation of grandparents who are to be blamed for not instilling a Jewish feeling, a Jewish connection, and a Jewish soul into their grandchildren.
Condemning Hamas should not be difficult for anyone, let alone for Jews. Yet, the number of Jewish adolescents, Gen Zs, and Millennials who embrace this notorious terrorist group is staggering.
How can any Jew be so blind to the motivation and intentions of Zohran Mamdani, that they will not only pledge to vote for this openly and public Jew-hater – but also campaign for him and even become part of his team?
Young Jews are aligning with Jew-haters. The situation is dire. They see no discrepancy between their heritage, their birthright, and their politics.
Family influence
I trace this back to their grandparents and parents – their earliest educators, people who did not provide their children with a proud sense of their Jewishness. They denied their offspring the necessary tools that would make being a proud Jew a priority in their lives.
They denied their offspring the necessary tools that would make being a proud Jew a priority in their lives.
These grandparents wantonly denied their grandchildren the gift of their Jewishness.
The chain has been broken. The grandparents of these grandparents would never have allowed their children or grandchildren to embrace and promote ideas that preached hatred of Jews like those professed by Hamas and Mamdani supporters.
Jewish Bundists were staunch socialists, but they were still staunchly Jewish. The founders of the Democratic Socialists of America were very “Jewish Jews.” The first language of most, if not all, of those founders was “Jewish,” also known as Yiddish.
On Saturdays, everyone would greet their “comrades” with a friendly “Gut Shabbos.” That was their culture. That was their worldview. That was the only way to say “hello” on Saturday.
They must be turning over in their graves. It is one thing to promote changing the world in order to make it a better place. It is quite another thing to embrace Jew-hatred.
Learning from grandparents
Grandparents are special. They have a magical relationship with their grandchildren. They are all about love – unconditional love. There is none of the tension inherent in the relationships between children and their parents. All love. No discipline. Fun times spent together.
Grandparents are the people their grandchildren look up to. They are their role models. Sadly, too many of today’s grandparents have failed. They forgot that they were, more than anything, Jewish grandparents.
The few who succeeded are those whose grandchildren were enrolled in Jewish day schools and Jewish summer camps; those whose grandchildren visited and even studied in Israel. Those grandparents and those parents chose being Jewish as a priority, not just a box to check off when filling out forms. They prize their Jewish past and want to ensure a Jewish future.
What about the others?
The polls are showing a shocking number of Jewish youth who support Mamdani. These youths argue that Mamdani proposes important and valuable changes. Many of these Jewish Mamdani supporters are also keffiyeh-wearing Hamas supporters.
Grandparents: It’s not too late. Do not shy away from talking to your grandchildren about these issues. Ask them where they stand on these issues. When you hear that they are pro-Mamdani and pro-Hamas, do not condemn; instead, explain.
Explain that they have fallen victim to terrible misinformation and brainwashing campaigns. Explain that, yes, of course, Israel has made mistakes in its war against Hamas, but that doesn’t make Israel evil.
It is Hamas that is evil. It is Hamas that has perpetrated evils, like the mass murderer of innocents. It is Hamas that raped, tortured, and burned Jewish children alive. It is Hamas that is starving the Gazans and using those innocent civilians as human shields.
And tell the story of your lives through your Jewish lens. Tell them about your parents, their grandparents, and describe their Jewish lives. Teach them about how their forefathers fought to be Jewish and to preserve their Jewishness so that this generation – their generation – could live as proud Jews.
Teach them that Hamas supporters and Mamdani supporters have common goals and visions. Simply put, they hate Jews! They hate Jewish involvement in politics, culture, and business. They hate Jews with power. They hate Jewish Jews. And there is no greater example of Jewish power than Israel, Israelis, and Zionists.
Pave the way. Teach them to embrace their legacy and tradition. Teach them to love being proud Jews. As their grandparents, let your grandchildren know that, as much as you love them, there are certain things you just cannot and will not countenance.
Jewish grandparents represent the past; grandchildren represent the Jewish future.
The writer is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Watch his TV show, Thinking Out Loud, on the Jewish Broadcasting Syndicate.