Marginalized Jews Seek Roots as They Fight Back Against Rising Antisemitism
Since October 7, heightened pressures on Jewish communities have sparked a surge in engagement, with many reconnecting with their identity and seeking unity through traditions, community programs, and education
Since the October 7 massacre—the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust—there’s been a dramatic rise in Jewish re-engagement. Julie Platt, chairwoman of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), has a term for those reigniting their connection to Judaism: “Born-again Jews.”
However, Platt explained earlier this month on the sidelines of the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly that it’s not about religious fundamentalism.
There are many, many born-again Jews who remembered who they were, their affiliation, religion, and community. People are showing up in numbers we haven’t seen in quite some time.
“There are many, many born-again Jews who remembered who they were, their affiliation, religion, and community. People are showing up in numbers we haven’t seen in quite some time,” she told The Media Line.
The numbers back this up.
Over the past year, JFNA has tracked this “surge,” beginning with an extensive survey of thousands of Jews and non-Jews released in the spring and supplemented by follow-up surveys and interviews in recent months.
The findings are striking: 43% of people in the US Jewish community are seeking to engage more deeply in Jewish life since October 7, according to Mimi Kravetz, JFNA’s chief impact and growth officer. Among those who were not highly engaged before the war, about 30% are now looking for ways to connect.
They are engaging in all different ways. Some informal, such as joining a community WhatsApp group of young adults supporting each other around how to respond at work [to criticism of Israel] or hosting a Shabbat dinner, and some in more formal ways.
“They are engaging in all different ways,” Kravetz told The Media Line. “Some informal, such as joining a community WhatsApp group of young adults supporting each other around how to respond at work [to criticism of Israel] or hosting a Shabbat dinner, and some in more formal ways. We are seeing a surge in people participating in philanthropy programs; our National Young Leadership program had 35% more applicants this year and the largest class ever – these are young philanthropists wanting to learn and give.”
Volunteerism has also spiked. Repair the World, an organization that mobilizes Jews and their communities to take action for a just world, reported twice the participation compared to the year before. OneTable, which empowers young adults to host impactful Shabbat dinners, reported a 50% increase in hosts and a 25% boost in attendance.
Those who have joined us want to be part of a proud and purposeful Jewish community. They are looking for friendship, a meaningful opportunity to make the world better, and community.
“Those who have joined us want to be part of a proud and purposeful Jewish community,” Cindy Greenberg, president and CEO of Repair the World, told The Media Line. “They are looking for friendship, a meaningful opportunity to make the world better, and community.”
However, she added that the organization “will need to think very strategically in order to sustain their involvement.”
Kravetz noted growth across other areas, including enrollment in early childhood programs and activities for older adults aged 55 to 75.
“I would say there are three populations in this surge that are most prominent: Midlife is the largest population in the surge. No. 2 is 18 to 24 – young adults, which is interesting because people assume the opposite,” she said. “And No. 3 is people married with children who take advantage of day school or early childhood programs.”
Chabad conducted its own survey in the weeks following the attack and found similar trends: 85% of respondents reported feeling a stronger connection to their Jewish identity after October 7, and 93% expressed a heightened sense of connection to the Jewish people or a desire to bond with other Jews.
Motti Seligman, Chabad’s director of media, noted that rabbis quickly began seeing a rise in Jewish practices, with many individuals embracing traditions for the first time. People started lighting Shabbat candles, putting on tefillin, reciting the Shema daily, baking challah, wearing visible Jewish symbols like the Star of David, and attending synagogue more regularly. While Seligman told The Media Line that this engagement had lessened somewhat since the early days of the war, he emphasized that a unique “familial” feeling among Jews remains—a sentiment he believes was absent before the attack.
Jews are finding that the best way of combatting the external adversity that we are also seeing is through leaning into who we are—our identity, our practices. It is the best way of both finding peace within but also impacting the world around us.
“Jews are finding that the best way of combatting the external adversity that we are also seeing is through leaning into who we are—our identity, our practices. It is the best way of both finding peace within but also impacting the world around us,” Seligman said.
Antisemitism is one reason for the surge, according to JFNA
While one might assume that rising antisemitism would drive people away from their Jewish faith, Kravetz said it “seems to be a reason for the surge.”
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It’s a lot about connection to Israel and the moment of awakening and transformation that happened after October 7. And for many, it’s about the rise of antisemitism domestically. When people started to feel that places they considered part of their close community were no longer welcoming, that is part of what had them seeking more Jewish community.
“It’s a lot about connection to Israel and the moment of awakening and transformation that happened after October 7,” Kravetz explained. “And for many, it’s about the rise of antisemitism domestically. When people started to feel that places they considered part of their close community were no longer welcoming, that is part of what had them seeking more Jewish community.”
William Daroff, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations, echoed these sentiments. He said Jews have come to realize this past year that they can only rely on themselves.
When we looked to our left and our right in the days after October 7, we saw that many of our traditional allies who we had marched with and stood with were not there. It became more evident that as Jews we’re only as strong as we are unified … and that that is crystallizing itself in more engagement in Jewish communal activities.
“When we looked to our left and our right in the days after October 7, we saw that many of our traditional allies who we had marched with and stood with were not there,” Daroff told The Media Line. “It became more evident that as Jews we’re only as strong as we are unified … and that that is crystallizing itself in more engagement in Jewish communal activities.”
JFNA conducted one-on-one structured interviews, in partnership with Rosov Consulting, with parents who participated in its survey and were identified as part of the surge. One parent shared: “I’m just trying to spend more time at the synagogue, going to services, engaging with clergy. My father volunteers for every organization. I’m looking for safety and security, being around people who get it. As you start to feel abandoned by your previous groups, you join the community.”
Another parent expressed a similar sentiment: “I’ve been really affected by this past year—I haven’t been a victim of antisemitism per se, but I feel different about my background. I’m more involved in thinking about peace in the Middle East than others here. That’s been hard. I reached out to a lot of Jewish friends outside of here; I talk and text with them a lot. I’ve never been super excited about Jewish engagement, but this year, I felt like I really want some more of the Jewish community.”
Historian Austin Reid recently noted in a Times of Israel blog that Jewish communities are increasingly concentrated in a few key areas, driven by the desire for connection and access to good jobs. However, he warned that this shift has weakened the interpersonal ties that once connected Jews with their neighbors across divides.
Many smaller American Jewish communities have been contracting in size since the 1970s, driven primarily by domestic economic factors in the United States. Shifts in employment opportunities and broader economic changes have led families of many backgrounds to relocate to larger cities where greater resources and job prospects are available.
“Many smaller American Jewish communities have been contracting in size since the 1970s, driven primarily by domestic economic factors in the United States. Shifts in employment opportunities and broader economic changes have led families of many backgrounds to relocate to larger cities where greater resources and job prospects are available,” he told The Media Line. “For Orthodox communities in particular, maintaining smaller communities can be especially challenging due to the high costs of essential infrastructure, such as mikvaot [ritual baths], kosher stores, and schools. These facilities are critical for daily life but can be difficult to sustain in smaller settings.
“The departure of even a few families often creates additional challenges for sustainability, leading to a ripple effect that makes it harder to maintain the community,” he concluded.
Statistically, JFNA’s findings align with other data on rising antisemitism, such as reports from the Anti-Defamation League. JFNA found that 23% of respondents had been the target of antisemitism, either in person or online, in the last year. Additionally, three-quarters of all Jews had overheard or seen antisemitic comments in person or online. Kravetz noted that those who wear kippahs, stars of David, or other Jewish symbols are more likely than the general non-Jewish public to worry about personal safety due to antisemitism.
Je’Jae Cleo Mizrahi: ‘I wanted to know I was one of those people who stood up’
Je’Jae Cleo Mizrahi, 31, was studying at the CUNY School of Professional Studies when the massacre took place. Feeling marginalized and sensing hostility toward Israel and Judaism from some classmates, Mizrahi ultimately decided to leave the program. Despite this, they sought a deeper connection to Israel and a way to give back.
Mizrahi, who lives in New York, joined a volunteer program in Israel alongside others who shared their passion and values.
I wanted to know I was one of those people who stood up and did something.
“I wanted to know I was one of those people who stood up and did something,” they said.
In Israel, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism sees this surge as an opportunity to support Jewish engagement. Minister Amichai Chikli told The Media Line at the Jewish Media Summit in November that “there is an opportunity” for Jewish engagement despite the war crisis.
You can walk back from your Jewish identity and say it is too much, it comes with a high price, and I don’t want to engage with my Jewish identity, I don’t want this trouble. On the other hand, you can say, no, I am more curious.
“What we can see is a mechanism of fight or flight,” Chikli explained. “You can walk back from your Jewish identity and say it is too much, it comes with a high price, and I don’t want to engage with my Jewish identity, I don’t want this trouble. On the other hand, you can say, no, I am more curious; I want to know about Judaism and Zionism. I want to be a proud Jew. I don’t want to give up my identity.”
Chikli added that most of the young people he has met during the war have chosen curiosity and pride in their identity. He sees his ministry’s duty to assist them through its local partners in the United States.
“Antisemitism wins when a young Jew is walking away from his identity,” Chikli said. “Antisemitism is defeated when he is more connected.”
Increasing Jewish day school enrollment: Project Aleph Bet
One of the newest initiatives launched in partnership with Chikli’s ministry, JFNA, UnitEd, and Prizmah is Project Aleph Bet, a program focused on increasing Jewish day school enrollment.
“Jewish Day Schools are incubators for Jewish leaders who strengthen their Jewish communities, have strong relationships with Israel, are equipped to stand up to antisemitism, and are committed to raising their own children with a strong Jewish identity,” said JFNA President and CEO Eric D. Fingerhut in a statement.
The project’s first initiative, backed by a $4 million investment, aims to boost enrollment by supporting seven organizations. These groups will focus on improving affordability, strategic marketing, academic excellence, creating new schools, and strengthening early childhood programs as gateways to Jewish education.
I think it is important that although we have a significant economic crisis, the costs of the war are very expensive, we still allocated a significant budget for Jewish education, to empower Jewish education, not just for this year but the next year.
“I think it is important that although we have a significant economic crisis, the costs of the war are very expensive, we still allocated a significant budget for Jewish education, to empower Jewish education, not just for this year but the next year,” Chikli said.
A crucial aspect of the project is collaboration among grantees. The program creates opportunities to build relationships, share best practices, assess their impact on Jewish children and families, and distribute insights across the broader Jewish day school network.
“The first year is more of an experiment, like a startup,” Chikli explained. Each of the seven projects has specific goals to meet. After a year, the ministry and its partners will evaluate what succeeded and what didn’t, making better investments moving forward.
The program, initially planned before October 7, was delayed due to the Hamas attack. However, data collected since the war has reinforced the project’s importance. Kravetz told The Media Line that 39% of parents reported to JFNA that they were likely to reevaluate or reconsider day school enrollment or Jewish summer camps for their children.
William Daroff: ‘We need to have an open sign’
But can the organized Jewish community accommodate this influx of interest?
It’s on us, the Jewish community, to make them feel welcome, help them find their place, and foster a sense of belonging.
“It’s on us, the Jewish community, to make them feel welcome, help them find their place, and foster a sense of belonging,” Platt said. However, Kravetz acknowledged a challenge: Previously less engaged people often feel uncomfortable when entering a new program or setting.
“People sometimes show up for programs … where they don’t know anyone, and they may leave,” Kravetz said. “It’s really important in any Jewish setting to make sure people are brought in and welcomed.”
Daroff agreed. He added, “When people come knocking on the door of the Jewish community, we need to have an open sign and a red carpet and be ready to meet people where they are and to embrace them… Whether you’re black or white or green or red or straight or gay or Ashkenazi or Mizrahi, come join us. We’re here for you.
“And while much of the rest of the world turns their backs on us, we are here as a people ready to embrace you and embrace each other,” he said.
Still, Daroff admitted that the Jewish community often struggles with this ideal.
“Many detached Jews do not feel like there is a welcome mat for them to come in,” he told The Media Line. However, he remains optimistic that the situation can change. He offered a final, urgent call to action: “Meet people where they are and help them grow.”
