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My friend, Elliott Abrams, chairs this organization.
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Dear Friends,
The Jewish State is at war. But great moral and political struggles—between good and evil, civilization and barbarism—are not fought on battlefields alone. The roots of such clashes can be found in the values imparted to the rising generation: in our schools, our universities, and our culture.
In this moment of trial, America's education system—including many premier institutions of higher learning—has largely failed us. The crisis in higher education is not a new story: the intellectual fads, the stifling of free inquiry and free speech, the anti-Americanism, the widespread tolerance of anti-Semitism and active hostility towards Israel, the rampant double-standards in how Jews are treated in admissions and on campus. These problems have been getting worse and worse for decades.
Yet the shameful response by many university administrators and students to the Hamas slaughter of Jews has finally made it impossible to avert our eyes and hope for the best. Perhaps—finally—we have reached a tipping point.
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Thankfully, Tikvah students and alumni are bravely and unapologetically refusing to go along with the moral madness all around them. They are demonstrating true strength of character and intellectual courage.
J.J. Kimche, a doctoral student in Jewish history at Harvard and former Krauthammer Fellow at Tikvah, published a devastating piece in the Wall Street Journal about the 30-odd Harvard student groups that signed a letter holding "the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence," as well as some 50 groups at the University of California, Berkeley, who declared their "unwavering support for the resistance in Gaza." These supporters of this "proto-genocide" against Israelis, Kimche contends, have exposed themselves as "enthusiastic proponents of our slaughter, a vanguard of apologists for those who seek the extermination of the Jewish people."
At the time of publication, Kimche had received no response to his request for comment from Harvard's administration. Eighteen administrators later released a statement, titled "War in the Middle East," which "made no mention of the student groups cheering [Hamas's] atrocities." The day after his op-ed was published, he was interviewed by Fox News, Fox Business, and CNN.
Zach Kessel, a reporter for National Review and another Tikvah Fellow, has been doing masterful and tireless work documenting and denouncing abominable celebrations of violence at campuses nationwide, including at his alma mater, Northwestern University, from which he graduated just this past spring. Here is a lengthy list of such instances, organized by school; and here is Kessel's longer-form analysis of anti-Israel activity at our country's colleges.
Kassy Dillon, a reporter at Fox News and another Krauthammer Fellow, has shown similar resilience. While filming a pro-Palestinian protest at UMass Amherst, Kassy was followed and threatened by protestors. She never wavered, never lost her cool, never failed to remember her purpose: reporting the facts.
Our Tikvah undergraduate fellows are especially bold and brave in standing against the authorities at major institutions, including those they call home. Sahar Tartak, a Tikvah sophomore at Yale, wrote for the Wall Street Journal about the dark side of returning to campus after the Jewish holidays, "acutely aware of the comfort, even righteous satisfaction, some of [her] peers take in the destruction of Jewish people." Sahar ended with a call to Yale's administration to denounce explicit endorsements of Hamas action by student groups like Yalies4Palestine. Speaking at a rally at MIT, Tikvah undergraduate Eitan Moore appealed directly to non-Jewish students and faculty, contending that the slogan "Never Again" is "not a hashtag, but a pledge." Tikvah undergraduates have shown similar courage at the University of Virginia, Brown, George Washington University, and other key campuses.
Alumni from Tikvah's Legal Fellowship have launched or are in the process of launching new pro-Israel groups at Harvard, Georgetown, Chicago, and elsewhere—and law students from across Tikvah's network have organized a forthcoming statement condemning the moral failures of leaders at their law schools.
This moment has not simply demonstrated the courage of select young people acting alone. It has revealed the power of Tikvah's esprit de corps. Tikvah group chats have been buzzing for the past two weeks, with our students, alumni, and faculty sharing ideas, information, and encouragement. Tikvah staff have been actively providing guidance, support, and practical help, including editing, publication placement, and media training.
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Beyond the campus battles, our students and alumni are helping shape the national discourse.
Former Tikvah Fellow and current Ramaz teacher Sarah Wapner was featured in the New York Times, describing the grief many young Americans are feeling at this moment. Elliot Kaufman, the letters editor at the Wall Street Journal and an alumnus of several Tikvah programs, has written important pieces in recent days highlighting the failures of Israeli restraint and offering a vision for victory. The prolific writer Cole Aronson, also a former Krauthammer Fellow, wrote movingly in First Things about his recent experience in Jerusalem and offered a short history of the conflict, followed by a moving essay in the Jewish Review of Books about his experience visiting the destroyed Israeli kibbutz of Be'eri. IDF reserve captain Tuvia Gering, another former Krauthammer Fellow, has been offering superb analysis on China's attitude towards Israel even while on active duty. Krauthammer Fellow and anti-euthanasia activist Amanda Achtman wrote an elegant and forceful account of the terror attacks on Israel and how Catholics should respond. And a group of Tikvah staff and students organized a moving flower vigil at the White House—look out for more coverage of that event in the coming days—expressing solidarity with the Israeli people in this hour of trial.
There are many more examples that could be listed here. But I hope this gives you some indication of the strength and vitality of Tikvah's growing network of proud Jews and Zionists, as well as some hope. These young people are fighting directly against prestige institutions—often despite the long and hard work it took to gain acceptance into them. They are establishing new pro-Israel groups, developing new publications, and planning events that advance our values. And they are doing this in the face of genuine physical threats to their safety and security. This is the Tikvah generation at work.
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Yet here is the hard truth we must all finally face: the campus response to the attack on Israel and the war in Gaza is not an isolated reaction to recent events. It is emblematic of a deep moral and intellectual corruption within vast reaches of the academy and the broader culture. This profound degeneration cannot be resolved through a moment's half-contrition by abashed administrators watching donors flee. This moment calls for something bolder: the creation of new educational institutions that embody our Jewish, American, and Western values and that prepare young people for true leadership in the civic arena.
We must confront the failure of our hollowed-out universities, learn what we can from their corruption and decline, and create our own educational models, grounded in the ideals of Jewish excellence and the best of what Western civilization still has to offer. I believe, in the days ahead, Tikvah can contribute to this generational project of educational and cultural renewal. In the meantime, I admire our talented Tikvah students and alumni, who are standing athwart the moral madness yelling "no"—and doing so as Menorah Jews, fearlessly shining a light unto the nations.
Eric Cohen
CEO, Tikvah
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I listened to Biden's address to the nation and side with Dana. How strong can the speech of a weak president be?
Should Hezbollah heighten their attack on Israel and escalate the number of missiles directed at Israel I have no conviction we will do anything . The same should Iran directly attack Israel. It is one thing to have your heart in the right place but the times call for more and Biden has not convinced me he is prepared to act.
The mere fact that Biden suggested a two state solution with a group of people whose charter calls for the end of Israel is ridiculous. I would never make a deal with my neighbor who teaches his children to kill me, etc.
Finally, Biden said nothing about the fascist Islamists in his Party.
Until Biden understands you cannot pacify terrorists and must assume the hostages are already dead or will be if we/Israel is to win by destroying Hamas, he will always be on the wrong side of what must occur. His role as a stupid Senator is one thing. His role as a weak and stupid President is another.
I remain, not overly impressed.
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Meanwhile, Republicans prove they remain bereft of intelligence. They have proven they cannot/refuse to serve "we the people." and deserve to lose the best chance they have had to govern in decades. They make me sick.
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