Rekindling the Jewish Spirit in the Face of Hate

In a world where antisemitism is on the rise, what can be done to stem the tide of hatred and division? This was the central question explored in a recent episode of TheJewFunction Podcast, where hosts Lio and Seth engaged in a thought-provoking discussion with Iola Kostrzewski, the Minnesota Community Engagement Manager for the anti-defamation league (ADL) and a passionate advocate for Jewish unity and pride.

Iola spoke candidly about her experiences confronting antisemitism both on a personal level and in her work with the ADL, painting a sobering picture of the challenges facing Jewish communities across the United States.

“Our college campuses are not okay,” she declared. “We’re hearing from students. The kids are not doing okay. And that I think is the biggest concern. Depending on where you are in the US, you will experience different degrees of extremism.”

This extremism, Iola explained, runs the gamut from physical attacks on Jewish students to more insidious forms of harassment and intimidation. “We have college students who are walking around on campus and physically being attacked because they are Jewish,” she said. “To more passive states, like Minnesota, and it’s a swastika being drawn, or stickers being placed, or the Hillel being attacked.”

But even as she described these disturbing incidents, Iola remained hopeful, pointing to the groundswell of support and activism she has witnessed in the wake of recent antisemitic attacks. “We’re activating people,” she said. “So we have these horrible things happening, but then we have people who want to take action. They want to respond. They’re asking, how do we tackle this?”

For Iola and the ADL, a key part of the answer lies in education — not just about the history and dangers of antisemitism, but about the values of empathy, respect, and inclusivity that are essential to building a more just and harmonious society. She spoke passionately about the ADL’s “No Place for Hate” initiative, which works with schools across the country to promote a culture of kindness and understanding.

“Our education is part of the school culture,” she explained. “It is done by the school. It is led by the students. These kids are leading initiatives. They’re leading projects. It’s woven into the school culture.”

But as hosts Lio and Seth pointed out, education alone may not be enough to address the root causes of antisemitism and the deeper spiritual malaise afflicting the Jewish people. They argued that the key to Jewish survival and flourishing lies in reconnecting with the essence of what it means to be Jewish — not just as a matter of religious observance or cultural affiliation, but as a deeper sense of purpose and mission.

“We need to show, to demonstrate, that there is a different way of living,” Lio insisted. “That’s what I would love to see. Because that’s the thread that would carry, from Israel to the rest of the world.”

This idea, that the Jewish people have a unique role to play in modeling unity and brotherhood for the rest of humanity, was a recurring theme throughout the discussion. Iola and the hosts grappled with the question of how to awaken this sense of shared destiny among Jews, especially in an era of increasing polarization and disconnection.

“I think that’s a magic question,” Iola mused. “Everybody wants to know the answer. As for like the root of hate, how far do you want to go?”

For Seth, the answer lies in focusing on the commonalities that bind Jews together, rather than the differences that divide them. “Let’s start with the people that we have some common ground with,” he urged. “Because what happens when you start connecting? All of a sudden there’s buzz between us, there’s energy between us. We don’t need to start with all of the people who we don’t agree with or who are hostile. Let’s start with building this buzz and then growing that circle more and more and more.”

This idea of starting small and gradually expanding the circle of connection and understanding was a powerful one, and it resonated deeply with Kostrzewski. She spoke movingly about the moments of unity and solidarity she has witnessed in the Jewish community, even in the face of great adversity.

“I had only been at ADL for two, not even two months,” she recalled. “I went to the Never Is Now conference, and it was love all over. There was none of the infighting. There was no judgment as to whether someone was reform or orthodox. There was none of this infighting, because we were all there for the same fight. And the fight is antisemitism.”

But as the conversation deepened, it became clear that the fight against antisemitism is about more than just combating hatred and bigotry. It is about tapping into the deeper spiritual power that lies at the heart of the Jewish tradition, the power of unity, of love, of shared purpose and destiny.

Upon Lio’s request, Iola read an excerpt from the article ‘The Arvut’ by the great Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag, known as Baal HaSulam:

This is why the text refers to them in singular form, as it is written, “And Israel camped there before the mountain,” which our sages interpret as “as one man with one heart.”

This is because each and every person from the nation completely detached himself from self-love, and wanted only to benefit his friend, as we have shown above in Item 16 regarding the meaning of the Mitzva, “Love your friend as yourself.” It turns out that all the individuals in the nation had come together and became one heart and one man, for only then were they qualified to receive the Torah.

Iola shared her vision of what this kind of unity might look like in practice.

“As we prepare for Passover and reflecting as we clean or whatever you’re doing to prepare,” she mused, “how are we bringing in this Passover as one and what are we doing to contribute to that? Whether it’s an extra seat at the table for a guest, whether it’s providing a meal for someone in your community who you know has no one to spend Passover with.”

Lio and Seth continued. “We hope that we become like the Power Rangers here, in that sense that, as we said at the beginning, like how hydrogen and oxygen come together and make water. Each time we have one of these conversations, we want to somehow find a way that this thing that we’re doing keeps becoming like this emergent quality, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. We want to make this force to radiate out. Our goal is to squeeze this oil out. We want to find this thing between us that we don’t have on our own. And we hope that people who are listening can try this as much as they can, to find those places of commonality. To look for the place of connection, not for the place of every reason why we’re different. Let’s start bringing everything into one hug together.”