For the past 3 years, the 92nd Street Y has hosted Bari Weiss, Dan Senor, and most recently Bret Stephens, to give their take on the State of World Jewry. Mr. Stephens gave his talk on February 1, 2026, and the reports of what he said were stunning. I wanted to listen to the speech myself before commenting and today, in Dan Senor’s “Call Me Back” podcast, I finally saw a video available.

I have been a fan of Bret Stephens for a long time and have had the pleasure of hearing him speak at events and conferences a number of times. He is thoughtful and direct. He gets to the point in a clear and concise manner. He doesn’t pull punches and is willing to share what’s on his mind regardless of what other may think. While I don’t always agree with what he says or writes, I do find it thought provoking and interesting. That’s more than I can say about most of what the media provides us with today.

I watched the video and was captivated by his words. He so clearly and bluntly said so much of what I have been feeling and working to address. He took on the existing norms of the organized Jewish community with a vengeance, not afraid to speak the truth. He started with one of the hottest topics and most well funded of our current Jewish issues. Antisemitism. When it comes to stopping antisemitism and Jew hatred, Stephens stated:

“We can’t, because for as long as there have been Jews, there have been Jew haters, and for as long as there will be Jews, there will be Jew haters. What’s been going on for over 3,000 years is not about to end anytime soon.”

Jews have been hated for thousands of years. Why do we think that now, we can change this, with marketing and PR? We think we must continue to try. We think that wearing a pin, ads during the superbowl, or using slogans with well liked Jewish foods will change people’s minds. Highlighting the gifts that Jews have brought to our world. Putting names on building are a solution to Jew hatred. The reality is that none of that works We continue to look to solve the outside instead of addressing the inside. Our Jewish communities are broken. The lack of Jewish knowledge is incredible. The quality of much of our Jewish education is low. Far too few children go to a Jewish school, be it a day-school or religious school. We don’t teach our children the facts they need to know. They don’t learn Jewish history, they learn bible stories without context. I often mock the religious school education that I received up to my Bar Mitzvah because it lacked any depth. It was ceremonial. It was performative. What we need, as Stephens’ points out, is not to attempt to change the minds of those who hate us with our good works but instead,

“It is to lean into our Jewishness as far as each of us can, irrespective of what anyone else thinks of it. If the price of being our fullest selves as Jews is to be the perennially unpopular kids, it’s a price well worth paying,”

Jews have survived and thrived for thousands of years, not by trying to make other people like us, but by undestanding who we are, what we value, what we believe, and then living that way. Ask most Jews what that is today and you are likely to get answers like, “We believe in one God” or “Keeping kosher, which I don’t” or “We don’t believe Jesus is the messiah”. Or you’ll get the most overused and misunderstood part of Judaism, “It is about Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.” While all these things are true, it’s not the essence of Judaism. Listen to Stephens as he not only says that Judaism is counter-culture but then explains exactly what it is and how it is counter culture. And how this counter-cultural nature of Judaism ensures we are hated as we challenge the status quo.

Perhaps the right way to fight antisemitism is to make sure we are educated about what being a Jew means. Perhaps it’s ensuring those involved with Jew hatred are held accountable for their actions rather than trying to enlighten them. Perhaps it is about being publicly Jewish, proud of our Jewish identity, and not bowing to fear. Stephens states powerfully,

The goal of Jewish life is not to ingratiate ourselves with others so that they might dislike us somewhat less. The goal of Jewish life is Jewish thriving.

And by Jewish thriving, I don’t mean thriving Jews individually speaking. I mean a community in which Jewish learning, Jewish culture, Jewish ritual, Jewish concerns, Jewish aspiration, and Jewish identification, exactly what goes on in these rooms every day of the week, nearly every day of the week, are central to every member’s sense of him or herself. How we choose to invest in our Jewishness, whether more religiously or more culturally or more politically or whatever, is up to each of us to decide.

It’s time for a massive shift in our efforts. It’s time for visionary leaders and philanthropists to reject the status quo. To admit the failure of the last 75 years. To remember that it is not about educating the Jew haters but educating the Jews. To stop trying to be loved or at least liked. To stop trying to have the Jew haters see us as equals. To stop thinking that if we only could educate the uneducated, things would be different. Stephens reminds us,

“From Martin Luther to T.S. Eliot to Sally Rooney, the world has never suffered a shortage of educated antisemites. Jew hatred is the product of a psychological reflex, and that kind of reflex can never be educated out of existence, even if for a time it may be sublimated or shamed into quiescence. Antisemitism, in other words, isn’t a prejudice or just a prejudice and a belief.  It’s a neurosis.”

We aren’t going to change those who hate us. There is a reason that organizations like the KKK still exist today. Hate i spowerful and not rational. Hate doesn’t go away because we prove ourselves worthy. It’s buried deep int he hearts of those who hate. It’s up to them to change themselves, not for us to change them. We are so focused on showing we don’t deserve to be hated and trying to encourage them to love us that we don’t even know who we are or what we stand for. If the Jewish people were to be in therapy, we would be told focus on ourselves, not other people. We would be guided to find the solutions within ourselves. Stephens serves that role for us all, stating,

“It should go without saying that there’s nothing Jews can do to cure the Jew haters of their hate. They can hire their own psychiatrists and there is nothing that we should want to do either.”

Bret Stephens gave us a master class in how to deal with today’s world as a Jew. What to focus on and what to ignore. What matters and what doesn’t. What we can control and what we can’t. His ‘State of World Jewry” speech was powerful. Blunt. Direct. Clear. Thought provoking. So much that I agreed with. So much of what I believe. Inspiring. A must watch for anybody who cares about the Jewish people. We could have discussion groups about so many of the topics he brings up. I hope the formal leaders of the Jewish organizations, both national and local, choose to use this as a teaching guide. A manual for conversations about where we are, where we want to be, and creating a pathway to get there. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will happen. Unfortunately, I think those who most need to hear what he has to say and use it as a starting point, will choose to do nothing. I urge you to at least watch and listen to his speech below and then do something with it. If you want a transcript of it, send me a note and I’ll share it with you. Share it with your friends and discuss the points he makes. Dig deep into what being Jewish means. Bret Stephens is who coined the phrase, “October 8th Jew’ and he uses this speech to even better define that term.

I said at the time that the October 8th Jew was the Jew who, quote, woke up to discover who our friends are not. What I should have said was that the October 8th Jew was the one who woke up trying to remember who he or she truly is.

If October 7th brought up questions about who you are, what it means to be a Jew, and a lack of understanding the world we live in now, watch and listen to Bret Stephens’ speech and then, go learn. Find yourself a teacher and a group of people who want to ask questions and learn together. It will help you understand why, in the words of Bret Stephens, we will,

“Endure the honor of being hated as we continue to work towards a thriving Jewish future.”