Eighth Graders Learn About Jewish Advocacy with Renowned Author David Harris

Eighth graders met with David Harris, acclaimed author of Antisemitism: What Everyone Needs to Know and longtime CEO of AJC. He spoke to students about Jewish advocacy, especially in light of their upcoming end-of-year trip to Virginia. On the trip, they will be ambassadors for the Jewish people in front of many who may have never met a Jew before.

He asked students how  they would respond if someone said, “I’ve never met a Jew before, and I notice that you’re Jewish. What is a Jew?” He emphasized that a moment like this is a valuable opportunity to make a friend and to make the person think about Jews positively. He discussed with the students what they could say in these situations. Similarly, they discussed how they could respond to the question, “I’ve never been to Israel and hear bad things about it in the news. What can you tell me about Israel?”

Above all, he said that the most important thing to remember is situational awareness. “You have to understand: Who is talking to you? Is it something hateful, or someone curious?” He explained how to use a person’s tone, body language, and word choice, to determine accordingly what they should or should not say about Jews or Israel, because different people will benefit from different answers. If a person seems hostile, it is best to say goodbye and end the interaction immediately. However, if the person seems open minded, this is an important opportunity to be an ambassador.

He gave a key piece of advice: “Don’t just talk about yourself. Try to bring the other person into the story.” For example, if the listener is American, the student can say that Israel is America’s best friend and greatest ally. If the listener is Christian, the ambassador should highlight that the commonalities between Christianity and Judaism are more important than what divides us, and even mention that Israel has many Christian holy sites. “Help them understand, from their perspective, why your identity should matter to them,” he emphasized. He provided examples of how to befriend and relate to a non-Jew in this context, such as saying, “I’d love to learn more about your faith and identity, and I hope you’ll like to learn more about my faith and identity. Let’s talk. Tell me more about yourself.” In fact, David pointed out that this is good advice for all aspects of life: To make a friend, let them speak, and show them interest. He pointed out, “Hashem gave us an interesting ratio. One mouth, two ears. The lesson is you should listen more than you talk.”

His final lesson to the students was that they should stand tall as Jews. He said, “We have everything to be proud of. Never arrogant, never superior, but we have every reason to be proud.” This includes standing proud of Israel. He explained that no country is perfect, and insisted, “Israel doesn’t have to be perfect to be amazing, but Israel is amazing, and it’s worth your support and it’s worth your defense.”

Various students had told David their concerns about antisemitism and the future of Jewish people in America. Addressing this, he explained that the Jewish world today has improved a great deal since he was their age. Because of this, he told the students, “If you dare to dream at your age, you can see miracles in your lifetime, including miracles done by people like you. Be proud of Israel, and of your identity, and dream big dreams.”