Between my house in West Hempstead and the local Chabad House, Halls Pond Park is often used for photoshoots and the occasional movie shoot. On Sunday night, it was surrounded by cars, many of them with flags, as police directed traffic. There had been a vigil for slain conservative influencer Charlie Kirk at the Long Island Rail Road’s Seaford station the previous night that attracted 5,000 supporters, but seeing a gathering close to home brought the realization that we are in a historical moment resonating in all corners of this country.
“I had the opportunity to meet Charlie Kirk briefly a few years back,” Moshe Hill said at the vigil. “What impressed me immediately was his stature, physically and in the political world. His activism was incredible.” A Republican candidate for the Nassau County Legislature and columnist at this publication, Hill was the visibly Jewish speaker in this mostly Christian crowd, where the message focused mostly on Kirk’s personal faith and patriotism.
“Charlie had great respect for Jewish tradition, for Judeo-Christian culture that built this country, and he defended that with every breath he took,” Hill said. He noted that Kirk shared his policy of shutting off the phone once a week, inspired by the Jewish observance of Shabbos.
The 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA was killed last Thursday while on his American Comeback Tour, shot by a sniper while speaking at Utah Valley University. The event was typical of Kirk’s political approach of meeting people where they were, as a conservative college dropout asking people to “prove me wrong,” with back-and-forth questions from students.
Kirk founded Turning Point when he was 18, and the organization quickly picked up young followers who felt alienated by Democratic candidates focusing on political correctness, identity-based grievances, and a lack of a moral message. When Turning Point was launched, young voters elected President Barack Obama, with conventional wisdom expecting further gains for political liberals and their support for abortion, reparations, and transgender advocacy. Students who feared being penalized for having conservative views now had an organization of their own to defend them on campus, in the workplace, and in other forums.
“It’s transcended the generation of youth. Like…everybody over the last couple of days has been talking about how Charlie created the greatest youth movement,” Eric Trump said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They truly have awoken that sleeping giant, just not within the youth vote, but really transcending everybody who’s in this nation.”
The assassination of a popular activist in front of a crowd shocked the world, and it resonated among Orthodox Jews as well – not only because most voters in this community share Kirk’s conservative values, but also his appreciation of marriage, parenthood, and faith.
At one recent appearance, Kirk gave a thumbs-up to a Jewish supporter, noting their shared day of rest. “I love you guys. Honor the Shabbos. Six days you shall work and one day you shall rest. Remember the L-rd your G-d who delivered you out of the house of bondage in Egypt.”
In his comments on Agudath Israel’s condolences for Kirk, its government affairs director A. D. Motzen noted that his observance of Shabbos was a commandment, while the time used to reconnect with family was an “added benefit.”
“Some people only focus on the restrictions. Charlie Kirk and his wife would talk publicly about how turning his phone off for 24 hours transformed their lives,” Motzen wrote.
At a concert on Sunday at Yeshiva University, the school’s president, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, spoke of Kirk as a “great friend of our community. May his memory be for a blessing and may G-d keep our country safe.” His sentiment was shared across the Orthodox community in America and in Israel. On his popular Merkaz Daf Yomi shiur, Reb Eli Stefansky described Kirk as a “righteous among the nations” for his support of Israel.
This point is vital as Israel became increasingly isolated in the ongoing war against Hamas. Kirk was a potent antidote to hostile voices on his side of the aisle, such as Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. He spoke of his support as a matter of his Christian faith and defense of Western civilization.
“He argued that Israel was a key ally in the fight against America’s worst enemies, which in turn made Americans safer. He believed firmly that Israel held a historic right to the Land of Israel and was acting morally in defending itself,” Hasbara Fellowships founder Rabbi Elliot Mathias wrote. “At a time when young American conservatives are being fed hateful lies about Israel’s ‘bloodthirsty’ intentions or its supposed attempts to drag America into unnecessary wars, Charlie Kirk offered another vision – one grounded in reason, knowledge, and passion.”
Hill’s presence at the West Hempstead vigil was noted by the other speakers, and perhaps there would have been more Jewish participants if there had been enough advance notice of the event. Nevertheless, Kirk’s name was mentioned in shuls across the country, speaking of Kirk as someone who “gets us.”
Kirk noted that as Trump shifted away from supporting Ukraine and our NATO allies, his unwavering support for Israel appeared as an exception to the America First policy. At a “spirited discussion” last month hosted by Turning Point, Kirk held a focus group of young conservatives in which anti-Semitism and Israel were addressed.
“As you’ll see, they don’t hate Israel or Jewish people, but they are skeptical about the state of America’s current relationship with the country, and they want to be confident America’s leaders are putting their own country first,” Kirk tweeted. “I have been working hard to help conservative politicians, donors, and friends of Israel better understand this dynamic.”
By Sergey Kadinsky
