Ariel Serber (AS) at the Israel Chesed Center - I’m with the Rabbi Ya’akov Trump. We are going to talk about his involvement here at the Chesed Center and with other community initiatives supporting Israel.
Rabbi Ya’akov Trump (RYT) - Like everybody else, I was just pulled into all of this on October 7, and I’ve also been trying to try to figure out how to move forward, to move upwards throughout the course of this.
AS - It has been definitely engaging and empowering in a certain way. I feel like, obviously, the horrors of October 7 were so terrible and awful. But also, I think it’s like the best of us has come out. How have you seen that? How do you feel about that?
RYT - When I joined the rabbinate, I thought that it was about teaching and giving ideas to people. That’s really not the main part of it, although that certainly takes a little piece of it. The main idea is motivating people to get involved because people only really care about that which they are doing. Unfortunately, with October 7, with all the atrocities and terrible things that came from it, it also gave us the opportunity to find October 8th Jews. And those are the folks who often realize that they really want to do something and they really want to get involved. And it’s being able to try to motivate those people to do the right thing. The Chesed Center has really proven an incredible resource in that respect. We take regular folks, people who might not necessarily be writing the checks, but people can just roll up their sleeves, get down into the mountain, and make a big difference. Bag by bag, item by item, chesed by chesed, connection by connection. And that to me has been the greatest service to Am Yisrael.
AS - Chesed, not just for the recipients, for the doers.
RYT – Yes, I think just showing up matters so much.
AS - Can you talk about your background, your connection to Israel, the state, the land, the people, just from going back?
RYT - Sure. I grew up in South Africa. South Africa, unlike America, is very much a Zionistic Jewish community in many ways. The Aliyah rate is much higher per capita in South Africa than in America. It’s very much part of the water one drinks there. Having said that, it’s still diaspora. For me, it was a very moving experience to go to Israel, to learn in Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, and to see what religious Zionism actually means. I remember one of the moments that struck me was when it was on the night of Yom Ha’Atzmaut in Yeshiva, when they were singing Shir Hamalos to the tune of Hatikvah. It’s so real. People are living real lives, living essentially in the Tanakh age. It’s been a very, very moving experience, and that is where our future is, and that’s where the book is being written. But I’m happy that while we’re in the diaspora, that we can perhaps contribute to part of those, maybe not the Pesukim of the Tanakh, but maybe the Mufarshom of the new Tanakh, which is being written.
AS - And speaking from the diaspora, how can we hear be connected, stay connected?
RYT - There are different ways I can phrase this, but I would argue that the success of the Jewish communities in diaspora will be dependent on their level of involvement in the Judaism that they are living. Judaism will only be successful in action, which means to say that people are actually doing, expressing, loving, and sharing what they have. Israel, at this point in time, is really providing an incredible kesher for so many people who otherwise perhaps would be apathetic and indifferent. This is allowing them to really make that connection and realize that their story didn’t start in the last generation and won’t end in the next generation. They’re part of something greater. Being part of that, I think, has been a tremendous chizuk to those people who are now reconnected to themselves to be their identity as through this process.
AS - How have you found all that to be impacting the people of Israel when you have conversations with either close family members or people you know?
RYT - Actually, I was just speaking recently to Rav Shlomo Kimchi, who’s the head of the Yeshivot Bnei Akiva, they have 24,000 students in the Bnei Akiva system in Israel. He was describing his own children, so he has, besides for having thousands of Talmidim who are in the army, they have, unfortunately, 48 widows of the bogrim from the yeshiva. He was describing when his son was going to the army, he was saying, “I’m wearing a helmet from Canada, I’m wearing a flashlight from New York. I’m wearing boots from Miami.” And he said, “it’s not just that I feel the love, but I also feel like I’m representing all those communities as well.” Deep in Gaza, in the tunnels, in Lebanon, in the freezing cold trenches, you have people who are actually fighting not for Israel ideologically, but even practically, that are expressing this as well. And we know Jewry’s fight is never found just there. It’s found everywhere. It’s on campus, on the street. What’s happening there is going to dictate our temperature of the water right now.
AS - How have you found the Israel Chesed Center to be a part of that picture?
RYT - The amazing thing about the Israel Chesed Center is that it’s pulled from every community, the people who are motivated and energized about making a difference. It’s an amazing thing because if it were to be centralized from 1 community, it would be as good as the pool of that community. But this pool is larger because what it does is it pulls from everybody. There are so many talented people in this community who suddenly found each other. That’s the best part about it. Suddenly, you have people who have the creative ability. I was just looking at the walls. There’s a woman in our shul who’s an artist. So she has paintings up there, selling them to the community. There’s another person just doing the runs to the airport. There’s another person who’s found a source to get thermal underwear. That’s just his thing, right? But his thermal underway are going to Israel right now. Everybody’s doing their piece, and it’s allowed very talented people to energize themselves through each other as helping Israel. That, to me, is an amazing achievement.
AS - What else would be maybe a call to action, a next step that you feel people should continue in their day-to-day lives as we get further from October seventh. You have to take care of your day-to-day, but you also have to keep Israel top of mind, keep what the needs of those folks and people are. How do we do that?
RYT - Absolutely. It’s a very hard thing because we’re all exhausted. The truth is, as exhausted as we’re feeling, Israelis are feeling much more exhausted. Every time we say to ourselves that, okay, we’re done, we’ve just got to remember that their children, their husbands, their spouses are still in the army and they’re still doing single parenthood, and there’s a lot of collateral impact. That’s one piece. In terms of continuing, I believe that comes down to relationships. It means that as important as it is to send equipment, as important as it is to do events and send money, relationships are incredibly important. Everybody here knows people who are in the army. Many have visited Israel and are connected to people who are there. I believe that now the next stage of the journey is forging long term relationships, which means even if it’s scheduling some time of the week, that one is actually calling or texting somebody who they know is in service or his family is in service. I think that’s where the long-term healing is going to be important because as much as we’re going to do projects, projects are amazing, but we need to maintain those relationships.
Everybody chooses five people that they know. I just think about how many people you know who are in the army right now who are going through a difficult time or are displaced, whatever it is, and maintain that connection. I believe that would be an incredible way to connect.
AS - I’ve read reports that when you are in grief, sometimes the best thing people can do is just reach out, “How are you?” This is a national traumatic event.
RYT - Precisely because the Chesed Center has provided the Opportunity of not just sending, but also connecting I would say it’s to now deepen those connections, which means to say you’ve met the people, you’ve had those interactions, you’ve had the thanksgiving that’s been sent to you. Now pay it forward. Just try to maintain that relationship. And it’s incredibly rewarding. One of the things to do through our shul is Mishpacha-to-Mishpacha -- to pair up families here with displaced families. It’s really long lasting and it’s very motivational to see when they come together. We can do that. We don’t need necessarily a coordinator, just the people we’ve met. You send boots to somebody. You’ve got a thank you text. Keep that person in connection. Now, when they tell you the next thing’s happening, work through the Chesed Center to figure out what they need next and then maintain the relationship. That itself is going to be a provide an incredible net of comfort and also support through the ongoing crisis.
AS - That’s definitely the role that we have to take here.
RYT – 100%. We are all exhausted but just like when it comes to certain times in life, when you have a new child for example, you just step up. Were now 443 days - that’s a long time. To a large degree much of it hasn’t changed. There are still hostages, there are still displaced people and there are still people grieving.
Which means to say the story is not finished.
We need to be able to stand up
I commend every person who has gone above and beyond, we need to continue to stand up for the Jewish people.
I have one guarantee – our children are watching; they will understand and they will do what we do. If we give love and care, they are going to notice and B’ezrat Hashem they will do the same.
Rabbi Ya’akov Trump is the Rabbi of the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, and together with Rabbi Zalman Wolowik, is Morah D’atrah of the Israel Chesed Center.
Rabbi Trump was interviewed at the Israel Chesed Center on December 15, 2024 – the 443rd day since the Simchat Torah Massacre. To watch the complete interview please go to tinyurl.com/icc-RabbiTrump.
Highlights
- “The main idea is motivating people to get involved.”
- “Judaism will only be successful in action, which means to say is that people are actually doing, expressing, loving, and sharing what they have.”
- The Chayal was saying “I’m wearing a helmet from Canada, I’m wearing a flashlight from New York. I’m wearing boots from Miami. It’s not just that I feel the love, but I also feel like I’m representing all those communities as well.”
- “The amazing thing about the Israel Chesed Center is what it’s done is it’s pulled from every community.”
- “Everybody’s doing their piece, and it’s allowed very talented people to energize themselves through each other as helping Israel.”
- “I believe that now the next stage of the journey is forging long term relationships.”
- “Precisely because the Chesed Center has provided the opportunity of not just sending, but also connecting, I would say it’s to now deepen those connections.”
