Natalie Arbatman

1. If you could change anything about Jewish education in America what would it be?

If I could change one thing about Jewish education, it would be the unwillingness to talk openly and proudly about Zionism. I have seen an alarming pattern in students that go through Jewish education: they don’t know anything about Israel. Because of its contentious nature, Jewish educational institutions in America are scared to teach about Zionism. As a result, students don’t know about the biblical kingdom of the Jewish people, our historical presence in the land, nor do they understand the modern state of Israel. This is problematic not only because it means students are missing a core part of their Jewishness, but it means they are also ill-prepared to defend themselves against modern antisemitism, which manifests primarily in anti-Zionism. To pretend that Zionism is not an integral part of the Jewish identity, religious and secular, is to misrepresent completely what it means to be Jewish and is to disregard ages of Jewish struggle and sacrifice that lead to the creation of the modern state of Israel. So, I urge all Jewish educators to consider devoting significant time to teaching the history of the Jewish people in Israel in order to cultivate knowledgeable and strong Zionists.

2. What is one thing you have learned at Club Z that you will be taking with you? Fighting for Israel, on college campuses or social media, means fighting for my family, my people, and my identity. Israel is a strong, independent country with an army and a government; they don’t need me. Masha Merkuolva taught me that my activism in America isn’t going to save Israel from any real threat, but what it will do is restore dignity to the assimilated American Jew. Israel may not need me, but every Jew who hides their Zionism, who faces antisemitic attacks on their campuses, and who has been forced to feel ashamed about their Judaism needs me. For that reason, Club Z has made the Zionist fight in America personal, because I know now, thanks to my Club Z educators, that if I am to honor my family and every Jew that came before me, I must fight for the dignity of my people and my land.

3. What is one thing that surprised you during your membership with Club Z?

The most eye-opening thing I learned at Club Z is that a Jew is a Jew is a Jew is a Jew. No matter how assimilated, no matter how hidden our Judaism, no matter how much we cater to the non-Jewish world, we are Jews to everyone everywhere forever. This means two things. The first is that we are ultimately never safe in exile, and for that reason, we fight for a modern Jewish state. The second is that we can’t remove our Judaism, so we might as well be loud about it. The outside world sees us as Jews even when we suppress our identities, so let’s not suppress our identities. To be a Jew is a great privilege; it is to stand on the shoulders of brilliant scientists, philosophers, politicians, business people, leaders, artists, thinkers, and the sculptors of our modern world. To be a Jew is to belong to a people, a nation that has done the impossible in reviving its ancestral kingdom. And that’s not something to be ashamed of. So if the antisemites will hate us no matter how we look or act or think, let’s look, act, and think like Jews.

4. Aren’t you scared to come out as a Zionist and how it will affect your professionalism? Not at all. Any personal consequences I might face because I am a loud and proud Jew are far overshadowed by the personal cost of not fighting for my people and my identity. As I have previously written in a Times of Israel blog, the Jewish future in America is entirely dependent on our ability to stop the growing wave of antisemitism. More than “succeeding” in college or in the professional world, our survival will be dictated by whether or not Americans and American institutions wake up and choose to end Jew-hatred. As American Jews, we exist in a unique and free time. We are not at the whims of our host country, our lives are no longer dependent on non-Jews, and our livelihoods are not secured only through assimilation. We still live in a democracy, we are yet unbound by fascism, and for now, we, the Jews, are powerful and privileged enough to defend ourselves. So, given our immense power and opportunity, to waste it on silence would be a spit in the face of every Jew who died because they didn’t have the same opportunity. Us Zionists can decide to fight for ourselves, our people, and our nation, or to retreat into silence. I choose to fight.

5. What is one piece of advice you would give to a Jewish teen?

Be prepared. In order to claim your place in the chain of Jewish fighters who are the reason our people are standing strong today, you must know your battlefield and your weaponry. This means, first, understanding modern antisemitism as it exists in college and on social media. Learn about the connection between anti-Zionism and antisemitism and its roots in the Soviet Union. Learn about the classic antisemitic tropes used by anti-Zionists. Learn about BDS and every movement that actively spreads lies in order to demonize the Jewish state and vilify the Jewish people. It means also that you must understand how to fight such antisemitism. This requires a knowledge of our history as a people and as a nation. Learn about the conflicts and wars and political conventions and diplomatic plans and figures and sacrifices that lead to the revival of Israel. Learn about our biblical, legal, and moral right to the land. Learn about the democratic, pluralistic, and innovative country that Israel is today. LEARN! And with that knowledge, act.

6. Why does it mean to be a part of Jewish history? Jewish history is a collection of the worst evils humanity has to offer, but also the greatest triumphs. It is tragedy and celebration, exile and return, and to be a Jew is to have not only lived through all of that, but to have thrived in spite of it. Mark Twain described the Jew in an 1898 essay: “He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him…The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?” The secret to our immorality lies in our peoplehood, our connection across nationalities and beliefs and ideologies. Being a Jew means that strength and power and sacrifice is in our shared blood. Each of us has not only the ability, but the duty to propel our history forward for the sake of our people.

7. How will you continue your Zionist advocacy in college?

I plan to participate in my college’s Hillel and stay involved in the Jewish community. I also plan on opening a Students Supporting Israel chapter to actively advocate on behalf of my people, and create a group that is ready to fight any antisemitism that might arise on campus.