Stephens Questions the Future of Jewish Culture

Around 100 Jewish National Fund (JNF) supporters welcomed Pulitzer Prize journalist Bret Stephens to Congregation B’nai Torah on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Stephens began by explaining that although he acknowledges the wide range of good works done by the Jewish National Fund, he still is sentimentally tied to planting forests and will continue to do so.

His most powerful point was contrasting Jews who are thriving vs. “Jewish thriving.”

He explained, “In Forbes Magazine’s successful professionals, five out of 10 were Jewish and, of course, we take pride in that, but the problem is in Jewish thriving – that our 3,500-year-old religion might not necessarily be passed on.”

He’s particularly concerned about teens who don’t have a solid based education and have no sense of power when they enter college.

He said, “Oct. 7, the Israeli government failed the Jewish people, but the Jewish people themselves succeeded; Israel has both thriving Jews and Jewish thriving.”

He told the story a hero in his 60’s who drove into the line of fire on Oct. 7 and fought many terrorists and kept returning to rescue others and his own children and grandchildren.

Stephens does not see a gray area when talking about anti-Zionism vs. antisemitism. He said, “Zio is code for Jew.”

He contrasted ingratiation against respect. “Ingratiation does not us serve well enough. Einstein, prior to Hitler, made great contributions and look where that got us.”

Oct. 7, the Israeli government failed the Jewish people, but the Jewish people themselves succeeded; Israel has both thriving Jews and Jewish thriving.

In terms of Robert Kraft’s expensive Super Bowl ad, he implied that it was a waste of money and that “we need to stop portraying ourselves as victims.”

Stephens suggested that we re-create the publishing industry and referred to his ex-colleague, Barry Weiss, who “went out and started her own thing” and had one million followers in a few days. Weiss is now president of CBS News.

Stephens’ final charge was the need to reinvent education. “We need to give teenagers affordable, first-rate Jewish education.”

He explained the origin of his family — “a ‘goyish’ name like Stephens” — and their immigration path to the U.S. He wears a signet ring that is dedicated to a righteous gentile who helped his mother who ultimately ended up in a U.S. displaced person’s camp.

JNF supporter Ed Goldberg told the AJT, “Stephens was very relatable and shared thoughts on the often-told story that Jews rise to the tops of medicine, industry, and finance and how they’ve been advisors to kings and presidents. He advocated for increased spending for Jewish education. During the Q&A session, he seemed to moderate his position, saying that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) fills an important role, finding hate speech for police and monitoring sources for them.” Previously, Stephens publicly questioned the efficacy of the ADL.

We need to stop portraying ourselves as victims.

Justine Cohen, co-chair of JNF-USA’s Atlanta Board Major Gifts Committee, related, “When I look around this room — more than 100 Zionists strong — I see a community that leads with heart. A community that understands that caring for the land and people of Israel is not theoretical; it’s lived, lasting, and it matters.”

“Jewish National Fund-USA was there yesterday. We are there today. And we will be there tomorrow,” said Mark Kopkin, co-chair of JNF-USA’s Atlanta Board Major Gifts Committee. “Those words sound aspirational — but they’re not. They are lived. Showing up, thoughtfully and consistently, is what defined Jewish National Fund-USA’s impact on Oct. 7, and it’s what will continue to guide us forward.”

Stephens is a Pulitzer Prize-winning opinion columnist for the New York Times and the founder and editor-in-chief of SAPIR, a quarterly publication devoted to Jewish issues. He previously served as editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post and as a foreign affairs columnist at the Wall Street Journal, where he was also deputy editor of the editorial pages. He is the author of “America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder.”