There is no escaping that this last year has been one of hardship and trauma for Am Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael. For all of us at YCT, it was no different, and our response has been one of leadership. When Am Yisrael needed leaders, our rabbis were there.

Our rabbis lead their communities by:

Defending Jewish students on college campuses. From Penn to Cornell to Brandeis and more, our rabbis diffused tense situations, provided round-the-clock pastoral and spiritual support to students and faculty, and confronted college administration who fell short of their responsibilities to their Jewish students.

Political activism. YCT rabbi Adam Scheier called out Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who failed to adequately respond to hate crimes and antisemitism. Rabbis Avidan Freedman, and Eli Weinbach carried out a 136-hour hunger strike in Geneva, on the campus of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

WIP Photograph of Rabbi Saul Strosberg speaking at a pro-Israel rally. Rabbi Strosberg is standing behind small podium which is made of black metal and has a banner in front of it. The banner is white with a blue stripe at the top and in the center is a picture of an American flag to the left connected to an Israeli flag to the right like a single slightly furled up ribbon. The white segments of the Israeli flag and the American flag at the opposite ends blur into the white background. Below the image are large blue words with each line getting progressively larger and thicker. The first line says "TENNESSEE" and underneath that "RALLY FOR" and finally below that "ISRAEL". Rabbi Strosberg has pale sandy toned skin and is facing slightly to the right. He appears to be in his 30s or 40s with very short brown hair and appears otherwise clean shaven. He is wearing a white button-down shirt, dark grey pants, a black belt, a blue lanyard with unreadable white text and black sunglasses.

Leading Rallies. From Nashville to Austin to Japan, our alumni mobilized their communities and led local rallies in support of Israel, and over 100 YCT rabbis and their communities and students from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C., in solidarity with Medinat Yisrael and to strengthen the American Jewish community.

Speaking out in the Press. In Israel, Rikmah Fellow Rabbi Yair Paran responded vigorously to the Haredi refusal to serve in Israel army. And in Newsweek magazine, social activist Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz bravely called the left to task.

Israel Resources

We invite you to explore the materials below as you look for ways to reflect, learn Torah, and support yourself and your loved ones through these difficult times. We have collected much of these in an Israel at War Reader, which we encourage you to download, print out and share widely.

YCT Alumni in Action

Rabbi Yair Paran, (Rikmah ’23) Responds to Chief Rabbi’s: “Haredim will leave Israel if drafted”

Not Afraid of the Long Road: Reflections on YCT's Solidarity Mission to Israel by Rabbi Ezra Seligsohn (YCT ‘17)

Not Afraid of the Long Road: Reflections on a Solidarity Mission

More kids are asking questions about the war in Gaza, leaving parents searching for answers

Image of the massive Israel pro-rally in Washington DC. Photograph of innumerable people stretching off into the distance and many of whom appear, from this top-down perspective, to be wearing blue and white and holding Israeli posters and Israeli flags. The crowd appears to be divided into at least 5 large groups into a roughly rectangular shape. To the left and right of the crowd are dark green and yellow-green leafed trees with the dark silhouettes of a few large buildings also visible on the left side. At the head of the massive rally is the Washington Monument which is a tall white rectangular obelisk that narrows into a pyramid shaped point at the top. The sky is a pale pastel blue that fades to being closer to white on the bottom. A few large black screen or billboards can be seen, at least 6 in total, possible 1 for each smaller group of protesters.

Top 10 Things We are Grateful For This Thanksgiving

From Berkeley to Boston, YCT Rabbis Rally for Israel

Photograph of Rabbi Seth Winberg. Image of a man, from the chest upwards, angled to the right but with head facing the camera, he appears to be middle aged. He has pinkish-sandy toned skin, a shy toothy smile and eyes that are either green or blue. His hair is short and dark brown and he is clean shaven. He is wearing a cyan knit keepah and rectangular glasses that are rimless at the bottom and have black frames. He is wearing a navy blue suit with a white button down shirt and a royal blue tie with repeating pink starburst pattern followed by a small turquoise circle. The background of the image is blurry and appears to be a bluish-white series of square window panes.

I’m a rabbi at Brandeis. Its decision voiding recognition for its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter was the right move

Photograph of a pro-Israel rally in front of a city college campus. Image of several people, most of whom appear to be college age or young professionals are gathered around a figure standing on the right on top of a platform and who is speaking into a microphone. Most of the figures have a pale, tanned or pinkish skin tone and many are wearing blue or holding posters or flags. There appear to be at least 9 Israeli flags, two of them are being worn by people on the bottom right like capes. There are also 2 large flags that each have the American flag on the left (a flag with 13 horizontal stripes that interchange between white and red, a large blue square on the top left corner which is dotted with 50 white, 5-pointed stars) and an Israeli flag on the right half (a white flag with two broad, blue, horizontal stripes, one on the top and one on the bottom, and a large blue Magen David in the middle, a six-pointed star made from 2 over lapping and opposite facing triangles). Several of the protesters are holding up posters that depict the American and Israeli flag with large white text over them saying "WE STAND WITH ISRAEL". Several of the protesters are wearing keepote and many of which are white, a few protesters are older, middle aged and a small number even older, and several individuals are holding phones. The figure on the right who is speaking is facing left with an arm extended and pointing outwards while the other hand is holding the black microphone. The figure appears to be male, is wearing a navy blue suit and pants, a white button down shirt, a black watch and a navy blue keepah with yellow or white patterns on the rim. He has brown, neat, short hair and beard. A poster is being held up by one of the people wearing the Israeli flag like a cape next to the speaker which reads "I (then a blue heart) ISRAEL". The poster is white with blue text and a blue stripe on the top and bottom. Around the rally are 4 large black street lamps that have a light glowing from behind a black cage-like design and the lamp is topped with a small black minaret. Behind the rally is a street with several cars and a yellow school bus either parked or driving behind them. In the distance are a few large rectangular buildings. One building is off-white, another dark grey and the last two large buildings are made of reddish-brown brick. The largest building, one of the reddish-brown ones, has a sign made of large white suspended letters that says "COLLEGE OF ART". The sky is an overcast greyish-blue and there are a few yellow-green leafed trees in the background.

I’m So Proud Of Our Rabbis At This Moment – Reflections from Rabbi Linzer

The Case for a Ceasefire in Gaza Ignores the Facts About Hamas by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz (’10)

Rabbi Uri Topolosky (YCT ’05) of Kehilat Pardes in Rockville MD and synagogue youth making soup for local Israeli families

WIP Photograph of Rabbi Saul Strosberg speaking at a pro-Israel rally. Rabbi Strosberg is standing behind small podium which is made of black metal and has a banner in front of it. The banner is white with a blue stripe at the top and in the center is a picture of an American flag to the left connected to an Israeli flag to the right like a single slightly furled up ribbon. The white segments of the Israeli flag and the American flag at the opposite ends blur into the white background. Below the image are large blue words with each line getting progressively larger and thicker. The first line says "TENNESSEE" and underneath that "RALLY FOR" and finally below that "ISRAEL". Rabbi Strosberg has pale sandy toned skin and is facing slightly to the right. He appears to be in his 30s or 40s with very short brown hair and appears otherwise clean shaven. He is wearing a white button-down shirt, dark grey pants, a black belt, a blue lanyard with unreadable white text and black sunglasses.

Rabbi Saul Strosberg (YCT ’05) of Congregation Sherith Israel Nashville, speaks at downtown rally for Israel.

Talking openly about Israel will make us less polarized, not more

Screenshot from a CNN News broadcast with Rabbi Ari Hart who attended the funeral of a Muslim boy who had been killed. Image is split down the middle by a red line, on the right is a rabbi and on the left is presumably a CNN news host. At the bottom of the screen is the headline in large black letters on a white text box saying "HUNDREDS ATTEND VIGIL FOR 6-YR-OLD BOY KILLED IN ALLEGED ANTI-MUSLIM ATTACK." Above and curving around the left end of the text box is a red text box with white text saying "DEVELOPING STORY". On the right end of the white text box are the letter "CNN" in large red letters that connect to one another and have a white line running through them (the CNN logo) and below that is a red downward arrow that says "S&P" in black on the left and "56.70" on the right. Just above the white text box is a small red text box with white letters that say "LIVE". The text below the white text box is cut-off by the Youtube frame, a semi-transparent bar with a line going from the far left to the far right that is mostly red with some white at the end. Below the line is a white play button (right facing arrow), a skip button (same arrow but with a vertical line in front of it), a volume button (cartoon megaphone with a semicircle and a right facing arch coming out of it), a time stap that says "4:08/5:14" and then on the right side a transparent play button inside a white circle, a white box with transparent "CC" inside it (closed caption icon), a white gear (settings icon), a hollow white square with a solid white square in the bottom right, a hollow white square, a hollow white square with 3 curved white bars coming from the bottom left, and a 4 white right angles forming a roughly square shape (the full screen icon). The figure on the left appears to be a woman in her 30s to 40s with light tanish skin and facing the camera. She has shoulder length, straight, blonde hair that is parted on the side, dark eyes, prominent eye brows and is visible from the chest up. She is wearing a black coat, a black, white and grey-green floral top and earrings that might have small clear or whitish gem stone. Behind her is a cityscape with squat, pale colored apartments and the whole cityscape has a blue tint. On the right is Rabbi Ari Hart, he is a man who appears to be in his 30s to 40s, is directly facing the camera, and has pale beige skin. He has short, neat, dark hair and a full, short, and neat beard with connected mustache. He has brown eyes and is wearing dark, circular glasses that are tapered at the ends. He is also wearing a blue-grey suit and a white button down shirt with a glossy light blue tie. Behind him is an arrangement of sefarim filling most of 3 black, wooden book cases. The books come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes but most appear to be in Hebrew and tend to be grey, brown or black and many have gilded spines.

CNN News – Rabbis Attend Funeral for Muslim Boy in Illinois

YCT Rikmah Fellow Rav Shai Weitzman officiating at a wedding of a fellow chayal on the front lines

Gratitude to everyone supporting the YCT Israel Emergency Fund expressed by YCT musmakh (YCT ’11) and IDF medic Rabbi Eytan Yammer

Photo-realistic image of the Israeli flag with a sunset in the background. An Israeli flag covers the majority of the image, it is a white horizontal rectangle with a blue horizontal stripe on the top and bottom and a blue Magen David in the middle. The flag is tinted yellowish gold by the large blazing yellow and white sun glowing on the right side. The sky behind the flag is a hazy light grey and a grey metal flagpole can be seen on the far left.

I’m a Rabbi. Here’s Why I Went to a Murdered Palestinian Boy’s Funeral.

Rabbi Adam Scheier

‘It was hard to stay away’: Why this Montreal Rabbi Adam Scheier (YCT ’04) went to Israel amid the war

Photograph of a pro-Israel rally in Austin Texas. Image of a crowd of people standing outside in what appears to be a city square or park. Rabbi Daniel Millner has his back to the camera and is speaking to the assembled crowd, he is wearing a navy blue suite with a white collard shirt, he has a tanned skin tone and short, neat black hair and is also wearing a black knit keepah. A figure with dark hair in a bun and a close cropped beard is holding out a mic to Rabbi Millner with their right hand, they also have glasses, a white shirt sleeved shirt and is wearing an Israeli flag over their shoulders like a cape. Many other figures in the crowd are wearing an Israeli flag in similar fashion or are waving them over their heads, a few figures also have American flags. Many of the people at the rally are holding up posters but most are difficult to make out. Three of the poster are legible, one says "40 BABIES" in yellow block letters followed by "MURDERED BY HAMAS" in white and the rest of the poster is black with four illustrated white candles each with a small yellow flame. Another poster is also black and says in white block letters "NEVER AGAIN IS NOW". The last poster is white and says in blue block letters "AM YISRAEL CHAI" with a picture of an Israeli flag. The people at the rally come in a variety of ages and attires though many seem to be wearing blue and/or white and most appear to have lighter skin tones and they all seem to be over the age of 16. The backdrop of the image is a sunny tiled pathway with a few green leafy trees on either side. In the back are a number of tall buildings, mostly brown or white with many blue glass windows. The sky is light blue and cloudless appears to fade to a blueish-white.

Rabbi Daniel Millner (YCT ’14) at the Israel Rally at the Capitol in Austin

Photograph from 'We are at war with terror'. Image with protesters standing and holding up signs in support of Israel. One figure, far right, is has a tan skin tone and short brown hair and is facing to the left. He appears to be male and is clean shaven and seems to be middle aged. He is wearing a white button down shirt, navy blue khakis, a white, full-length, tallis, circular tortoise shell glasses and a keepah that is navy blue on top and has light blue triangular patterns on the bottom. In his left hand he is holding a black, corded, microphone or recorder and in his right hand he is holding a sign that seems to be a photograph of a man holding 2 children, one of whom is a toddler, the words on the poster are hard to make out. In front of the far right figure is a small child, possibly elementary age, with short blonde hair, a tan skin tone, pastel green T-shirt and magenta rectangular glasses with a magenta band in the back securing it to the child's head. On the left are 2 more figures. The one are the near left appears to be a female and might be between high school and college age. She has pale skin, long, straight, brown hair and has her head facing the slightly to the right. She is wearing an Israeli flag like a cape with the white outer frame and 2 broad blue, horizontal (vertical in this perspective) stripe visible, she is also wearing beige khakis. She is holding a white foam-board sign that says "Am Yisrael Chai" in large blue letters with a blue Magen David underneath. On the far left is a person who appears to be a middle aged man with pale skin. His hair, if he has any, is obscured by a black and beige baseball hat, he is also wearing an Israeli flag in a similar fashion to the girl. He is also wearing black sunglasses, a navy blue t-shirt and beige pants. He is holding up a black sign with a picture of black window-blinds outlining the shape of Israel with a red background to the blinds. There is a red child-like figure on the poster who is peaking out from the window-blinds, there are also white words on the poster but they are difficult to make out. There are several figures who are hard to make out behind the 4 front figures. Behind the protesters is a grey street with green foliage behind it and a light blue cloudless sky and a set of 3 black traffic lights suspended on a white horizontal pole.

‘We are at war with terror’: Scottsdale community calls for release of hostages held by Hamas

Israel Solidarity Gatherings Held at Beth Jacob and Cedars-Sinai

Rabbi Yonatan Cohen (YCT ’06) Speaks About Nephew Killed in Israel

Prayer. Unity. Action. Responding to the Emergency in Israel: Videos

Video, Israel emergency

Prayer. Unity. Action. Responding to the Emergency in Israel – Full Recording

Video, Israel emergency

Rabbi Mishael Zion (’11)

Video, Israel emergency

Rabbi Yonatan Cohen (’06)

Video, Israel emergency

Dr. Michelle Friedman, M.D.

Video, Israel emergency

Myra Clark-Siegel, AJC

Video, Israel emergency

Rabbi Avi Weiss