Rabbis report a spiritual revival in America as Jews flock to their faith, heritage and religious traditions following the Oct. 7 terror attacks in the state of Israel, according to a new nationwide survey.
Nearly 99% of the 211 the rabbis who responded to the survey claim that “they have seen an increase in the personal practice of Jewish traditions and observances,” Chabad.org stated in a report of the results released on Tuesday.
Its appears that Jews across the United States are embracing faith in a defiant show of unity and resolve in the wake of the murderous rampage by Hamas against Israeli civilians, and amid global antisemitic protests, according Chabad.org spokesperson Rabbi Motti Seligson.
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“Jews are doubling down on being Jewish and recognizing that they are part of a larger people,” Rabbi Seligson told Fox News Digital.
“They’re finding meaningful ways of connecting with their Judaism and with their people with confidence.”
Thousands of Israel supporters gather near Central Park in New York City on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. The demonstrators were there to show support for Israel’s war against Hamas. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
Chabad.org, based in New York City, calls itself “the premier Judaism website.”
More than 86% of rabbis cited an increase in attendance at their programs or services over the past month, the same study found.
“Jews are doubling down on being Jewish.”
The survey was conducted ahead of the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries, on Nov. 9-12, in and around New York City.
About 6,500 Jewish religious leaders are expected to attend what organizers call “the largest gathering of rabbis in the world.”
Thousands of rabbis pose in front of Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, at the 2022 International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries. The event draws about 6,500 rabbis annually; it returns to New York City on Nov. 9, 2023, amid a spiritual renewal among Jews in wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel. (Shmulie Grossbaum/Chabad.org)
The sudden upswing in displays of faith and pride in heritage have been especially acute among longtime secular Jews and among Jewish students and faculty on college campuses, according to the report.
It noted that families are “seeking out Jewish instruction for their kids after neglecting it for years” — while one rabbi reported, “I had someone who had only come to Chabad twice in his life purchase a new set of tefillin.”
Tefillin are a pair of small black leather boxes containing Hebrew parchment scrolls, with one set worn on the head and another on the arm.
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A rising number of Jews are also displaying traditional symbols of faith such as mezuzah, a parchment scroll containing a handwritten confession of faith, typically placed outside the door of a home.
It identifies the residence as the home of Jews.
University of Alabama rabbi Kussi Lipskier, left, has witnessed a dramatic surge in interest in faith among Jewish students on campus, including Tzali Nislick. (Courtesy Rabbi Kussi Lipskier)
College rabbis say they’ve seen a sudden upswing in interest in their heritage from Jewish students on campus, too.
“We’re seeing a lot of students, their souls are united. They’re looking to connect,” University of Alabama Rabbi Kussi Lipskier told Fox News Digital.
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“This is a hard time and they’re under pressure. But they’re coming back home. Unfortunately, it’s under terrible circumstances. But it’s a very powerful thing to do and to see.”
Rabbi Lipskier is one of seven brothers, six of whom are rabbis.
Four of his brothers also serve the faith community at major colleges around the country.
A woman holds a poster of Israeli hostage Omer Neutra during a memorial vigil for the Israeli people killed by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack, in New York City on Nov. 1, 2023. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
His campus rabbi brothers have witnessed a similar “thirst to reconnect with Judaism” among students, he said.
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He cited one secular Jewish student at Alabama who showed visitors around the campus last weekend before the Crimson Tide’s football game against LSU.
“These past four weeks, I’ve never felt so Jewish.”
“He was walking all over the place wearing his yamakah,” said Rabbi Lussiker. “He didn’t grow up with any observances. But he wanted to feel more Jewish and also be overtly Jewish.”
University of Alabama Rabbi Kussi Lipskier reports a dramatic increase in interest among Jewish students — including Tzali Nislick (far right) — in their faith and heritage following the terror attack in Israel on Oct 7, 2023. A Star of David, left, is shown inside a synagogue. (iStock/courtesy Rabbi Kussi Lipskier)
The survey cited one 22-year-old man, “who knows nothing about his Jewishness and never celebrated any Jewish activity.”
Yet, the statement added, the man “came to us two weeks ago saying he can’t stop crying and doesn’t know why. He came to Chabad to put on tefillin for the first time in his life.”
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“These past four weeks, I’ve never felt so Jewish,” said another survey comment.
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