1.

"Come speak with Darya's class," Hadas, the teacher, told me. "Share some life advice as they finish elementary school." The "Bereshit" school in Rehovot insists on calling itself an "educational home." And what a year they've had; such young students whose learning and play were interspersed with existential issues.

This week, Darya told me her generation has experienced more pandemics, wars, and alarms in their young lives than other generations. She stated it as fact, not complaint. In our conversations, I've noticed a historical awareness growing within her ("In thirty years, I'll tell my children that fields once stood where we walked"). I looked at her, wondering how to respond to a child with adult insights. You know, I said, it's precisely this thought that encourages me and assures me your generation will be better than ours – more resilient, unique, and profound. You will build the next floor of our lives here in the treasured land of our forefathers.

2.

I entered the classroom. The boys arrived breathless from their games while the girls sat with inner calm. I asked them to try to retain some of my words for the coming years. Words are seeds that need time to blossom and bear fruit. Perhaps you'll remember me decades from now, just as I recall something from finishing elementary school, right before leaving my childhood neighborhood, which until then seemed a distant star, to study at the Junior High Kiryat Ya'akov Herzog, an institution I can only liken to Harry Potter's Hogwarts...

You stand before the great sea of your lives, I told the children. It will not part on its own; it awaits your entry. The sea is deep, its depths filled with treasures, challenges, and dreams. Dangers also lurk there. We adults stand on the opposite shore, seeking to guide and warn you from our experience. You will face obstacles and difficulties. You may resent and rage against your fate. But you can view hardships as challenges meant to improve and build you. The difficulty will be the same, but your interpretation will determine how you overcome it and grow from it.

I still remember a classmate who played marbles and cards with me. I was privileged to soar while he remained on life's margins. One day I heard an explosive was planted on his scooter and he was killed. Gang warfare. The news shook me. I thought of our innocent starting line and the deceptive blink of an eye in which our fates could have been reversed under different circumstances. Not everything depends on adults or society, dear children; an important part of your destiny depends on you.

3.

It's vital to stay in constant motion, not rest on your laurels but to walk, not be lazy, to gather knowledge, ideas, friends, experiences, taking something from each station for the journey ahead. This is the first commandment given to Abraham, our forefather: "Go forth..." If we keep going, we ultimately reach the good land. The second commandment is Abrahamic: "Do not make for yourself an idol..." – don't turn yourself into a statue, don't become enamored with yourself, and think you know everything with nothing to learn from others. Remember Narcissus? Yes, some answered (Darya is now also discovering Greek mythology). He fell in love with himself when he saw his reflection in the river, closing himself off and missing out on life. So be sure to stay in motion and look around you. Be curious.

An important condition for success in life is the desire for knowledge. In physics, there is a law of conservation of energy. In education, there is a law of conservation of knowledge. No information you've learned will fail to serve you someday. You sit in a classroom, so even if you're bored, make an effort and listen, use the time to add more knowledge to your repository. Read books; it's the best gift you can give yourself. Whoever turns off the phone on Shabbat will be forced to read, even if they don't want to, like in the old days. Study the weekly Torah portion on Shabbat; this way the Bible will be part of who you are.

I told them the Quran calls us "Ahl al-Kitab," People of the Book, because of the Bible. But we are the People of the Books. We received the Torah, then came the Prophets and Writings, and in the second century, Rabbi Judah the Prince wrote the Mishnah. In subsequent centuries the Talmuds were written in Israel and Babylon, then Biblical commentaries in the Middle Ages, the Zohar, legal rulings, philosophy, and countless other books, until we erected a colossal skyscraper unmatched by any other nation for its descendants. Each generation added its own floor to the multidimensional edifice, and you, dear children, have the right to visit any floor you wish. Don't miss the opportunity; after all, you already speak the language.

4.

Study history. This way you will remember throughout your long journey where we came from and where we wish to go. I told them when we adopted the word in Hebrew, some spelled it "historyah," meaning God (Yah) concealing (Hester) himself behind national and global events and directing them. Soon we will reach the 9th of Av and commemorate the first destruction (586 BCE) and the second (70 CE). The Jews in the first exile despaired; they thought it was the end of Israel and there would be no continuity in the next generation. "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, we are cut off." But the prophet Ezekiel insists "our hope is not yet lost." He tells them of a tremendous historical vision God showed him: A valley full of dry bones turning into a multitude representing our people. And he promises that God will open our graves and return us home to the Land of Israel.

In the 1880s, a Hebrew poet in Romania wrote to his generation that as long as a Jewish soul stirs in our hearts, and as long as our eyes gaze eastward toward Zion, our hope to return to our ancestral homeland is not lost. I don't remember if they knew the poet's name, so I repeated it: Naftali Herz Imber. You understand, I told them, our national anthem corresponds with Ezekiel's prophecy. Indeed, our hope was not lost, and at the end of a long, painful process we came home to Zion. And from national history, we learn for our private lives: Even if you find yourselves in difficult situations later on, do not lose hope. Your redemption awaits just around the corner.

5.

"Dad," Darya whispered to me afterward, "two kids told me you could have spoken faster, and you repeated things." Honest children. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou founded strength, because of Thine adversaries; that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger (Pslams 8:3)" You're right, my daughter, because I understand the gravity of the task assigned to me and the importance of this conversation. I acted according to the eternal command "teach them to your children" (Deuteronomy 11:19 ) –  sons and daughters – hoping something of my words will be seared into the memory of one child, provisions for the road ahead, just as I remember to this day the kind eyes of my parents and teachers accompanying me, just before we entered the great sea of our lives.

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The Health Ministry has begun formulating a first-of-its-kind national emergency plan for children and teens in mental distress, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announced Tuesday at the Israel Hayom mental resilience conference in Tel Aviv. 

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The move comes against the backdrop of a sharp increase in referrals for kids and youngsters to mental health services, including psychiatric clinics, a number that according to unofficial data from health maintenance organizations spiked by 40% since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Horowitz said the plan would be presented to the government in the near future and would be implemented by the health, education and welfare and social affairs ministries.

Israel Hayom found out from sources involved in the matter that measures would include the establishment of mental health services that do not yet exist in Israel, such as ten crisis prevention centers that will provide primary care to children in urgent need.

According to sources, the project is the initiative of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Association and can launch immediately in cooperation with hospitals and health funds. It will include grants and scholarships to child psychiatrists and psychologists, additional funding to HMOs, and increased cooperation with youth movements, whose counselors will be trained to identify the warning signs of mental illness and suicide.

Dr. Zvi Fishel, Chairman of the Israel Psychiatric Association, welcomed the announcement.

"The unavailability of psychiatrists and other caregivers leads to unbearably long queues. It is crucial to allocate an adequate budget that will bring new employees and keep the young professional psychiatrists in the public system. The promises and plans of the Health Ministry must be implemented in order to bring a cure for the severe mental distress in children, teens, and also adults."

Professor Doron Gothelf, director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit at Sheba Medical Center, concurred.

"The past year has seen a sharp increase in the mental distress of children and youngsters in Israel and worldwide. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has already declared a state of emergency and a report by the Elem association [that works with at-risk youth] showed that depression, anxiety, eating disorders, victims of violence, and alcohol and drug use among teens increased 2-5 times in the last quarter of 2020, compared to the same period of time in 2019.

"As a result, the number of urgent referrals to emergency rooms due to suicide, anxiety, and eating disorders increased between 50-100%. Many of the teens require psychiatric hospitalization, and as such, the rate of psychiatric hospitalizations in youth wards has increased significantly this year, and it is very difficult to find a vacant bed," he said.

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Workers at ZipRecruiter's Israeli R&D headquarters have organized a donation of laptops to LGBTQ youth who were kicked out of their homes and found shelter at Beit Dror and the Pink Roof.

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Beit Dror offers temporary accommodation to LGBTQ kids age 12-18, from all kinds of backgrounds, who are in crisis. The facility supplies their basic needs – clothing, a place to sleep, meals, and hot showers, as well as emotional support, counseling, and education.

The Pink Roof provides similar emergency accommodations to LGBTQ young adults age 18-25.

Developers Sefi Mintzer and Ephraim Berkovitch, who devote some of their free time to volunteering with the Otot NGO for youth at risk, saw the distress of the young people who were left without support from their families, and had no computers to use for schoolwork or for digital interaction.

Mintzer and Berkovitch prompted ZipRecruiter employees to clean out the R&D center's storage rooms, and gathered up the computers that had been replaced. They donated the computers no longer in use to the young people.

Meanwhile, ZipRecruiter employees took it upon themselves to teach a free introductory programming course to residents of Beit Dror, helping them take the first step on the path to becoming programmers.

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This signifies a win for coordinator of the government's efforts to stop the spread of the virus, Professor Ronni Gamzu, who has repeated warned that opening schools in red communities would lead to an outbreak. Education Minister Yoav Gallant opposed Gamzu, calling his stance "baseless."

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The decision applies to all grades, but exempts students in special education and youth at risk. The Corona cabinet is slated to hold another decision on Thursday as part of an evaluation of possible closure measures for red towns.

"Public health considerations demand that we not start the school year in red areas, and given the urgency of the matter, it has been suggested that we … decide that the restrictions will take effect immediately," the cabinet decision stated.

The last-minute decision kept parents, children, and teacher in communities designated "red" on tenterhooks.

Gallant said, without mentioning the decision on the red cities, "I'm happy that the school year is starting. I promised that school would start on Sept. 1, in all schools nationwide, and I kept that promise."

As of Tuesday, 356 school-age children and 294 teachers were suffering from coronavirus. There were 3,310 students in quarantine, and 1,425 teachers in quarantine.

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The Mongols Motorcycle Club dance circle was one of several at the Riot Gear Summer Rush event, a car show and concert held at a sports stadium in the heart of Baghdad.

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The scene was a far cry from the usual images broadcast from the city of violence and mayhem. But nearly two years since Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State, the capital has been quietly remaking its image.

Since the blast walls – a feature of the capital since a US-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein – started coming down, a less restrictive way of life has emerged.

"We held this party so people can know that Iraq has this kind of culture, and has these kinds of people who love life and music," said Arshad Haybat, a 30-year-old film director who founded the Riot Gear events company.

Riot Gear has thrown similar parties in Iraq before, but Friday's was the first open to the public.

The day started with young men showing off imported muscle cars and motorcycles. By nightfall, it had turned into a pulsating electronic dance music (EDM) show.

Iraqi hip-hop collective Tribe of Monsters played a mix of EDM and Trap music as young men, clasping elaborate vape pens, danced through strobe lights and smoke machines, live-streaming their moves on Snapchat and Instagram.

It was a heady mix of Baghdad's burgeoning subcultures: bikers, gamers, EDM enthusiasts. What most had in common was that they'd never been to a party like this in Iraq.

"We have only ever seen this kind of concert on TV and films," said 21-year-old Mustafa Osama. "I can't describe my feelings to see such a thing in Iraq."

Though dominated by young men, lots of women attended, with some dancing near the main stage. But event organizers ensured a "family section" was available, so groups of women, families, and couples out on dates could dance, away from the lively crowd.

"All the young people are happy here," said Ain, one of the female partygoers who declined to give her last name. "I hope there will be more and more of these events in Iraq."

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Around 44% of respondents aged 16-34 said they had suffered harassment, more than double the proportion for over-60s, according to the survey by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.

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More than 80% of Jews of all ages said they felt anti-Semitism had increased on the internet over the past five years and around 70% said they faced more hostility in public.

Other surveys have tracked a rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the West and blamed it on far-right, far-left and populist movements.

Most respondents in the EU survey said hard-line Islamists were involved in the abuse.

More than three-quarters of young Jews did not report incidents of harassment to authorities, the survey found.

The European Commissioner for Justice, Věra Jourová, promised to press member states to do more to tackle the problem.

"Young Jewish Europeans are more exposed to anti-Semitic incidents than their elders," she said.

The study was based on data collected through an online survey in May and June 2018, based on the answers of 16,395 respondents of all ages from 12 countries.

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Weinstein is among the generations of North American Jewish teens who have forged lifelong attachments to the Jewish state in the intimate overnight Jewish camp environment, where friendships, values and Jewish peoplehood are born and raised.

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Strengthening Weinstein's attachment further were the six weeks last summer when she absorbed the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of the Jewish state as part of Ramah's Israel Seminar. So this summer, when the 18-year-old heads back to her old camp, it will be as a counselor who has much to impart on youth. "Being in Israel, connecting to Israelis, I was inspired in ways I can now share with my campers," she said.

This inspiration and connection come at a crucial time in American and Jewish history, as the college campuses these youngsters will soon venture onto become increasingly hostile to Israel, and sometimes, even to Jews.

More student governments – joined by some unions and faculty groups – are voting for their schools to stop buying Israeli products or cooperate with Israeli academics and scientists. And roughly half of these 66 campuses have passed resolutions regarding the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, according to AMCHA Initiative, a watchdog group that monitors anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activities on North American campuses.

These votes are not isolated incidents. Many schools are seeing an increasing number of professors preaching anti-Israel doctrine – from those whose salaries are paid by deep-pocket funders, including wealthy Arabs, and by others who, as AMCHA's Tammi Rossman-Benjamin puts it, "Use 'academic freedom as an excuse to push their leftist politics down students' throats."

In addition, many schools have chapters of such anti-Israel groups as Students for Justice in Palestine, as well as Jewish ones like the Jewish Voice for Peace, J Street U, and IfNotNow.

And at nearly 50 campuses, these groups hold an annual Israeli Apartheid Week (also known as Palestine Awareness or Anti-Zionism Week), exposing thousands of students to a litany of Israel's "crimes."

Not content to influence the next generation of leaders on campus, last spring the group IfNotNow, which describes itself as "a movement led by young American Jews to end our community's support for the Israeli occupation," held training for incoming counselors at Jewish summer camps to 'enlighten' their young campers about the "occupation."

This strikes many observers as particularly destructive due to the intimate nature of the summer camp experience.

"Summer camp, for many American Jews, is an immersive experience – the only time that they can 'do Jewish' with other Jews their own age, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," says Jonathan Sarna, professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and author of award-winning books such as "American Judaism: A History." "To turn an immersive experience into a divisive one would be a tragedy. Far better for camps to do what they have always done best: offering Jewish youngsters a taste of Utopia."

CAMERA director Andrea Levin shares Sarna's concern about the challenges today's campers are likely to face tomorrow. Her media watchdog has fellows on 40 campuses in North America and the United Kingdom to keep an eye on campus media (including social media) and reach out to Jewish students who say they "increasingly feel marginalized."

"They need to feel a deep love for Israel, certainly," she says. "But at the end of the day, it's only by having strong knowledge about Israel and its history that these kids will be able to defend [the Jewish state] – and themselves – when they get to campus," says Levin. "Without that, they are sure to be browbeaten in any 'open discussions' when critics assert 'facts' the Jewish students don't know enough to refute. Knowledge is their best armor, and camps are important players when it comes to this."

'An investment in time and money'

Are camp organizers aware of the environment they're sending their campers into? "It would be impossible not to think about it," says Bil Zarch, who runs Camp Yavneh in New Hampshire. From a letter he sent out to parents and supporters last year: "The right of the Jewish people to a homeland in Israel is a core belief at Camp Yavneh … understanding that there is a difference between Jews living in the relative safety of the U.S. and Canada and Jews living in Israel."

In a similar move, this spring Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, director of the National Ramah Commission of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, sent out a strong message on behalf of the Conservative movement's Ramah camps. "We, the leadership of Ramah, are proud that Zionism is a central part of our core mission, as we nurture within our campers and staff members a deep and enduring love for the State of Israel. At Camp Ramah, campers and staff develop a positive, personal and meaningful connection to Israel."

Cohen is proud that Ramah flies in some 300 young Israelis to work as counselors and teacher specialists at Ramah's 10 overnight camps. "It's an investment in time and money," he says. "But the return is significant. Our campers and counselors gain Israeli friends from whom they learn so much. The bridges they build are important, especially with attacks from BDS."

So when three of the IfNotNow trainees landed as counselors last year at Ramah camps, open discussions ensued, and the counselors were informed that no anti-Israel propaganda would be tolerated. "They're wonderful, passionate young adults, but we needed them to know that this kind of thing is outside the scope of Ramah," says Cohen. "They weren't necessarily happy with the decision, but they were respectful."

It was a learning opportunity for the camps as well, he adds: "Our directors and division heads have to have their antennae up."

'The kitchen table for discussing everything that matters'

At the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ), Rabbi Reuven Greenvald, who as director of Israel engagement works with the 18 URJ camps and their 10,000 campers, also met last year with counselors trained by IfNotNow. "As far as we know, no troubles arose, but we let them know that if they want to work in one of our camps, they have to work within our framework." Also on site is a cadre of young Israeli "shluchim" – staff who "make organic connections with both our campers and college-age counselors," said the rabbi.

Unlike URJ and Ramah camps, the 25 Jewish Community Center camps (the largest such network in the US) operate independently. But they do share many basic values, says David Ackerman, senior vice-president of the JCC Association of North America. Among them: "We believe that a strong connection with Israel is one of the big ideas in Jewish life that connects us to our past and to Jews around the world today," he says. "And the more knowledgeable about Israel they are, the more enduring their connection to strengthen them for what they'll encounter, whether it's in the media or their college cafeteria."

And though he says he hasn't heard any anti-Israel rumblings from the camps, "we do know that camps are the kitchen table for openly discussing everything that matters. That's the magic – and the opportunity."

At TheZone, a "keruv" (outreach) camp in the Catskills that attracts youngsters from across the Jewish spectrum, "the goal is to foster a strong Jewish identity and community and Israel is a big part of that," says Meira Zisowitz, director of the girls' camp that hosts 500 each summer. TheZone boys camp has about an equal number of campers) and where one-quarter of the counselors are Israeli. "We create excitement about Israel, about going there someday," she adds. "And many of them do. You never know the effect you have on kids until much later."

An attachment to Israel is such a foundational part of Bnei Akiva camps that "even before they walk in they know we're religious Zionists, so there will be a strong Israel focus. That's one reason families send their children to us."

So says Rabbi Shaul Feldman, executive director for Bnei Avika's five North American overnight (and two-day) camps and a former Israel Defense Forces paratrooper. "They leave not only more knowledgeable but also connected," he adds. "I say, 'Good luck to anyone who tries to tell them Israel has no right to exist.' "

'One unwavering voice for Israel'

Former camper Marissa Sandler, whose love of Israel was first ignited 15 years ago at Camp Young Judaea in Texas, reports that "I actually attribute a lot of my adult life to that camp."

Not only did she meet her future husband, Yosi, there when they both served as counselors, she says "that's also where I fell in love with Israel."

It proved a love so powerful that in 2010, she made aliyah and is now the mother of two young Israelis.

"We create a space where it feels good to be Jewish and love Israel," says Young Judea Texas director Frank Silberlicht. "There's a reason singing 'Hatikvah' is the last thing we do each night."

The folks at the umbrella organization Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) are also keeping their eye on Israel's role in summer camps. It's a topic that comes up often during Cornerstone Fellowship, a leadership-training program for senior counselors. "Israel education, as part of the overall mission, is central to the work of Jewish camps," says CEO Jeremy Fingerman. "We encourage camps to provide developmentally appropriate, relevant and engaging material to our campers, staff, and families."

That issue of Israel programming that's developmentally appropriate resonates with Josh Bar-on (Brown), a longtime camper and counselor at Yavneh who has since led teen groups around Israel. "You can't give a so-called 'balanced view of the conflict' to young kids; they're not ready for complex political explanations," says Bar-on, who now lives with his family in Efrat. "All they really need is to bond with the Jewish homeland. There's plenty of time for politics when they're older and already have that connection."

Bar-on says he's "thankful that what I heard at camp was one unwavering voice for Israel – that being Jewish meant being strong, having a history and a state. For that alone, I owe Camp Yavneh an enormous debt."

One particular memory: The night in 2001 when the Second Intifada was just beginning and parents were balking at sending their teens on Yavneh's summer Israel trip. "I'll never forget the director, Debbie Sussman, telling the parents that this is exactly the time we need to show our support of Israel. In the end, nearly all of us went."

Ramah's Rabbi Cohen put it this way. "If they know why Israel is so important to our people, when they're old enough to understand things within the context of Israel's role in Jewish history and destiny, then they'll engage in dialogue about the complexities facing Israel today."

He offers this advice to parents: "Tell your kids to befriend the Israelis at camp and hear their stories, how they defended our people in the army. The more personal their connection to Israel, the greater sense that Israel belongs to them, too."

This article is reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The company, launched by entrepreneur Mati Kochavi, uses tools developed for intelligence agencies to parse events and trends on social media. Over the past year, Vocative has review hundreds of pages, groups, images, and keywords related to anti-Semitism, neo-Nazism, and Holocaust denial in 12 western nations.

The analysis identified 12,778,533 posts addressing the Holocaust, only 347,485 of which had been posted by people under 30.

More than half (59%) of the posts originated from users in the U.S., followed by Britain (11%) and Germany (8%). In addition, young people from Britain, France, and Austria were more active than their age-group peers in discourse about the Holocaust.

According to Vocative, out of all the young people who discussed the Holocaust on social media this past year, only 39% were women. Posts by women tended to focus more on the historical and personal aspects of the Holocaust, such as expression of empathy for survivors and the importance of keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive for future generations.

Discourse about the Holocaust on social media among males, on the other hand, was marked by a comparison of the Holocaust to current day politics and social issues, as well as by a call to take action against global anti-Semitism.

British young people on social media tended to use the Holocaust to condemn the "Israeli occupation" and Israeli military actions in Judea and Samaria. Many claimed that certain Israeli actions among the Palestinian population caused them to long for a repeat of the Holocaust. Discussion also compares Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to the situation of the Jews in Nazi Germany.

The Vocativ research also revealed that young social media users from Britain and Germany tended to use the Holocaust to promote political agendas. The analysis pointed out that some activists in France's "yellow vest" protests compared French President Emmanuel Macron to Hitler, and the protesters to the Jews in Nazi Germany.

Kochavi told Israel Hayom that "we are in a period of growing anti-Semitism and fake news, when it's hard to tell what is true and what isn't. That combination creates a dangerous platform that allows for increased expressions of Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism, and neo-Nazism.

"Young people today know very little about the Holocaust, and as the number of survivors continues to shrink, the challenge of preserving the memory of the Holocaust is more important than ever. We must find the right way to broadcast the story of the Holocaust to young people and adolescents in Israel and worldwide, and make the subject relevant to them," Kochavi said.

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