Abrams Hebrew Academy, Israel Bonds provide inside look at Oct. 7

Before October 7, University of Pennsylvania student Eyal Yakoby was not even on the email list of the school’s Hillel chapter.

Yet in December, he represented UPenn students and the broader Jewish community during a press conference in Congress, underscoring the seismic shift in which individuals who were previously less involved in Jewish activism now find themselves at the forefront of those efforts.

“This shift marks something profound and unsettling in what we’re observing,” Yakoby said at the Abrams Hebrew Academy in Yardley on January 11 during an event jointly hosted by the school and Israel Bonds Philadelphia. “We’ve seen not the gradual social deterioration but a leap, from just a minor issue to a crisis. This vantage point allowed us to be alarmed by the sudden severity of where we find ourselves today. Because at this juncture, society stands exposed, stripped of its veils, and unable to conceal a disturbing undercurrent of antisemitism.”

The event on combating antisemitism and in solidarity with Israel — emceed by Head of School at Abrams Hebrew Academy Rabbi Ira Budow — featured Yakoby’s insights along with those of Bella Ingber, a New York University student who also spoke at the press conference before members of Congress, and Natalie Sanandaji, public affairs officer for Combat Antisemitism Movement and a survivor of the October 7 attack on the Nova music festival.

“As Israel Bonds stands with Israel at its darkest hour and against antisemitism as it surges worldwide, bringing together speakers with poignant firsthand accounts in key arenas — from campus to the frontlines in Israel — serves the dual purpose of informing members of our community and inspiring them to take action,” said Ari Sirner, Executive Director of the Israel Bonds Pennsylvania Region.

Quoting Winston Churchill’s remark that “an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last,” Yakoby said, “To put it simply, these presidents are appeasers, and expect that the students and faculty who target their fellow classmates will somehow not be the same students who go and harass the administration. It is their very indifference that enables bad actors to continue to push the limits of what will and will not go unsanctioned.”

In response to a question from the audience on determining the safest colleges where Jewish students can apply these days, Yakoby stated, “If you’re even asking yourself that very question, of ‘will this be an environment where I’m free to express my views as a — Jew,’ that means that school probably needs you. Because if everyone who asked themselves that question ends up not applying, then who’s left?”

Ingber recommended that pro-Israel students organize events that go beyond preaching to the choir.“I’m finding that when you cater the event in a way that you say, ‘this Israeli ambassador is coming to speak,’ it deters a big group of people because it’s obvious what the agenda of the event might be — especially when you host it at a Hillel,” she said. “My advice for students on other campuses would be to host it at an impartial place.”

Recounting her experience on October 7, Sanandaji said that “people were running in every direction. Nobody knew what direction was the direction of safety, what direction was going to save your life or get you killed.”

Moshe, from the nearby community of Patish, eventually arrived at the scene in a white pickup truck and drove Sanandaji and her friends to safety. Initially assuming the driver would be a terrorist, the friends had smiled and nodded to each other as if to say, “It was nice knowing you,” Sanandaji recalled.

Sanandaji explained that she shares her story of survival because “unlike a lot of my fellow survivors, I wasn’t as traumatized and felt that I was strong enough to speak out and had to be their voice. I had to be the voice for those who were taken hostage, for those who were killed, and for those who were too traumatized to speak.”

Yakoby conveyed a similar sentiment when it comes to the role of pro-Israel activists.

“We must stand up for those who can’t fight, and those who can’t are those who gave their lives at the hands or in resistance to the pernicious force of Jew-hate in the past,” he said. “Now our actions of fighting antisemitism serve as the reservoir of strength from which future generations may draw upon.”

Development Corporation for Israel (known as Israel Bonds) and its affiliates around the world have generated over $50 billion in investments since it was founded 72 years ago. During 2023, Israel Bonds surpassed $2.7 billion in worldwide investments, a record-breaking total in the organization’s history. Following October 7, Israel Bonds secured $1 billion in investments in just the first 30 days of the war. More than 15 U.S. state and municipal governments and institutions, including the Pennsylvania Treasury, participated in this historic groundswell of investments.

Israel bonds are a smart investment with strong rates and are meaningful investments, serving as a symbolic connection with Israel and the people of Israel for Jews worldwide. For more information, visit www.israelbonds.com or contact Ari Sirner at Ari.Sirner@IsraelBonds.com.