The spark

I predict seder tables will be packed this year.

We’re getting ready to observe Passover when we’ll re-tell the story of our triumph over an enemy that tried to destroy the Jewish people. Sound familiar?

We’re living in a time of so much anguish for the Jewish people. We’re bombarded from all directions by Jewish hate.

Yet even now–or especially now–we must allow ourselves the space to feel the joy that comes with being Jewish; we must give ourselves permission to engage in the joyous rituals and celebrations that are baked into the Jewish calendar.

This is a matter that Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. State Department’s antisemitism envoy, has eloquently addressed. “Being Jewish is not something you do defensively,” Lipstadt told the New York Jewish Week in February. “We have to be as much propelled by the pulls as we are enraged by the pushes.”

On Passover, we’re commanded to invite “all who are hungry to come and eat.” In a time of so much pain for our people, Jews are hungering more than ever for Jewish sustenance and community.

Two little words tell us why: “Pintele yid.”

This Yiddish expression literally translates to “the little point of a Jew.” Figuratively, it refers to “the Jewish spark” that lives deep within each of us.

We have to go back–way back to Biblical times–to understand where that spark originated. When Moses affirms G-d’s covenant with the Israelites (Bamidbar/Deuteronomy 29:9), he tells them: “Neither with you only do I make this covenant; but with whoever is standing here today and also whoever is not here with us today.”

Torah scholars interpret Moses’ words to mean that the “soul” of every Jewish descendant was present that day at the giving of the Torah.

In the six months since October 7, there has been one glint of hope in so much darkness: That Jewish spark-even for those who hadn’t set foot in a synagogue or any other Jewish setting for many years, or maybe ever-has been re-ignited.

We’re leaning into the Jewish rituals that spark joy and comfort like holidays and Shabbat dinners.

Since the war began, we’ve witnessed growing interest in Jewish observance and participation. American Jewish organizations report a rise in levels of engagement, reflected in rising turnout at synagogues, admission to Jewish day schools, and attendance at Chabad and Hillel events.

Here in Chicago, JUF Young Families–helping families with young children experience the joys of Jewish life–has seen a boost in attendance at its events.

Young adults Jews are also craving connection. Since the war began, JUF’s Young Leadership Division and Base Chicago both report an uptick in turnout at their events. And OneTable Chicago-which empowers young Jews to gather for Shabbat dinners-saw a whopping 105% increase in hosting applications in the weeks following October 7.

A Jewish spark lies within each of us no matter how observant we are, or how much we had connected Jewishly in the past. A Jewish spark was waiting for the moment to become a flame.

That moment is now.