{"id":105275,"date":"2026-01-20T01:01:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T01:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/105275\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T01:01:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T01:01:22","slug":"amid-uncertain-world-young-jewish-adults-unite-in-solidarity-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/105275\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid uncertain world, young Jewish adults unite in solidarity \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 1,000 Jews, mostly in their 20s and 30s, from around the world united over the past week in New York City to share experiences, hear lectures, make connections and build bridges with relationships.<\/p>\n

They arrived, spending time in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, from places ranging from Montana to Miami; Brooklyn to Birmingham, Alabama; London to Taiwan; Australia to South America; Singapore, Estonia, France and all over the United States, finding similarities and solidarity in a post-Oct. 7 world.<\/p>\n

Young people from around 100 cities and 30 countries united for the Chabad Young Professionals Encounter, also described as the International Young Jewish Professionals Leadership Summit.
\n\"\"Photo credit: Itzik Belenitzki \u2013 CYP International\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re celebrating our identity,\u201d said Avi Winner, a spokesman for Chabad, which organized the four-day event. \u201cA big part of it is being able to connect with Jewish leaders from around the world, seeing how they live over there and applying it back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

A global Jewish organization in 110 nations, Chabad organized the event, including workshops, trips and speakers from around the world.\n<\/p>\n

Eliya Cohen, who spent 505 days as a hostage in Gaza after being kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, spoke as did Igor Tulchinsky, founder of quantitative hedge fund WorldQuant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Teddy Raskin, a startup founder and philanthropist, spoke to hundreds at the Queensborough Community College Performing Arts Center<\/a>. Universal Records singer Shulem Lemmer performed.<\/p>\n

\"\"Teddy Raskin (left) was among those who spoke at the info session. Photo by Claude Solnik<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, it amazed me to see that we\u2019re not that different,\u201d said Emmanuelle Ceddaha, 27, from Paris. \u201cWe kind of have the same life, because we\u2019re Jewish. We all know the same songs. We were able to celebrate together like we knew each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Many congregated for the info session at Queensborough Community College. Photo credit: Itzik Belenitzki \u2013 CYP International<\/p>\n

More than 1,000 lit candles, while hundreds more 10,000 miles away in Australia did the same, united virtually in the Bondi Solidarity Concert, remembering victims of the Chanukah terrorist attack that killed 15<\/a>, including two local Chabad rabbis who organized that event.<\/p>\n

\"\"Attendees of the Bondi Solidarity Concert paid tribute to the lives lost at the Bondi Beach terrorist attacks in Australia last December. Photo credit: Itzik Belenitzki \u2013 CYP International<\/p>\n

\u201cOur young community might have felt a little far away because of the physical distance,\u201d Rabbi Ulman, who helped organize the Bondi Beach gathering, said via screen. \u201cWe feel closer than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo credit: Itzik Belenitzki \u2013 CYP International<\/p>\n

Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director at Chabad World Headquarters, called each person \u201ca light and a leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo credit: Itzik Belenitzki \u2013 CYP International<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they try to extinguish our light, our response is to increase it,\u201d Rabbi Kotlarsky added, announcing 10 new Chabad Young Professionals locations worldwide.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo credit: Itzik Belenitzki \u2013 CYP International
\nPeace amid a turbulent world<\/p>\n

Amid concerns in the Middle East and antisemitism, many said antisemitism increased their own awareness and sense of Jewish identity, such as Elliot Goldman, 20, from Palm Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s made me more Jewish,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cIn a time when most people go and run away or hide or duck, it\u2019s important that you stand up and step into it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Others at the event said that rather than stepping back, they were stepping up at a time when attacks were more common.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially since Oct. 7, there\u2019s been an awakening of Jewish engagement,\u201d Winner said. \u201cThe way we fight antisemitism is by doubling down who we are.\u201d
\n\"\"Photo credit: Itzik Belenitzki \u2013 CYP International\n<\/p>\n

Some Jews said ignorance often precedes and follows violence. \u201cThere\u2019s more antisemitism,\u201d Romi Artzy, 23, from Miami, said. \u201cPeople complain that Oct. 7 never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community, connection<\/p>\n

Visitors also talked about thriving communities around the world, while others discovered temporary community in New York City.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a huge community,\u201d said Benjamin Dray, 28, of Paris. \u201cThere are communities in the 17th and 19th arrondissements.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Ceddaha said there are about 500,000 Jews in France, although some \u201cmade Aliyah\u201d or moved to Israel. \u201cIf I go to Shabbat dinner, there will be 60 people I don\u2019t know,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll connect with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others came from London, which they said has a large Jewish community, although some moved there from abroad. \u201cIt\u2019s strong, thriving, going well,\u201d said Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet, who moved from Canada and now leads Mill Hill Synagogue in London. \u201cWe all walk loud and proud as Jews as we go and we will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet leads Mill Hill Synagogue in London. Photo by Claude Solnik
\nCommunity and courage<\/p>\n

Still others arrived from locations with few Jews, enjoying the presence of community and companionship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey never imagined being surrounded by so many Jews,\u201d said Rabbi Nissi Lepkivker, of Chabad Young Professionals in Crown Heights. \u201cComing from a small Jewish community and being in a place with 1,000 young adults from around the world is uplifting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some described living in areas with few Jews where they stood out due to their heritage. \u201cIn Estonia, you\u2019re always explaining what it means to be a Jew,\u201d Jacob Kasper, 27, from Estonia, said. \u201cSometimes you need a place to recharge. This weekend recharged me physically and spiritually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evan Gravitt, 23, from Whitefish, Montana, which he described as the \u201cmost beautiful place\u201d he ever lived, said there are few Jews where he lives.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople come up to me and say I\u2019m the first Jew they ever met. They want to know what it\u2019s like to be Jewish,\u201d Gravitt said. \u201cIt\u2019s a humbling experience to live there and come here.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

He said he told a possible employer he couldn\u2019t work Friday nights or Saturdays, explaining Shabbat and being hired.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that there are people who don\u2019t understand what Shabbat is,\u201d Gravitt, a pediatric mental health specialist, added. \u201cI bring my values and share my values.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

While France may have many Jews, some French Jews said antisemitism is very real and present. \u201cIn my city, wearing a kippah has become an act of courage,\u201d said Jonathan Pachter, 29, from Paris. \u201cSeeing successful Jewish professionals here living proudly gives us strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"(Left to right) Evan Gravitt, 23, from Whitefish, Montana, Elliot Goldman, 20, from Palm Beach, Florida, Chabad spokesman Avi Winner and Rabbi Eitan Shilov from CYP Sunny Isles, Florida. Photo by Claude Solnik
\nMeeting place<\/p>\n

While there are many groups for children and older adults, this event catered to those in their twenties and thirties, an in-between age too old for one group and too young for the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are all searching for something more, for community,\u201d said Rabbi Nissi Lepkivker. \u201cWe find the biggest issue with young adults these days is they\u2019re struggling with loneliness.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Others said the event focused on a crucial age as people make important career and life choices. \u201cSo many are post-university and take longer to get married,\u201d Schochet said. \u201cSo many in the single world look for their soul mate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artzy came to meet people as well as attend any seminars and hear speakers. \u201cI haven\u2019t met somebody yet,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m open to meeting at the moment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Many ended their stay with a trip to Cambria Heights<\/a>, where the Lubbavicher Rebbe<\/a> is buried, writing letters they leave, seeking soulmates, success and health.<\/p>\n

\"\"Many of the attendees concluded their trip by visiting Lubbavicher Rebbe\u2019s grave in Cambria Heights, where they wrote and left letters. Photo credit: Itzik Belenitzki \u2013 CYP International<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you need in life,\u201d said Ziv Attia, 28, who came with six people from San Diego. \u201cYou write what comes from your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goldman said he felt energy coming from connection when people sharing common bonds unite.
\n\"\"Many attendees wrote letters, listing what hopes and wishes for themselves and loved ones. Photo by Claude Solnik\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a concentration of a specific kind of energy when you have all these people who carry a certain light inside of them,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cIf someone who doesn\u2019t have a connection comes here, they will feel that connection.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than 1,000 Jews, mostly in their 20s and 30s, from around the world united over the past…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105276,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[36296,47792,310,47793,75,84,83,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-105275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-chabad","tag-chabad-young-professionals-encounter","tag-daily-newsletter","tag-international-young-jewish-professionals-leadership-summit","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}