Resilience enables survival, but when equipped with an outlook, skill sets, and strategies to endure challenging times, we are well-positioned to thrive during joyous times. Sure, it would have been nice if we hadn’t been forced to be resilient. Resilience is exhausting but good to possess. Resilience does not make us immune to suffering. But collectively, we rebound and can experience deep joy and gratitude.
The world is populated by people who have suffered at the hands of others and possess extraordinary cultural strengths, including resilience. Jews are not unique as a resilient people. However, we are nearly unique in that central elements of our culture have remained after 3,000 years. We are an ancient people surviving — indeed thriving — in the modern world.
We’ve been conquered, dispersed, discriminated against, and accused of heinous conspiracies. We’ve endured forced conversions and mass murders. So how did we go on to thrive? Why have we made extraordinary contributions to the world despite efforts to keep us at the margins? While I do not have all the answers, I know that Jewish resilience is not only born of necessity or luck.
Religion is not central to this piece, but I can’t ignore our faith as a source of answers. After all, we are Jews.
Although I’m not a scholar of Jewish culture or religion, here are some possible solutions that offer a glimpse into the “whys” of our people’s resilience. After reviewing these, draw from the healthy Jewish trait of respectful debate to reflect and engage friends, relatives, and community members to discuss them. Then, move from thought to action. Double down on the Jewish drivers of resilience and incorporate them into your life.
- Family is central to existence. We may sometimes be annoyed by those we love the most, but our connection is unwavering.
- We see children as sacred beings. They possess the creative energy that will build our future solutions. We must prepare them while protecting their innocence in childhood.
- We create havens at home, especially when the outside world feels out of control. The Jewish concept of shalom bayit— peace in our homes — means we choose to be forgiving and live with our differences because what connects us matters more.
- Our cultural foundations necessitate that we live in communities rather than choose a nomadic existence.
- We turn to others for support, especially in times of distress. When we feel most alone, our culture reminds us we belong to one another.
- We are committed to justice, or tzedakah — it’s our ethical obligation. It is our responsibility to uplift the vulnerable.
- We love joy! Even amid tragedy, we celebrate the simchot (joys) in our lives.
- We see irony easily and can create laughter even when a natural reaction might be only to shed tears.
- We have an eternal blueprint of law, morality, and ethics — the Torah. It has remained unchanged for millennia. With multiple levels of meaning and guidance, the Torah takes intense study and allows for respectful and loving debate.
- Lifelong learning is central to our culture. Lifelong learners are curious and constantly seek solutions that may be hiding in plain sight.
- We appreciate disagreements. The Talmud is filled with respectful disagreements. Groups can fracture when they interpret laws or circumstances with widely different views. However, we consider different views and grow from the diversity of thought.
- We see humans as fallible and must work tirelessly to follow our better instincts. We learn that our fearful, jealous, and insecure tendencies may be part of us but don’t define us. We struggle to be our better selves. Through this self-reflective process, we draw closer to each other and to fulfilling our purpose.
- We have a purpose — to bring light and kindness into the world. In moments of darkness, when human life is diminished or degraded, this sharpens our sense of mission and rejuvenates our purpose. We recognize aspects of the world are broken and are moved to repair them. Tikkun olam — repairing the world — is a driving force that ensures we take action to perform good deeds and uplift others.
- Traditionally, we participate in deeds, or mitzvot. They remind us to live with gratitude for things easily taken for granted.
- We have refused to give up our beliefs even when it would be easier to do so.
Our culture and religion support the creative energies that let us adapt to changing circumstances. Our rituals and codes enable us to remain rooted in values that ensure we understand why we exist and must continue to endure. Let’s come together with a shared purpose to activate the strength of our people.
This op-ed is connected to a project by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and the Center for Parent and Teen Communication, which aims to equip Jewish teens and families with resilience-building tools rooted in science and Jewish values.
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Ken Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, FAAP, practices adolescent medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He is the founding director of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication and has written multiple award-winning books.