They Try to Break Us: How Jewish Women Can Respond

It began with Amalek. From the moment we became a people, generation after generation, enemies have risen against us. They go by different names, but the pattern remains the same. The story repeats itself, only the cast changes.

There are those who seek to harm Jews simply because we are Jews.

So what is our response, especially as women?

Looking deeper, there are powerful messages we can learn from the Holocaust, from wars, and from terror attacks.

We Are One

Our enemies do not distinguish between one Jew and another. To them, we are all the same.

Since October 7, we have been living through a painful and complex war. Different enemies surround us, seeking to harm us in every way. No community has been spared. Kibbutz members and Haredim, religious and secular, those close to Torah and those who seem distant, all are targeted alike.

Our response must be unity.

We emphasize what we share. We are one family. Every Jew carries a divine soul and a unique holiness simply by being Jewish.

We Add Life

They seek to diminish us. Our response is to grow.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that just as the redemption from Egypt came through the courage of the Hebrew midwives, who refused Pharaoh’s decree, so too today Jewish women have a unique role. We do not surrender to voices that encourage shrinking or retreat. We choose to build, to continue, to bring life into the world.

Every Jewish soul added to the world brings immeasurable light.

Even if one cannot participate in this directly, there is always a role. Supporting new mothers, helping families with young children, strengthening those who are building Jewish homes, all of this is part of adding life to our people.

We Add Light

They bring darkness, destruction, and fear.

Our response is to increase light.

This light comes through Torah, mitzvot, and acts of goodness. Every small act matters. Every moment of choosing good over comfort, of giving instead of taking, adds to the light in the world.

No act is insignificant. Each one joins with another until the impact is felt.

We Draw Close

They try to divide us.

Our response is to come closer.

Even a Jew who seems different should be met with warmth and openness. Beneath the surface, there is always a spark of holiness. We are called to judge others favorably and to teach our children to see the good in every Jew.

Connection is not always easy, but it is always meaningful.

We Increase Peace

They seek conflict and war.

We choose peace.

This begins in the most personal places. Peace within ourselves. Peace in our homes. Peace with our spouses, our children, our neighbors, and even in the more complicated relationships, like with a mother-in-law or siblings.

Every effort to increase peace, no matter how small, contributes to something much greater.

We Choose a Different Voice

They are filled with accusations and complaints, always presenting themselves as victims.

Our response is different.

We are called to judge others favorably, to look at those around us with a generous eye. This applies not only to the Jewish people as a whole, but to the individuals in our daily lives, our spouses, neighbors, and family members.

This kind of perspective often requires effort. It may mean changing habits and letting go of instinctive reactions.

But this is the work of building, not breaking.

Venting anger, accusations, and negativity does not come from a place of holiness. Our path is one of repair, approaching challenges thoughtfully and with the intention to improve.

Looking Toward Redemption

We cannot settle for temporary solutions.

The pattern of history may repeat, but we are not meant to remain within it. We are meant to move beyond it.

We pray for and actively seek a true and complete redemption, one that ends exile entirely. A redemption in which all of Am Yisrael is included, where no one is left behind.

A Final Thought

In every generation, the challenges may look different, but our response remains the same.

To build. To connect. To bring light where there is darkness.

And to remember that even the smallest act of goodness is part of something much greater.