Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

BJJP_33_Tessa&Eden_V4
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Jonah Platt: [00:00:00] Today's episode is sponsored by PJ Library. The two good to be true, but it is nonprofit that sends free Jewish storybooks and activities to families like mine with kids ages zero to 12. Did I mention that? It's free. Free and each kid gets a book they love in the mail every month. It's a fantastic way to go a little more full Jew and make sure your kids feel Jewish too.

No matter how observant or not you are. Sign up today for your kids or grandkids or nieces or nephews@pjlibrary.org slash jonah. You have literally nothing to lose and so much to gain. PJ Library, my initials backwards and library. On with the show. My guests today are awesome. Both are the children of immigrants who fled their native lands because they had become too unsafe for Jews.

Both are American born daughters who have been on the front lines of the fight against Jew hate in America since October 7th. One is [00:01:00] Ashkenazi. One is Raki. One was invited to the UN and featured in a major documentary. One was invited before Congress and has been featured repeatedly on CNN and Fox News one is 23.

The other is 21, and both are proof that leadership is not a matter of age, but of character and will. Please welcome the courageous Collegians, Tessa Wexler and Eden Yagar.

Tessa: Thank you for having us, us. Oh,

Jonah Platt: you guys rehearsed that. That was perfect. Um, so Tessa, right now you have been touring colleges, speaking to a lot of kids on college campuses, including my alma mater, UPenn.

Tessa: Yes.

Jonah Platt: Eden. You're a senior at Columbia. Mm-hmm. The famous Columbia at the epicenter of all things. How is Columbia these days?

Eden: The antisemitism that has been both pervasive and systemic since? Years before, if not a decade prior to October 7th, still very much exists and it's still very palpable. You know, I'm a Middle East studies major, and there have been classes since pre ten seven and still to this day that I have avoided because either the [00:02:00] professor praises the October 7th attack or is not willing to engage with students who have opinions that, you know, differ from their own.

Um, but it's not just confined to the classroom. It's on the streets, on lampposts with torn down hostage posters.

Jonah Platt: Still,

Eden: still a year and a half later, it's in, you know, in clubs, in social clubs, in Greek life, in the gardening club, um, where Jews are held to this litmus test of, well, you know, we love Jews, but if you're a Zionist mm, you're not welcome here.

Um, and so it is, it is impossible to escape because it's baked into the culture. And unfortunately, many of our administrators and people in power that are supposed to be advocating for all of their students and all of their constituencies have just abandoned us.

Jonah Platt: I spoke to some kids at UCLA and they described the atmosphere as hostile, is the word.

Is that accurate for you?

Eden: Absolutely. I, I think hostile is, is actually just sort of scratching the surface because, you know, we see these clips of these like festivals of antisemitism going on, of [00:03:00] Jewish students being blocked from entering certain parts of campus, which, you know, anyone with, with a soul and with a conscience should be able to look at and say, that is terrible.

That is not what Americans stand for. That's not what higher education stands for.

Jonah Platt: And that is still happening. The, the barricading, the blocking

Eden: it has happened, but I, I think what's I. In some ways worse because it goes undocumented and unnoticed are all the stories of Jewish students being dropped by friends, by being isolated or singled out in class in front of like hundreds of other students.

Um, like I said, not being allowed in certain activities and clubs on campus, et cetera. Um, and being held to this ridiculous double standard that not only is no other minority group held to, but no other students period are held to and nor should they be.

Jonah Platt: And just so I get like an, uh, an understanding from my audience, like day to day, you said it's quieter, but like.

Your day, you're waking up, you're going to class, you're going to eat, you're seeing friends. Like how much are you feeling that hostility or seeing it on an average day?

Eden: It depends [00:04:00] on the day. I mean, I, I don't mean to minimize like the protest action going on because it's still multiple times a week.

Mm-hmm. I'll give you an example now. It's been a couple times a semester where we've had groups of students chain themselves to Gates, um, on campus, meaning they're blocking points of entry and exit onto campus. Um, and they'll say, we are Jewish students. We are standing up against genocide and apartheid, um, and fascism.

There are a couple of them that are Jewish. Mm-hmm. The majority of them are not.

Tessa: Mm-hmm.

Eden: Um, and they're tokenizing Jewish identity in order to sort of push their own political agenda. Yeah. It's also a disruption of like academic life. Sure. I was sitting in class last week and for 90 minutes, all I was hearing was.

Disclose, divest. We will not stop, we will not rest. Just

Jonah Platt: so like outside the classroom.

Eden: Mm-hmm. Because they were on the street right below my classroom.

Jonah Platt: Do you feel resentful of your college experience? Like, are you, when you graduate coming up, are you gonna be like, I'm a proud Columbia graduate and I have [00:05:00] this, you know, Ivy League certificate?

Or is it like, man, that place sucked?

Eden: You know, I hope that I'll be able to get to a place where I can say with pride that I'm a Columbia graduate, um, because my, my family has sacrificed way too much for me to feel like I want to throw my degree in the trash. Mm-hmm. Um, and I think most people probably feel that way.

Certainly many Jewish students. But when I reflect on my experience, the one source of continuous pride is in the Jewish community there. Um, you know, I have a friend of mine who was a friend that I made post ten seven, the Columbia student that says that for every friend she lost in. anti-Zionist, or even just in like apathetic, you know, Columbia students, she's made tenfold and, and you know, better quality in Jewish Zionist classmates.

Tessa: Totally,

Eden: and I think about that all the time. The quality of the Jewish students, faculty members, and just community in general at Columbia is. Unmatched. And I think that's partially why things have been so tense, is [00:06:00] because while we have, you know, these raging fits of antisemitism and this undercurrent of antisemitism, we also have one of the most vibrant Jewish communities on any college campus in America.

Tessa: Wow.

Eden: Um, and I think that that should certainly be given more attention because it's beautiful and it's uplifting and that's, that's what makes me proud to be a Columbia student more than anything else.

Jonah Platt: That's awesome. I'm glad to hear that. Tessa, you're talking to kids at all kinds of colleges all over the place.

Let's start with you, Penn, which you were just at where I went. Yes. Uh, obviously was at the center of a lot of the hullabaloo at the beginning, but you know, I, I personally, I, I got to meet Larry Jameson, the interim president. I think he's a, a great guy. Straight shooter. Wants to clear things up. What, what was the vibe when you were there?

Tessa: You know, I was there on Yom Haze Carone at UPenn. Right. And it's just so remarkable how these students, you know, they arranged an event to bring a speaker and I, you know, I spoke to them and they were so invested in that. And then they also came together in community for Yom Haze Carone. There's such a resilience in these Jewish [00:07:00] students that I think is unprecedented because I think that this is the first time that the young Jewish generation in America has experienced antisemitism like this, where it's so in your face and, and young people are going through it on a daily basis.

And so I think that, you know, the outside world, outside of the college Echo Chamber really don't quite understand how strong these students are and how determined they are. And. They're, they're all such leaders and every time I go, I'm so inspired and just so happy to see that they've kind of not only made it out the other side, but they're, I can see already, like their future in terms of their involvement in American politics and you know, their young professional world.

World. And I don't think, I think that Zionism will continue to be an integral part of what they bring to the table.

Jonah Platt: I mean, that's extremely encouraging. That's great to hear. I know people are gonna feel good hearing that. What are you saying to them? I mean, it sounds like they're already [00:08:00] feeling pretty confident.

How are, what are you giving them to try to boost them or explain to them or inspire them?

Tessa: My experience at UCSB was pretty unique in that it was so directly, the antisemitism was so directly targeted at me as an individual. Yeah. Because people had. Something tangible that they could change, right?

Because they could clinging onto this thing that I was a student body president and if they had removed me, then not, it was a statement toward me, but it was a statement to all Zionists on campus that they don't have a right to be in a leadership role. Mm-hmm. And so because of that experience, I think that the advice that I can bring to students is, you know, how did I, how did I manage it?

And especially in student government, a lot of students come and they're asking, you know, how do we, how do we fight BDS? How do we, how do we engage other groups? A lot of questions come in terms of coalition building. Yeah. And so the advice that I give ranges depending on the campus, but I think my overall message to students is.

That this is kind of the long game and that [00:09:00] you have to maintain a level head. And I think that that's what got me through it is being patient never stooping down to their level of how they communicate and how they behave with us. I think that that's something that I still try to convey on social media.

But sometimes I look back when I was president, I'm like, that's literally not me. 'cause I don't know how. I was able to sit in a room with hundreds of people that were going up one by one, saying the most atrocious things about me. And then I stood there with complete calm and patience and advocated for my community, but also for myself.

And so I tell them that you can speak with conviction and you can also, you know, you can also have patience and you can also be kind because I think that that's what ultimately will set us apart. In, in the future generations, when people look back at this time in history, they will be really proud of how our community reacted to hate

Jonah Platt: looking at it now, you're like, that wasn't me.

What? What do you mean by that?

Tessa: I think that so much of my time at UCSB fell out of body. [00:10:00] Yeah. In a way. Because I think I was just kind of on, you know, I was in fight or flight basically because it was so, it was just this constant feeling and I think I felt this responsibility, especially, you know, once I became more public with everything that was happening and I was seeing, okay, there's, there's a lot of people watching what, what's happening to me.

And a lot of them were students. And so I felt this pressure of, you know, I need to, I need to make sure that this story is one that people are inspired by. And not one where people feel pity for me or feel fear to then come to this university. So

Jonah Platt: I, I know we're all proud of you for how you handle that.

Thank you. I know for me that sometimes like I'll, I'll feel fine and I'll do what I need to do, and then like in some conversation two weeks later. I'm like really aggressive and I'm like, oh, actually I had like emotions in there that I haven't dealt with yet that I actually am, am upset about. Mm-hmm.

Even though I'm like telling myself and everyone that I'm fine. Have you experienced that either of you guys at all? [00:11:00]

Tessa: Whew, definitely. Yeah. Um, but we, that's why we have each other and I think that like, I mean, in other circumstances, Eden and I would probably not know each other. And I think that that's something remarkable that's kind of emerged is that there's now this nationwide coalition of Jewish student leaders who really came together and shared their frustrations so that we could present the best versions of ourselves.

Jonah Platt: Well, where are you finding each other is what I is like, I wanna understand like, is it on social media? Is it at the different things you guys end up at together or is there like a club that everybody's in and you're all on a WhatsApp group together?

Tessa: All of the above. All of the above. That's, that's the truth.

Amazing. I think that so many of the barriers that once existed have been broken. And what I mean by that is that. I don't think it matters anymore how famous you are or if you're just a college student. We are all kind of connected now because of the shared experience that we have. Mm. And so I think that that was the most shocking thing to me after I first posted about my situation [00:12:00] and I had first of all students from all across the US reaching out to me, offering their support, asking how they could help you, being one of them.

Oh, nice. But also really big Jewish voices that I really admired coming and saying, how can I support you? And I don't think that that. Would've necessarily happened in the same way Preoc, October 7th. Right. Um, and I think that that's a really amazing thing that I've seen is this kind of bridge between young emerging leaders and existing leaders because they want us to be able to kind of join this coalition.

And, and I think that's part of, you know, when Eden graduates and what I've been trying to do now is, is continue to kind of pass that torch on because our biggest mistake will be not seizing the current moment of Jewish engagement and growing the leaders that we need to take on this continuing challenge in the us.

So,

Jonah Platt: amen.

Tessa: Yeah.

Jonah Platt: And. You know, you said you all trauma bond. I, I wanna take a, a phrase from Tiffany Haddish, who I had on this show, and she's like, why can't we success bond?

Tessa: Mm. And so I want you

Jonah Platt: to just take that back to the WhatsApp [00:13:00] group that like the things that you all are accomplishing, let's bond over that too.

That's beautiful. Yeah.

Tessa: I love that.

Jonah Platt: Tessa, you're now sort of on the ground collecting data in a sense, by being at all these different places. Mm-hmm. Any sort of patterns that you're noticing about, like what's working, what isn't, which schools are worse than others? Or is it all just kind of the same everywhere?

Tessa: One of the main differences I see is based on local government. Mm-hmm. And how local government and state government chooses to. Attack the issue of antisemitism like UT Austin that has, you know, a, a governor who is very sensitive toward antisemitism and is very involved with the Jewish community. It, it's a completely different campus climate than somewhere like Columbia.

Right? And so that's one thing I've noticed. I've also been doing student interviews. They're trying so hard to build these coalitions and they're so determined to continue to do that. And I think a lot of the time they lose hope. But at the same time, I have seen at every event that [00:14:00] I've been to so far that there has been a non-Jewish student presence and people that really want to learn and, and try to be with us during this time.

And maybe it's gotten easier, um, you know, kind of a year and a half later when it's not as. Maybe like the daily hostility is, isn't exactly the same as it was, and there's more of a window for proactive learning. That's kind of also what I'm seeing is I'm like, just because you don't have a anti-Israel protest on campus, like that's actually your gift right now.

Because now you can be proactive in teaching about who we are as a people. And I say this all the time to students. I want us to get to a place where people know us, not just for what we've been through, but for who we are.

Jonah Platt: It's very encouraging.

Tessa: Yeah.

Jonah Platt: Eden, you are, as you said, a Middle East studies major, also a Jewish studies major, right?

Yes. Amazing. And you're president of SSI,

Eden: former president, yes. Former president of

Jonah Platt: SSI. But still involved. I'm, I'm assuming, yes. Very much. That's student, student supporting Israel, right? Correct. And uh, Tessa, you got a degree in political science and communications.

Tessa: [00:15:00] Yes.

Jonah Platt: And you were student body president, so clearly before October 7th, like you guys were built.

For this moment to be leaders. I was also president

Tessa: of SSI and you were president of s before October 7th SSI too.

Jonah Platt: So like you, you didn't, you know, wake up out of the blue and say, I care about being a Jewish leader. You guys are already doing that stuff. Right. What led you each to, to your majors and, and what do you hope to do with those majors?

Eden: The, the question that every graduating senior loves to answer. Yeah. Um, I'm teasing. Yes. Is that sarcastic? I don't like to answer that. Why not? No, no. Um, I mean, I was

Jonah Platt: an English major. I did it 'cause I Oh, really didn't like taking tests and I was good at writing papers. So there's my answer. Mine is

Eden: similar.

Yeah. Um, so when I got into Columbia, I was. A surprised, and b, um, just not expecting that, like, that would be my, my path.

Tessa: Mm.

Eden: Um, and it then everyone had sort of warned me like, oh, you really wanna go there? Like, they don't really like Jews. Um, and this was two years before October seven, two and change years before October 7th.

Um, but like we'd spoke about earlier, like the inklings were still there. It was [00:16:00] very much an undercurrent. Mm-hmm.

Tessa: Um,

Eden: October 7th exposed everything Right. But it was still there.

Tessa: Yeah.

Eden: Um, and you know, I was, I was like, look, the point of higher education in my mind is challenging yourself, is being exposed to ideas that you otherwise wouldn't be exposed to, is to engaging with and learning from people with whom you vastly disagree and maybe have nothing at all in common with.

Um, and that's. Something that really attracted me to the university and specifically to the Middle, middle East studies department. And interestingly enough, there aren't really classes on Israel in the Middle East Studies department. Um, and I spoke about this when I testified initially before Congress, I wanted to take a class on Israel in the department last year, and there was only one being offered that semester.

Right. And that was taught by Professor Joseph Mossad, who called October 7th Awesome. And something worth jubilation and awe. Um, and, and I speak about him not because he, I mean, he is a very egregious example of, you know, the, the sort of like ideology that plagues the [00:17:00] department at Columbia. Um, but because he.

Promoted these views before October 7th. Mm-hmm. For years before October 7th, um, before he was even tenured, I wanted to take classes from anti-Zionists people opposed to like even the existence of the state of Israel. And, and even though that's like certainly a line for me, I, I wanted to learn what that perspective was like.

But the hard line is when someone praises and advocates violence against innocent civilians, against my people, that's unacceptable. Um, and unfortunately that's sort of like a, a broad sentiment in, in the department.

Jonah Platt: Don't you think those sort of go a little bit hand in hand? Like if you're gonna hear from somebody.

Who thinks Israel shouldn't exist, that's probably somebody who's gonna find violent action against Israel to be a, a positive development.

Eden: Certainly. And, and I, and that's why I say I was, I think, naive before mm-hmm. Being exposed to these ideas firsthand. There's actually a class at Columbia required for all Middle East studies majors called Theory and Culture.

And the premise of the [00:18:00] course is you should view everything that you learn every historical event through this lens of oppressor and oppressed, which is something we talk a lot about now after October 7th in our community. Um, but it was just chilling to see firsthand how this indoctrination and it is indoctrination, um, goes down in classrooms when students are taught that there is good and evil.

And, you know, it's not what you and I would see as good at evil because someone that is historically marginalized is always going to be good on the right side, historically marginalized, in quotes, I should say. Um, and that often, you know, has to do with race as well. Um, and you know, this racialized lens that's applied to the Middle East that just doesn't apply, doesn't work right at all.

Um, and then that, you know, there's, in the case of Israel, Israel who is like the white, settler, colonial oppressor, and obviously bad. Um, and so the, it's sort of this like reductive lens of like. [00:19:00] There's no nuance. We're gonna look at things through this in super warped perspective. Yeah. Um, and if you wanna be a Middle East studies major and study this region at Columbia, that's how you're gonna view things.

Jonah Platt: I think we're all aware that, like, that concept is being fed to college students, but to hear it's like the intro course to your major and is like very literally being taught exactly that way and like, this is the lens you must use. You know, that's, that's shocking to hear, frankly.

Eden: Terrifying. And like Tessa said, like these are the future leaders of our country.

And the fact that this is now sort of a mainstream ideology on lowercase l liberal campuses, um, when this ideology is again opposed to those values is baffling to me.

Jonah Platt: Yikes. Okay. Tessa, what led you to your major and how are you hoping to use the skills that you derive from your degree?

Tessa: Originally my plan was law school, and I think that.

Everything kind of flipped on its head for me, obviously my senior year of [00:20:00] college. Yeah. And kind of redirected me and I, and I believe really strongly in, regardless of what your major is, that you should do what you're good at. You should cater to your strengths. And so I think that throughout the process of me dealing with this, I think I realized, you know, I, I know how to communicate.

I want to learn how to communicate better. And I also realized that Israel has had a decades long PR problem and so is the Jewish community. We know it. And so, uh, I work in public relations now, um, aside from, aside from doing advocacy work. And I think, you know, I don't know necessarily if that will continue to be the career path, but I know that anything that I do in the future needs to somehow be integrated with advocacy for the Jewish people in Israel because it's what I'm passionate about.

It's what I know, and it's what I constantly want to be learning more about That is kind of what has. Shaped me into, in terms of the young, professional and leader that I am now.

Jonah Platt: Looking back on college for both of you, [00:21:00] like, are you gonna be able to look back and be like, I had a good time in college.

Like, I liked my college experience. Obviously, it's shaped you in very meaningful ways that are, have changed the trajectories of your lives, which is of immense value and is awesome. But also, like, did you have a good time? Like, are, was it, was it all right?

Tessa: I mean, of course for me, I, I have. You know, some of the closest friends I've ever made and the Jewish community was so special and UCSV is an amazing campus located on the freaking ocean.

And you go to the beach and you study and your library has an ocean view and it's just sounds mess. I should've done that. Yeah. Right. It's, it's so laid back and I learned a lot and I, I genuinely, I, I think that I was meant to go there and it was actually, it wasn't my plan. When you apply to ucs, you just check a bunch of boxes and it's one application and I just happened to check that box and then I was picking between uc, Davis and Santa Barbara and I was like, well this one's on a beach.

This one's in, you know, the middle of nowhere. I'd rather go to [00:22:00] the one next to the beach. Yeah. Never visited. Wow. Didn't really know much about the school. Accepted, went to Israel, came back and look at where it led me. Amazing. And then I ended up being president of the school I never planned to go to.

And so, um. I think, you know, it was meant to happen. For me to go to this school, the journey is something that I will always be grateful for. I would do everything a hundred percent all over again because I wouldn't be sitting here if it didn't happen. And I'm just, I'm really grateful And I do think, I do think that we have fun.

I, I think that it's like we're not, this isn't our entire life. Yeah. And I think that that's something that I really want Jewish students to know, and especially high school students as they're choosing their university, they need to choose their university. Like any other student would choose their university and think Jewish students deserve to go to a school where they're interested in, they like the location.

There's Greek life they wanna join, there's Jewish clubs. They wanna join, whatever it is. [00:23:00] So I definitely think that for me, I'm going to look back fondly. I'm still traumatized and it's still something that I'm grappling with. You know, I've, I've had opportunities to go back to UCSB and I haven't taken them yet 'cause I just don't think I'm quite ready and because.

To be frank, there isn't a significant turnover yet of the students that were there during that time. Yeah. And, uh, I'm just not ready, but eventually I think I will, I will be walking on that campus with a lot of pride and, um, with some fond memories.

Jonah Platt: I, I'll be interested to see if you show up for your five year reunion.

Eden, same question. Is

Eden: I, I think Tessa makes a really good point that like, it's complicated. Sure. Um, there have been moments where I've been like, this is the best place in the world and I am so blessed to go here. Um, and there have been moments where I'm like, this is hell. Get me out of here. Mm-hmm. Um, but throughout all of that, I think the Jewish way is to come from a place of hope and gratitude, hope that things will get better and that we have an obligation.

To be part of that. Um, and [00:24:00] gratitude for the fact that like we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Both Tessa and I, like you said, are, are born into families of immigrants who fled their home countries because of this horrific antisemitism, much of which we're now seeing here on our campuses. Um, and, and you know, I think that like in addition to that obligation to stand up and do something, it also means we have an obligation to get our education.

'cause that's what we set out to do. And I think in some ways, like that is the greatest act, act of defiance is to say, I came here to learn. I came here to do what I set out to do. I'm gonna do these other things in addition, but you're not gonna throw me off that path. You know, I've never felt like Jewish joy has been as important as it is now.

Um, and I also think perspective is important. Like our brothers and sisters, our loved ones are. Actually on the front lines Yeah. Are mm-hmm. Actually sacrificing their lives to defend us here in America, to defend the west, and most importantly, to defend the state of Israel. And I think that that [00:25:00] perspective and grounding is really helpful.

Tessa: By the way, speaking of, uh, what you just said, I'm wearing a bracelet that says Jewish joy is resistance. Hey. And so, yeah, I believe very strongly in, in what you said as well, our greatest, uh, revenge is, is being proud and beyond college, developing ourselves as professionals that, you know, despite what we went through are, are thriving.

And I, I think we do that, um, as a Jewish community for already, for generations. So,

Jonah Platt: and, and I would say it even goes beyond revenge in like, what, what I'll often say is I think it's actually the best antidote to the, the hate is creating a, you know, a generation of proud, confident, well-informed, well armed Jews.

Eden: I think to that end, like it's so important to remember that yes, while we're fighting against something. It's more importantly we're fighting for something. Yeah.

Tessa: Yeah.

Eden: We are fighting for our peoplehood, for our values, for the things that we sanctify for life. And that is, I think what, what makes our community [00:26:00] so special and also like, makes this so existential.

Um, because again, like antisemitism is never going anywhere, unfortunately. We know that it shape shifts that today it comes in the form of anti-Zionism in many ways. And that wasn't the case 50 years ago. And maybe it'll be different in 50 years from now, but as much as we're fighting against that, we're fighting for our ability to be Jewish and to practice being Jewish and being proud in that.

Jonah Platt: That's right. Tessa, I wanna go back to something you mentioned, uh, about kids applying to college now.

Tessa: Mm-hmm.

Jonah Platt: You said they should treat it like, you know, any other time in history, is there anything specific that they should be looking out for or looking to be away from, or schools that you would cross off a list?

Tessa: Listen, nothing good happens when Jews leave. And so when we're not at campuses like Columbia and UCSB and Penn, that's how this issue becomes worse. Mm-hmm. And so, and and to be honest, a [00:27:00] lot of the time I see it more from parents than I actually see it from the students themselves. Sure. And so if parents are listening, do not put your fears onto your children.

And, and that's actually a Jewish lesson, a Torah lesson that you're supposed to do whatever you can. Even if it's like the smallest fear, let's say you're afraid of dogs, you're not supposed to instill in your children to also be afraid of dogs. You have to let them come up with their own. You would hope that they wouldn't be afraid of something that you're afraid of.

And so I think that what we have to do, um, in terms of the older generation is to make sure that young people feel like they can, they have the strength and they have the ability to enter a campus environment like this and make it through. And listen, I also understand that. Maybe the personality that Edith and I have is, is more rare.

Not every student wants to be a leader or has the personality of a leader, and that's totally fine. Mm-hmm. But I don't think that we have an excuse at this point to not be present in these spaces. And I, and I tell [00:28:00] students, I'm like, you don't even have to open your mouth. You can raise your hand when a professor says something ridiculous about Israel and show that there's some dissonance in the room to what the professor is saying.

And we have a lot more to lose by not sending, not sending young people to these campuses than we, than we have to gain. So

Jonah Platt: I think that's great advice. Parents, take note. Yes, please. All the average person knows about. College life right now is what they see on the news or what they see on social media or if they're a parent, what they hear from their kids.

Right. Is there anything we haven't touched on that you are seeing that you don't think the public is seeing that you want to take the opportunity to make sure we understand?

Eden: I see this largely also as like a fight for the soul of America, not just about protecting Jewish students. And I say that because I think that our educational institutions, places like Columbia and UPenn and UCSB are pillars of, of our nation of America.

And I think if we let those universities fall, we're only doing a disservice to ourselves. [00:29:00] So much critical research and innovation comes out of these institutions. Um. Yeah. And I think that that is all the more reason to fight for them. And, and, and that looks like accountability.

Jonah Platt: So let me, I wanna jump in because I'm, I'm listening to you speak and I think depending on where you fall politically, you can interpret what you just said in two completely different ways.

Right? That's very fair. If you're, if you're on the right, you're saying everything Trump administration is doing right now is right. 'cause they are saving our institutions. They are fighting for America. And if you're on the left, you're looking and saying, we have to push back against Trump to save our institutions and fight for the soul of America.

You know, you said there's a lot of innovation happening on these campuses. At the same time we have the Trump administration doing, you know, funding freezes that, on the one hand is requiring universities to be held accountable, and on the other hand is pausing some of that research and innovation.

Where do you fall on that?

Tessa: I'm typically someone who's very against [00:30:00] extremes. I'm not, I, I think extremism is, is the root of like, of all evil in the world. And so for me, the ideal approach is moderate. And even though we're dealing with an extreme issue, I, I think that the moderate approach is one that will work in the long run because I think that when we try to do things too rapidly and we, I, I just think it, it might be a mistake in, in that it might not work in that you have universities like Harvard that are really pushing back on this.

But what I will say, maybe less on, on the funding cuts, but more, if I may Yeah. Talk a bit about the, you know, student arrests. Yeah, yeah. For someone coming in. From another country, not only are you accepting the privilege of what it means to go to a university, but you're also signing on to a different set of rules in addition to the set of rules that your university has, but the set of rules that you have to have if you're here on a student visa, on a green card, whatever it may be.

And so to me, what I'm seeing right now is that we're almost [00:31:00] like, I think plagiarism is in the con in this whatever code of conduct and so is not harassing and bullying your fellow students. But you know, we care a lot more obviously about plagiarism and we care about harassment and bullying, just not when it comes to Jews.

And I understand that, you know, there is a large value that's placed on free speech and I do believe that that's, you know, a beacon of, of this country and it's very important, but. I do believe gen genuinely that a lot of what's happening is not being targeted towards speech, it's being targeted toward conduct.

Mm-hmm. And if you violate either the code of conduct of the university that you attend, or the conduct that you're expected to follow when you're here on a visa, which is also a privilege, then there are consequences to that. I think we can, we can talk about the sensitivity there of how these things are done and, and how there's due process, et cetera, which I believe there should be.

But I think that the overwhelming protest in New York toward a student who being, you know, for a [00:32:00] student who's being held accountable, not just for his speech, but for handing out flyers with the Hamas logo and not talking about another New York resident, Edan Alexander Hostages right now in Israel. It was appalling to me.

There's hundreds of thousands of people on the street that were protesting that, but not talking about the hostages.

Jonah Platt: All right. So now I want to get into you two a little bit more on a personal level. Let's talk about your families a little bit. So were both sets of your parents born outside the us Yes.

Yes. So, so you guys are like first gen born in the, in the States. Yes.

Tessa: My brother was also, um, born in the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union.

Jonah Platt: So has the story of your family and their flight to the states, like how formative is that?

Eden: I owe everything that I am to my family, um, to their experiences, their stories, and their willingness to share them.

'cause I can only imagine that it cannot be easy to speak about what they went through, um, which was leaving Iran, um, at the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution. Um, [00:33:00] and you know, I speak to my grandmother in depth about this now. I think what's so terrifying is that what she saw at the universities in Tehran in the late sixties and seventies on the eve of the Islamic Revolution that brought, again, that brought the s Shah down and brought the Islamic Republic into Iran, is eerily similar to what's happening now on my own campus, just a couple blocks uptown.

And it's terrifying because her entire life was uprooted in the blink of an eye. Um, but the signs were there and they weren't taken seriously. And so I think for a lot of Jew Jews in particular, but immigrants from Iran, from the Soviet Union where they had, you know, Tessa will speak about her family's experience as well, but like, sort of similar.

Um, you know, to see this ideology permeating throughout a society and it not be taken seriously is, is really terrifying. Um. [00:34:00] And, and you know, again, like, I think actually a lot of, a lot of the students that are speaking up so fiercely are either Raki or Soviet or the, you know, those are their backgrounds.

And when you look at the history, it makes perfect sense as to why that's the case.

Jonah Platt: Tessa, same question.

Tessa: So the Soviet community operates a little bit differently? Yeah. Um, we often don't talk about these types of things and I think for me, I knew that I was Russian speaking before I knew that I was Jewish.

So for me, I was raised very culturally Russian. I, my first language was Russian. I watched TV shows in Russian. I went to Russian preschool. I went to Russian school later on, on Saturdays. Hebrew school on Sundays was eventually added. And so I grew up with a greater sense of my, you know, the Soviet identity than I did of the Jewish identity.

Jews from the former Soviet Union were not accepted as members of the Soviet Union. They were seen always as outsiders. It was something that was. Uh, [00:35:00] you know, they were identified by the fact that they were Jewish since they entered school because it was something that was written on the roster next to their name.

It was something that they had to announce in their unit in the Army. My dad experienced this and so I grew up knowing that I. We were Jewish and understanding what that meant, but it wasn't something that was discussed in terms of the antisemitism. And unfortunately, I lost all my grandparents by the time I was 18, and I never really had the in-depth conversations with them about, you know, their.

Experience as Jews in the Soviet Union and with my parents. I think the conversations also happened more as I became older and, and part of that maybe was also them shielding me from certain information and, and trauma and things that they didn't wanna share with me at the time. And so when I started asking questions, they did answer me, and I think they're more willing to answer them now as well.

I owe a lot to my family, and a lot of this is also fueled by my family. If you ask them, they, they'll say like, we, we don't really know where you came from or why you're like this. We [00:36:00] don't really get it. They're not, um, the super loud, proud Jews, um, at all that like, like I am. And so they're actually extremely private.

They hate how public I am. I do say all the time that the reason I'm proudly Jewish is because it's a privilege that my family never had.

Jonah Platt: I read Tessa that your parents discouraged you from having a bat mitzvah even though you wanted one. Is that. True.

Tessa: Yes. Can

Jonah Platt: you, can you tell me about that? I didn't have one.

Yeah, no, you didn't have one.

Tessa: Yes.

Jonah Platt: Where does that come from for them?

Tessa: I think part of it was like, you're turning 12. You don't deserve a birthday party this big, um, like in their mindset they're like, why are, why are people spending? They don't get, they're, why are people spending thousands of dollars on this bat mitzvah?

Because again, it's not something that was super valued to them in their upbringing. Hmm. And when I was going to Israel, actually, they were more so supportive of it in the sense of, oh, you get to go study abroad than they were particularly about Israel. They would've been just as excited if I said I was going to study in France for six months.

Right. So I think that that was kind of the approach always of, you know, we're happy that you're [00:37:00] well-rounded and you're educated on what it means, you know, on, on Judaism and Jewish life. And we're happy that you have this Jewish community and Russian speaking Jewish friends, but we have to draw the line somewhere.

And I think that there's a sensitivity specifically in the Soviet community toward religion in general, because the religion of the Soviet Union was. Atheism. And so I think that that's a little bit ingrained still in a lot of my family, um, where religion is kind of the enemy. Religion is the source of all conflict.

And they, again, like they see me in a Hasidic person and think that's the same thing.

Jonah Platt: And for a penny and for a pound,

Tessa: they were just like you. Why are you so in your face about this? Just

Jonah Platt: sort of deeply ingrained in them. Yeah. That that's a dangerous thing or a

Tessa: Rightfully so. Yeah. My house got vandalized a few times in high school and I,

Jonah Platt: because of your Jewish identity, it

Tessa: all happened my senior year when I came back and I started advocating for Israel on my campus.

Wow. And so I think that their fear is very much real. And obviously it was confirmed again [00:38:00] my senior year of college. Yeah. As it was my senior year of high school. So it's not that it's not legitimate, it's just that I have a more positive perspective because the Jewish world that I was raised in was. A privilege that my parents never got to experience.

So

Jonah Platt: what happened to you on that Israel trip that you come back and you're like, I'm starting clubs, I'm leading this. Like, yeah, it was clearly in incredibly transformative for you.

Tessa: The trip that I went on was actually with NCSY, the Modern Orthodox Youth Movement. And, um, kind of if you wanted to compare it to a similar thing like BBYO, you could say.

Mm-hmm. And then when I got there, I didn't have like this deeply ingrained connection to Israel. 'cause I didn't grow up going there. I didn't grow up like talking that much about it with my family. And so the first place that we went was the hotel. And I had a very emotional reaction to being there that really confused me because I was just like, I, I mean, I understand why it's meaningful and [00:39:00] yes, there's a lot of Jewish people here, but I don't know why I had such an emotional first reaction.

And I think that that made me kind of wanna dig a little bit deeper into the spiritual side of Judaism and why I was feeling this way and why I felt such a connection to that land. And on the first night of the program, um, our rabbi was kind of saying, you should set goals for this trip. And the rule that I had for myself for the rest of the trip, starting from the first day, was that I wasn't allowed to say no to anything to the rule.

And I included, um, like different activities, like whatever, like the cliff stuff. Like I'm really scared of heights, like totally not something I would've done. And, but also the Jewish thing, so like I kept Shabbat the whole time. I kept kosher the whole time.

Jonah Platt: We call that going full Jew. Yeah. I went

Tessa: full JI love it.

Oh, I knew when I came back I wouldn't have the luxury of keeping Shabbat in a setting where literally everything was taken care of for me. Mm-hmm. And so by the end of the program I realized, I was like, well, I really like this. I really wanna implement it in my life. And so I. When I came back and I, [00:40:00] I was just like, why, why is there no Jewish, you know, student union in this high school?

There needs to be, because there might be other Jewish kids who, who want this experience too. And so it was really inspiring to see the Jewish community as it is in Israel, where if you don't have a place to go, people always offer something to you. So I, I just felt like, okay, this is what Jewish, what being Jewish is supposed to be like.

Jonah Platt: This is something that I am personally very interested in, that I am intending and hoping to do, like more actually concrete research on. But something I've observed and I'm, I'm interested to hear if you guys have observed, observed the same thing. Is that when I see anti-Israel Jews, I find that they tend to be a hundred percent Ashkenazi.

Have you guys seen that? Um, especially you Eden, I mean, have you seen people within the Persian community who have come out as anti-Israel Jews? Nope. Yeah. I mean, I haven't seen one. Does this, does this ring true for you?

Tessa: I think more so the common thread is multi-generation American Jews.

Jonah Platt: Right.

Tessa: Um, I would say that [00:41:00] more than the, the Ashkenazi piece because I think it's really about, um, Jewish people that have grown more and more distant from what it means to be a Jew, but also don't have a history or like a known history in their family of what that persecution was like.

Right. That landed them in the US to begin with. And I think for a lot of us, we are either first generation or second generation, and we have parents and grandparents that had to flee antisemitism. And so it's a deeper part of our consciousness, if that makes sense. Of

Jonah Platt: course.

Tessa: Um, so that I would classify it more as that.

Jonah Platt: Okay. So what it sounds like you're saying, which I think is right, is that it's more about the level of comfort and privilege you sort of feel like you enjoy as an established American, and that tends to be Ashkenazi people because they have. Tended to be in this country longer.

Tessa: It's a privilege to be an anti-Israel Jew.

Jonah Platt: 100%. And so

Tessa: I think that, you know, it comes from the privilege, it comes from, from Jews that feel that they don't need [00:42:00] Israel. Right? They don't want Israel, they don't see why other Jews may need Israel. So yeah, that's what I, that's my theory.

Jonah Platt: Okay. October 7th, what was that day specifically like for each of you?

And, and how quickly did things erupt following that day?

Eden: Immediately, I remember going home after Shabbat dinner, um, and I was, I, I use my phone on Shabbat usually. I was getting like. Nonstop rocket alerts. And I was like, well, you know, it's sort of typical. But then after like a couple hours when they weren't stopping, I was like, okay, this is strange.

I'm gonna

Jonah Platt: pause you. Why are you getting rocket alerts? When did, when did you decide you're gonna sign up for the Israeli Rocket Alert app? That's a fair question. Yeah. A lot

Eden: of us have it, which is, I know a lot of people do. I'm,

Jonah Platt: I'm curious, like what, what started that for you?

Eden: My loved ones in Israel. A lot of my family lives there, friends.

Um, I also, you know, I think had been there. [00:43:00] I, I had been in Israel the summer before October 7th, so I had

Jonah Platt: You were feeling very connected, the

Eden: app. Very, very connected. Okay. Um,

Jonah Platt: alright, now please continue.

Eden: So I get home and I'm on WhatsApp and a friend of mine sent me a video of a bus stop, um, somewhere in Southern Israel around ra.

And it was just like bodies everywhere. And I remember thinking like I. Okay. Obviously something is going on and at that point it was like late in, in Manhattan, it was like maybe 1:00 AM or something like that. So no one really knew what was going on yet. That's

Jonah Platt: right in the middle of everything.

Eden: Right.

Um, but the reports were still sort of like trickling in through like literally WhatsApp channels. Right. And Facebook and I stayed up all night and in the morning I, so I had actually become president of Columbia's chapter of SSI like a week and a half before that. Wow. Um, it was never part of the plan.

Um, I was gonna do it for one semester and then go abroad to Tel Aviv University. That didn't happen. Mm-hmm. Um, but anyway, so my, my friend and I who were running the club [00:44:00] we're like. We need to plan something. Um, and he was like, well, actually, you need to plan something because like, I'm going back for reserves.

Wow. And so he got on a plane the next day and spent the entire semester in Gaza fighting. Wow. Wow. Um, truly a hero. And now he is finally leading our chapter of student supporting Israel and his rightful place and doing an incredible job. Thank God. Thank God. But on October 7th, we had organized like a group of students to go down to some rallies by the UN and by NYU.

And we were planning our own rally for the following day for the eighth. But on the seventh, we met in the middle of campus. And as we were getting ready to get on the train, this is like noon, maybe on Saturday, we see a group of Kafi, a clad classmates of ours making signs in the middle of campus on cardboard writing.

Things that said like, resistance is justified when people are occupied. Resistance is justified by any means necessary. Free Palestine on October 7th. And I think that was like [00:45:00] the moment where it hit me that I just had no idea what was about to go down. Yeah. Over the next week, months, year and a half at Columbia.

Yeah. Um, but that was like, that was just so deeply shocking to me because not only had Israel not responded yet, but Israel hadn't finished counting their dead.

Tessa: Yeah.

Eden: Or they're kidnapped. Um, there were still Hamas members throughout Southern Israel at that point. Um, and you know, I still grapple largely with like how much of that, the immediacy of that reaction from those classmates of mine comes from a place of pure hatred.

And how much of it came from ignorance and brainwashing. But to be honest, I don't think it makes a difference. Because it's hate. And you know, the fact that we repeatedly told that, that what became a growing number of, of classmates, unfortunately, after that point, what was antisemitism? What was harmful?

What was hateful? [00:46:00] And it didn't even go in one ear and out the other. It literally like did not even go past our mouths. Um, to be received by them in any way is just, you know, it was disheartening for a long time and now I am just fed up. But, but that like immediate response to October 7th really set the tone for what campus would be like for the next year and a half plus.

Jonah Platt: What was it like for you, Tessa?

Tessa: I'm Shabbat observant, and it was also the weekend of ra, so it was a 48 hour holiday where we didn't have our phones. And my October 7th was that. I, I woke up on Saturday morning and my roommates were both like, sitting across the room. I like wake up and I see them and I was like, why are you guys staring at me waiting for me to wake up?

And my roommate, she comes up and she's like, there's a war happening in Israel. And I was like, okay. Like that's not like new information, right? There's always, I've been there for two and she was like, [00:47:00] no, no, no, you don't get it. Like this is not, this is like nothing you've ever seen. I said, what do you mean?

And she flips her phone around and the first video that I saw was of nama. Um, and obviously that's like an image that's imprinted into a lot of our brains of, you know, her bloodstained pants and her being taken by these terrorists into the back of a car. I was heartbroken, I was shocked. I started crying.

I was just like, wait, how bad, like really, how bad is this? And she's like, there's a lot of videos that look like this. And so she's kind of explaining it to me. And because I was, you know, the emotions were so high, I was like, no, I need to say something right now. And so I either, it was on October 8th or October 9th, I don't recall.

I made a post, like an infographic, basically saying standing up for Jewish human rights is not political. And I said, I stand with the Jewish people. I stand with Israel. There's people that are being murdered there. This is like, you know, you should be able to unequivocally say that this is wrong. Mm-hmm.

And. I like, that post was not up [00:48:00] for 10 seconds and I was already getting comments from my fellow students, from other people, just again, like slamming me completely for, for saying something like this. And I, and what

Jonah Platt: grounds

Tessa: most of it actually. So first it was just like, again, that classic anti-Israel stuff, but then a lot of it was like, you're the student body president.

You're not allowed to be saying stuff like this. Mm. And I had a moment where I was like, well this is my personal social media. There's a president's social media. I posted it on my personal account where I've always been a Zionist and I was the president of SSI when you elected me to be in this position, any other type of person in my position, you wouldn't tell an Asian student that they're not allowed to talk about Asian hate.

Yeah. You would never tell them that. So I was just like, well you guys can't tell me that as a Jewish person. I can't say that the massacre of my people is not something that I should be talking about. But I think that I realized. I, I still was like, okay, this is like, you know, the fringe, there's like a couple [00:49:00] crazies because I really thought maybe this is the thing that will give us the empathy that we need to move forward.

Hmm. And unfortunately, that reality really, I. Kind of went away pretty quickly because it was just, to me, very shocking. One, the overall response to October 7th from the anti-Israel crowd, but also the speed at which people want were attacking me and saying, we need to remove this girl from office. And I was like, how did this happen so quickly?

But we're all just together, like hundreds of us working together for a conference that I set up a week before school. And now you're saying I should be removed from office. Don't you know my character who?

Jonah Platt: Who are the anti-Israel crowd on your campuses?

Eden: This group, actually, Columbia was led by Students for Justice and Palestine, SJP, who actually also put out, I believe on October 8th or ninth, a statement in which the first line was we stand in full solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.

Some of them are Palestinian. [00:50:00] Some of them are Arab. The vast majority of them are not certainly a diverse mix, but the vast majority of the students that are protesting, that are harassing Jewish students that are signing these egregious statements, or not even Palestinian themselves. Right. The SJP at Columbia was.

Suspended in November of 2023. That didn't stop them. Um, then they ended up forming this sort of larger coalition, Columbia University Apartheid divest, led by SJP. Um, and that coalition includes everything from the Barnard College Gardening Club to the radio station to SJP. Um, these are students that have never set foot, many of them in the Middle East, that have never read a book on Israel before, that have maybe read a couple chapters of like Rashid Kaldi's book on Palestine.

Mm-hmm. Maybe took his class, something like that. Um, but are for the, for like, the majority of them are just really uneducated and have no stake in this issue. But because of this [00:51:00] ideology that we spoke about earlier, that is being really just like forced down the throats of students at universities and, you know, also like through social media and, and you know, like K through 12 education in some.

Spaces as well. Yeah, I think it's really easy to get to Columbia. See this movement that's being framed as a social justice movement that is fighting against all things that we've been taught are like the root of all evil oppression colonialism. Mm-hmm. Settler, colonialism. Um, and to look at it and say, you know, I wanna stand on the right side of history, but I think the real fuel behind this fire comes from two places.

It comes from the faculty who are encouraging and instigating this behavior, and it comes from. Groups like American Muslims for Palestine, students for Justice in Palestine National, which are funded and you know, sort of created by people that have ties to Hamas to the PFLP, to Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Right. Um, [00:52:00] there's a new lawsuit actually that, um, some of the former hostages that were murdered in captivity mm-hmm. Um, and also released are now have filed

Tessa: Yep.

Eden: Against a MP and I think SJP National alleging that Hamas and I think the Islamic Jihad, um, were funding groups at Columbia and specifically in other universities.

And actually one of the. Hostages who was released, um, Shlomi. Ziv said that his captors in captivity pointed to footage on the TV of protests going on at Columbia and said, oh, those are our friends. That's us. This is our we're doing. Mm-hmm. Um, so I think it's naive to say that, you know, it's driven by the students.

This is not a grassroots movement. This is not a student led movement. Um, I think it's ridiculous that people compare it to like 1968 anti-Vietnam war protests. Mm-hmm.

Jonah Platt: Totally.

Eden: What we're seeing now has nothing in common with those protests and is, you know, it's driven by a much more sinister, sinister, excuse me, force.

Jonah Platt: If you had to put a number on [00:53:00] it, like at the encampment, what percentage are this core intentional leadership and what are the sheep who are just showing up because their friends are, and this is what you're supposed to do?

Eden: I mean, in terms of numbers, when you have hundreds of students, the majority are gonna be, the latter are gonna be the sheep that are easily brainwashed into thinking that they're fighting for a just cause.

Um, but the people that are. You know, sort of being the foot soldier, so to speak on campus that are organizing, that are the spokespeople, which is a term that's been thrown around a lot that you're seeing, like on the news. Most of those students have more of a, like personal connection, um, to the Middle East.

Mm-hmm. Whether it be like the Palestinian Territories or otherwise,

Jonah Platt: when this airs voting will have concluded for the world Zionist Congress. True. All three of us are running on different slates. Uh, Tessa, you win. I hand you a billion dollars. What's something really important you want to do with that money?

Tessa: One of the most pressing issues for me in the diaspora right now is antisemitism on college [00:54:00] campuses. And I think that,

Jonah Platt: I wonder why you have rights.

Tessa: All right. And so I think, and, and we really need to invest a lot of money and time in resources into the next generation. So starting even younger with high school students, with middle school students to make sure that they feel that they have the tools that they need.

Listen, we go to big universities and so we have resources and we know about all the orgs. A lot of students don't really know what's available to them. Sure. So I think that that's something that I would really like. I want young Jewish people in America to have. Extensive resources and funding and anything that they need.

And I want them, I want us to also invest in training them to be advocates for themselves. Because the truth is an organization's not always going to be there and like on campus, on the ground. And so much of this is peer to peer and within an echo chamber. So I think students just really need to have whatever they need and the accessibility and the viewership that we were able to have that we knew and do hatred.

ICC stand with us. Every [00:55:00] single Jewish student needs to know the resources that are available to them. I connect with

Eden: my Judaism through Jewish Peoplehood. Mm-hmm. Um, and that's a huge part of why I've been such a loud advocate against antisemitism and for the Jewish people, because I know what I'm fighting for.

I know what I'm fighting against. We all know because we see it on the daily. But to be able to connect with yourself and with your people. Is, I think what defines being a Jew. Um, and everyone connects again differently, but I think that again, like if you are going to stand up and advocate for Israel, you need to be coming from a, a place of positivity, a place of knowing what you're fighting for and what you're defending.

And I think that that starts with Jewish education. And I feel so blessed that I was able to attend a Jewish school from kindergarten until sixth grade Jewish summer camp. Um, and I've been very connected with that community, with Wilshire Boulevard Temple since, and I owe them, in addition to my family, such a great deal of who I am and why I speak out.

And I think that, you know, Jewish, Jewish students are not tomorrow's leaders. [00:56:00] We today's leaders, and I think that if we wanna breed Amen. Jewish, young Jewish Americans and young Jews, period that are going to be loud and proud, Zionists and loud and proud Jews, it starts from when are you in kindergarten age five?

Like it starts from the very beginning and it starts from

Tessa: what you're learning in school. We can't expect. non-Jew to know us if we don't know ourselves. Mm-hmm. And I think one of the biggest issues is within our own community in that like you identified at Sardi, because you didn't really know that you were mra and that, that to me, and like you were super involved in your local Jewish community.

And so the same thing was for me, like I, I didn't have Sephardi Jews near me. I didn't even know 40 Jews were a thing until I was like 17. And I was like, what are you talking about? There's Jews from race. How did know Miss Rocky thing was, was a hundred percent nomenclature for a long time. And so when we get upset with people that say all Jews are white, I'm like, I'm pretty sure that like a large percentage of the Jewish community in America thinks that most Jews are white.

Yeah. And so I think that. That's a part of it, and I totally agree with you, is investing into the Jewish [00:57:00] education of our community. We have to understand our history. We can't explain Israel's existence through the Holocaust. We need to be able to explain it through the thousands of years history that we have.

And I think, yeah, I a hundred percent agree with you and would want to invest money similarly.

Jonah Platt: I love that a lot of people who are listening to this right now are wondering what they can do to help and support you guys in what you are doing. What would you tell them to do?

Eden: Social media is both a blessing and a curse.

Mm-hmm. Um, but what's nice is that you're, you can access us directly now and hear about these stories. Mm-hmm. Um, and see what we're amplifying and then amplify that and amplify our voices and our stories. You know, in addition to that, I think voting is critical. Um, not in the world. Zion, not only in the world Zionist Congress, but like voting in local elections, in federal elections, um, I think it's easy to lose sight of who the real enemy is because Yeah.

Right. We live in a world where unfortunately things are very partisan. [00:58:00] But at the end of the day, I think that as Jews, we don't have the luxury or the privilege of letting our politics guide our decisions. We need to vote for the people and the policies that are looking out for us, for our students and for the state of Israel.

Jonah Platt: I hope everybody paid attention to that one. That's, that's a big takeaway. Yeah. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Tessa: And I don't wanna step on any toes by saying this, but we step on em. Yeah. Well, I think we need to change the culture around who we platform. Mm-hmm. And what I think right now is we're.

We're irresponsible. I'm, I'm not saying the Jewish community, I'm saying society as a whole in that we reward extremism and conflict and controversy instead of rewarding moderate level-headed people that I think have the power to actually change our society. And so I, [00:59:00] I think that we can start with that within our own community of platforming.

The voices that don't lean into the extremes, don't succumb to the cliques, but are focused on meaningfully changing the future of the Jewish people in this country and, and globally.

Jonah Platt: I think whatever happens in this election in five years, the three of us need to start a slate together. Oh, amen. We, we need to be in the same one.

Let's do it because we're, we're speaking the same language here. Amen. What's next for you? Each individually, just like what's going on in your life? You're about to graduate.

Eden: I

Tessa: am right. Oh gosh. Do you know, I

Jonah Platt: mean, this is the every senior in college question. It's like actually the

Tessa: most stressful question ever.

I forbid people from asking you this engagements, it shouldn't, but like, it just, what's your five-year plan?

Jonah Platt: No, don't have, you don't have to have five-year plan.

Eden: You know, I, I just feel so passionately about these issues, about Israel advocacy, about advocating for the soul of America. Again, I think our political systems are, our political systems both here and in Israel are both broken.

Um, and if I can play even a small role in helping to heal that, and like Tessa said, platform, moderate [01:00:00] voices, um, and people that wanna see our country succeed and see all of our country succeed, um. You know, that would just be a massive privilege. So

Jonah Platt: do you know if you want to go like the political route or the nonprofit route, or you figure out looking

Eden: into all?

Well, it's looking into both. So

Jonah Platt: she's available guys. She's a free agent's. True. Yeah,

Eden: please, uh, DM

Tessa: me, email me. I'm sure. I'm sure you'll get a lot. People are gonna be

Jonah Platt: knocking down your door. All right. Tessa, what's up for you?

Tessa: It's funny 'cause you've said the fight for the Soul of America and that's actually the like subtitle to October 8th.

It's October 8th, is it really? Yeah, October 8th. The fight for the Soul of America. And so that's been a really big part of my life recently. And October

Jonah Platt: 8th, the, the film that was just released in the States,

Tessa: it's on streaming now, so you can rent it. Amazon, apple. I've been doing a lot of screenings and, and traveling and, and talking about the film.

And so that's a big focus of mine. And I'm traveling every single week and I'm speaking and also working and, and it's such a whirlwind. And I think that right now that's just what I'm investing my time in. I'm, I'm any opportunity to get in front of [01:01:00] people, to speak to young people, to speak to anyone really.

I'm taking that opportunity. I, I don't know how long it will last, but for me, I think that it's such a privilege to have a platform and it's such a privilege to be pushed into the public light, and a lot of people wouldn't like it. I don't know exactly how I feel about it yet. I feel like I have imposter syndrome a lot of the time.

But the truth is, is there's so many people like me on college campuses that are doing very similar things, and I just had. You know, the luck of of getting this following or getting people that are really paying attention and I see every single day that I have it as a privilege that I need to use.

Jonah Platt: Fantastic. All right, so now we're gonna wrap things up the way I always like to do on the show with a little lightning round. Throw you guys some, oh my gosh, some, some quick, easy pops, uhoh.

Tessa: Uh,

Jonah Platt: we'll just go, we'll go Tessa Eden. Okay. And you're just ther out. Favorite Jewish holiday

Tessa: Rosh Hashanah. Hey, that's my answer.

Yeah. I love Rosh Hashanah. I like a

Eden: fresh start.

Jonah Platt: Yeah. There you go. Eden

Eden: sha a hundred percent. [01:02:00] Oh,

Tessa: that's my second favorite. Very contrary answer. Exactly. Yeah. Cheesecake. I love cheesecake. That's literally my reason i's like,

Jonah Platt: never celebrated Shavuot.

Tessa: Oh, you got s coming out.

Jonah Platt: I know it. Like I've never been invited Really to like a night

Tessa: and eat cheesecake.

Like, what's better? That sounds like a pretty good time. Can

Jonah Platt: favorite Israeli music act? I

Tessa: mean, ed LAN's really having a moment. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, but I love Isha Rebo, Omar, Adam, I can't pick the

Jonah Platt: heavy hitters.

Tessa: Yes. I'm a sucker for Omar, Adam. Yeah.

Jonah Platt: Yeah. Love it. If you could have any living person on Earth to your Shabbat dinner table, who would it be?

Tessa: I really wanna meet Gal Gado. I would love, I would love to have a Sha g Tessa wants

Jonah Platt: you over for Shabbat. Let's make it happen,

Tessa: please.

Eden: RBG, no question.

Jonah Platt: Oh, nice. Okay. Yeah. Ha. Rip it or slice it.

Tessa: Oh, rip it. Rip it.

Jonah Platt: It's the popular answer. No one has

Tessa: time for the,

Jonah Platt: I know. Sometimes I like a slice, you know, favorite dish from the motherland.

Tessa: My favorite thing, and I can't eat it the way that I like to anymore 'cause I'm kosher. It's pin Manny, which [01:03:00] is, uh, dumplings with like meat inside and typically you eat it with sour cream, so. Mm-hmm. But now I eat it with, um, with vegan butter and a little bit of, uh, white wine vinegar. Oh, sounds delicious.

Yeah, it's very good. I'm gonna have to go basic

Eden: with Tik. Also. Fire Chris. Be right.

Jonah Platt: Fire. Yeah. It's so good. It's really hard to beat. If you could go back in time and tell your freshman year self one thing, what would you tell her?

Tessa: I she'd be like, girl, you have no idea what's coming. Buckle up. And like, you have no idea.

Um, I'm so glad I actually though, like I almost wouldn't wanna spoil it for freshman year. Me, 'cause I was just having the time of my life. Amazing. Um, and I think it's more, I think I would just tell myself that I'm, I'm stronger than, than I ever thought that I was. And that we're able to often overcome things that we never thought were possible.

Eden: Beautifully said. Don't sweat the small stuff. Mm. It's all gonna be okay. Things happen for a reason. Sometimes.

Jonah Platt: Final closing words of encouragement to teenagers who are looking up to you and wanting to be the [01:04:00] next Eden and Tessa, what do you say to them?

Eden: That's so kind, that framing of that question. It's

Tessa: the

Jonah Platt: truth.

I'm sure there are many of them

Tessa: you're capable of achieving. Yeah, if not what we have, but even more. And I think that a lot of students think like, well, you know, I don't have the same personality like you, or like, you know, I'm not necessarily good at public speaking. You shouldn't see those things as, as limitations.

You should see them as things, qualities that you can grow if you'd like, but also try to find the qualities within yourself that you can develop into strategies for advocating for our people. And so I would just say, figure out what your strengths are and know that you're fully capable of achieving anything that you want, including being a huge advocate for the Jewish people in whatever space you end up in.

So,

Eden: beautiful. In addition to that, I would say there's a saying in Hebrew, be strong and courageous.

Tessa: Mm-hmm.

Eden: And I think that the strength that we have seen from Jewish students and young Jews worldwide, beyond just on American [01:05:00] campuses is. Just so inspiring. And I think it's only a fraction of the potential, like Tessa said.

I think like mm-hmm. The things that, that our, like cohort of students, um, that we've been able to accomplish has been incredible and beyond, I think what many of us thought we were capable of, but what generations of young Jews to come will be capable of, will be tenfold. That, and I think that, that all it requires really is, is courage, is remember where you came from, remember where you are, remember who you are, and, and don't be afraid to stand up and fight for those things.

Jonah Platt: Ed and Tessa, thank you both so much for being here as a fellow advocate. I just, I admire both of you so much there. There's not a, a table that you shouldn't have a seat at. And, um, I, I feel that we are in very good hands with, with you two leading the next generation.

Eden: Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Jonah Platt: A big toba to Tessa and Eden. Make sure to [01:06:00] follow them on social media so you can continue to be inspired by the work that they're doing. We will put their tags in the show notes and hey, follow us while you're at it, at Jonah Platten at being Jewish Podcast on Instagram, x and TikTok. Thanks again to PJ Library for sponsoring today's episode.

Remember to go to pj library.org/jonah to sign up for free Jewish storybooks today. I'll see you. All right, back here for the next a plus episode of being Jewish with me, Jonah Platt.