We keep asking how to make Jewish young people more resilient, as though resilience is the first task. It is not. Before resilience comes pride. If we get that wrong, everything that follows becomes harder.

A young Jew who feels proud of who they are stands on firmer ground. A young person who feels unsure, disconnected or apologetic is far more exposed, no matter how many facts, talking points or training sessions we give them. That is not theory. It is the practical reality.

Too much of our communal conversation wraps this issue in the language of frameworks, narratives and strategy. Some of that has its place. But the real question is simpler: What actually works? What helps when a Jewish young person is confronted by hostility, ignorance or the steady drip of anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist messaging?

What works is more basic, and more important, than many of us are willing to admit. What works is a young person who already knows that being Jewish is something good, something deep and something worth holding onto.

That kind of pride does not come from slogans or emergency responses after something has already gone wrong. It comes from the steady work of building Jewish identity in a real and lived way. It comes from homes where Judaism is practiced, not merely discussed. It comes from schools and communities that teach Jewish identity with confidence, not hesitation. It comes from Shabbat tables, youth movements, stories, memory and history, and from understanding that being Jewish is not only about surviving what others have done to us, but about belonging to something ancient, living and strong.

That foundation matters now more than ever, because Jewish young people in Australia are growing up in a climate where antisemitism is no longer occasional or abstract. The pressure is not confined to isolated incidents. It is felt in classrooms, on campuses, online and in the broader culture. The same pattern can be seen across much of the democratic world. Antisemitism did not simply flare after Oct. 7, 2023 and then recede. In too many places, it settled in.

That is what makes this moment so dangerous. Hostility towards Jews is no longer always expressed in crude terms. Often it is dressed up as politics, activism or social conscience. It comes through anti-Zionist language, double standards, exclusion and the message that Jews may participate fully in public life only if they distance themselves from a core part of their identity.

Adults can argue about terminology. Young Jews experience it more directly. They experience it as pressure, exclusion and the sense that part of who they are is suddenly up for judgement.

In that environment, it is natural to think the answer is to equip them with arguments. Of course they need knowledge. They need to know Jewish history. They need to understand antisemitism, Zionism and Israel. They need to be able to speak with clarity and confidence.

But knowledge alone is not enough.

A young person can know the facts and still be rattled. They can know the argument and still feel isolated. They can have the language and still lack the grounding. That is because resilience is not just about what you can say. It is about what you know, in your bones, about yourself.

If a young Jew’s first real encounter with Zionism comes through those who despise it, then we have already surrendered too much ground. Zionism should not be introduced as a defensive argument. It should be taught as part of the Jewish story itself: the story of peoplehood, return, continuity and the refusal of the Jewish people to disappear. If we do not teach that clearly and unapologetically, others will fill the vacuum with distortion.

This is where we need some honesty. Jewish communities invest enormous energy in public advocacy, media engagement, combating misinformation and cultivating allies. All of that matters. But allies cannot build Jewish identity for Jewish young people. Public advocacy cannot do the work that families, schools, youth movements and communities must do themselves.

The deeper work starts at home and within the community. It starts with ensuring that young Jews grow up seeing their Jewishness not as a burden, but as a source of strength. It starts with teaching them that Jewish history is not only a story of persecution, but also a story of endurance, contribution, creativity and purpose.

There is another truth here as well. Not every young person receives that grounding early. That should concern us, but it should not discourage us. It is never too late. Pride can still be built. Identity can still be strengthened. A young Jew who did not receive that grounding at home can still find it through mentors, education, friendships, community and meaningful Jewish experiences.

If we want resilient Jewish young people, then first we have to build proud Jewish young people. Not merely informed. Not merely prepared. Proud. Because the real test is not whether they can recite the right answer when challenged  — it is whether they know who they are before anyone else tries to define them.

Michael Gencher is the executive director of StandWithUs Australia.

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