By Heather Shore
After our screening of “Beneath the Helmet” we had the opportunity to sit down with Rabbi Raphael Shore, the CEO of Jerusalem U. Many of us left the screening feeling incredibly inspired and proud of Israel, and our conversation with Rabbi Shore enabled us to understand the vision behind the creation of the film and how this vision essentially hand made the feelings we were experiencing. Rabbi Shore explained that when it comes to Israel, there are two war fronts- the war of the IDF and the war of ideas/ de-legitimization of Israel. He explained to us that since Israel has been slightly preoccupied with its seemingly endless stream of physical threats, it has fallen behind in its domination of the second war front: social media and social perception. Through its humanization of basic training, IDF soldiers, and greater Israeli community, “Beneath the Helmet” changes the lens through which the viewer is exposed to Israel.
When asked why this was important, or how we could help with this second battlefront, Rabbi Shore revealed to us the bigger picture. To him, “Beneath the Helmet” and much of the other work produced by Jerusalem U is a lesson in ownership and personal responsibility. He explained that by creating films that inspire Jews worldwide, he hoped to make a difference in Israel by encouraging diaspora Jews to understand their part in the effort. A unified Jewish community is an inspired one, and this community must come to act with a mentality of “If I don’t do it, no one else is going to” when it comes to the societal defense of Israel. This idea of inspired leadership is one that all of us connect to, and Rabbi Shore truly embodied many of the leadership frameworks we have come to understand throughout our time here together on Nachshon. As we move forward, we do so with a new understanding of the big picture. As we turn our thoughts toward the big question “how to bring Israel home,” we now do so with a sense of ownership, responsibility, and excitement for the small part each of us will play this summer.
