Steve Levy responds to “The Encampment Mindset”

As an avid fan of SAPIR, I thought Malka Shaw’s essay, “The Encampment Mindset,” was one of your best articles. It was forward-thinking, well considered, and deeply researched. Bravo!

It answered the question on all of our minds: How can Jews be suffering from pervasive antisemitism on campus and beyond? And it dawned on me that having trained psychotherapists seasoned in supporting mental health may be the missing ingredient in the plight of American Jewry today. 

Why had this not been considered previously? Mental health is too often left out of the conversation when addressing antisemitism and strengthening Jewish identity, but without understanding the psychological elements of trauma, identity erosion, and generational fear, we risk overlooking the most human part of this crisis. Mental health is not a side issue; it’s the foundation for resilience, clarity, and collective strength.

And our people faces a crisis beyond just antisemitism. If we do not act now, there will be no next generation of proudly Zionist Jewish kids.

I took a deep dive on the internet into Shaw’s work, and found a woman who is intelligent, while possessing a warmth and relatability that make her approachable even when discussing clinical terms. She can make them tangible. It left me wanting more ideas from her on how to implement productive mental health interventions such as her proposed trauma-informed processing sessions and structured debriefings.

The legacy organizations with billions in funding have let us down. SAPIR, you did it again, you inspired hope in these old bones of mine. Now take these ideas and put them forth into action.