The global Jewish community is reeling after the kidnapping and murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Chabad emissary, in Dubai. The attack, widely condemned as an antisemitic act of terror, has heightened concerns about the safety of Jewish communities worldwide.
In an interview with Ynetnews, Daniel and Raizel Namdar, a married Chabad couple and social media influencers based in New York, shared their reflections on Rabbi Kogan’s murder and the challenges of their mission to share Jewish life with a global audience.
Daniel and Raizel Namdar | 'That Jewish Family'
The Namdars view the attack on Rabbi Kogan as a grim reminder of the persistent hatred against Jews. “They're always trying to portray attacking the Jews with the excuse of Zionism,” said Daniel, originally from Sweden. “I feel like this attack on Rabbi Kogan represents something much deeper. The fact that they attacked an emissary of the Rebbe, which is a representation in their eyes of the Jewish people, exposes that they're just after the Jews, they hate the Jewish people and what Judaism stands for."
Rabbi Kogan, a father and a dedicated emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s vision of Jewish outreach, was known for his work providing spiritual and practical support to the Jewish community in the United Arab Emirates. His murder has intensified fears among Chabad emissaries, known as shluchim, who often operate in regions with varying levels of hostility toward Jews.
The Namdars, who document their lives as an observant Jewish family on platforms like Instagram and YouTube, emphasized the importance of responding to such tragedies with resilience and positivity. "The answer to hate is actually just being stronger in what they hate, and they hate us for being Jews. So we just need to be stronger Jews," Raizel, who grew up in Australia, explained.
"We are here to transform the world by adding light. How do we trace away darkness? If the room is dark, you just flick on a candle, you flick on the light because that is the way that we need to respond—with positivity, with light."
Their content, which started with Daniel’s videos on the weekly Torah portion, has evolved into a family-oriented channel aimed at breaking stereotypes about Jewish life. The couple believes their work is essential in countering misconceptions, both within and outside the Jewish community.
The Namdars’ efforts have resonated with followers worldwide, including non-Jews. "Once we started the channel as a family channel, we had a comment that was really strong for us. Someone had commented, 'I used to hate Jews until now and now that I'm following your family and I see what Jewish life is really about, I can't hate Jews anymore,'" Raizel shared, "and that was very powerful for us because this is what we're here for. These are the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. These are the values of the Torah."
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However, they also face negative feedback, ranging from online vitriol to antisemitic harassment in person.
Recalling an incident in Vietnam, Raizel described being publicly berated by a stranger while with her young children. The video of the confrontation went viral, garnering over half a billion views.
"It was very traumatic for my son. He's a little three-year-old," she said, "so it's definitely something that is there and prevalent and we can't ignore it, and we have to be smart about it. I think the answer is not to let the antisemitism get to us. We have to do and double down.
As antisemitism surges globally, the Namdars called on fellow Jews and Chabad members to stay strong. “They might want to crush our souls and kill the spirits of the Jewish people and our bodies,” Daniel said. “But if they haven't learned from the past, we always stand up, we always rise."
Rabbi Kogan’s murder and other the war in Israel, they added, should serve as a wake-up call for Jewish communities to deepen their commitment to Torah values and outreach. "We have to keep going for those souls that we've lost, for all the souls in Israel as well. That's our mission. That's what we need to do. We need to keep living for them,” Daniel affirmed.