Few people can say they have fought Hamas on the battlefield and debated anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University.
“For those that weren't able to attend Thursday nights MDA event, here is some of Rudy's beliefs on change and the importance of confronting challenges with hope rather than fear.
“Change must come from the bottom up”
He said that change “is not going to come from the top down [but must come] from the bottom up.” He expressed his belief that politicians and school administrators will support whatever the majority of students believe, irrespective of their personal views.
Rochman also critiqued the approach of having university presidents testify before Congress, likening it to “putting a band-aid on a wound that needs surgery.”
He stressed the importance of changing the underlying culture among students to prevent the perpetuation of problematic ideas.
“You can’t look at it from the top down. You have to look at it from the bottom up. You have to shift the pop culture, because if we don’t, the next generation of university presidents and leaders in Congress will continue to harbor the same problematic ideas,” Rochman argued, adding that simply calling for resignations isn’t the solution.
Rochman said he would like to see more work with Jewish college students at the grassroots level to cultivate this change from the ground up.
It is estimated that there are about 15 million Jews in the world, making up about .2% of the world’s population of 8 billion people. So why is there such a focus on Jews?
“Antisemitism is not a normal type of xenophobia,” Rochman said. “For racism, it’s usually extremist white people who hate Black people. For sexism, it’s usually extremist men who hate women.”
“For Jews, it’s many groups who hate the Jews. The far-right think we’re the left. The far-left think we’re the right. The capitalists blamed us for communism. The communists blamed us for capitalism. The white supremacists blame us for the problems of the world. The Black supremacists blame us for the problems of the world. Covid was blamed on the Jews. Society will always find a way to blame the Jewish people,” he said.
The importance of displaying Jewish pride
In the aftermath of Oct. 7, some have chosen to hide their Jewish identity, while others have continued or begun to openly embrace it. Rochman strongly believes in the importance of displaying Jewish pride.
“We should be afraid of what happens when we remove the Magen David; we should not be afraid of wearing it,” Rochman said. “The only thing Jews should be afraid of is Jews being afraid.”
“The moment we divide ourselves, that we put our heads down, those are the starts of the worst chapters in Jewish history with antisemitism skyrocketing. The moment when we unite is when we overcome all enormous challenges that have been placed against us.”
Rochman stresses the importance of education in combatting misinformation, both within and outside the Jewish community.
He has actively demonstrated this through his visits to various university campuses. For instance, shortly after this interview, during a visit to George Washington University, he had a discussion with a Jewish anti-Israel protestor and was harangued by taunts and insults:
Since Oct. 7, Rochman has shared numerous videos of himself engaging in dialogue with others about the Israel-Hamas War. In these videos, he remains calm and sticks to facts, and many appear befuddled by his knowledge and unthreatening demeanor.
Rochman said that many individuals have reconsidered their views after speaking with him, underscoring how he is using education as a tool against misinformation.
He highlighted how a social media campaign has turned the word “Zionist” into a slur, and emphasized the importance of understanding that the word simply refers to the Jewish right to self-determination in the land of Israel.
Rochman’s message to the Jewish community at this time is to focus on what is within our control and to approach challenges with hope rather than fear. “We have to have hope and we can never bury our heads in the sand,” he said.
“If we’d like to see change, it has to come from the students,” he said.