Rabbi Yaakov Menken is the Executive Vice President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, the largest rabbinic public policy organization in America. He is thus the spokesperson for the beliefs and interests of over 2,500 American rabbinic leaders promoting traditional Jewish values in American public policy.

One year ago, the voice of Charlie Kirk was silenced by an assassin’s bullet. The Torah teaches, however, that a voice is not silenced when a person leaves the world, as long as others study and learn from his words. The message that Charlie shared cannot be lost with him.

If Charlie stood for one thing, it was values. He advocated for the dignity of every person and group, recognizing the spark of the Divine in every human life. He championed peaceful and robust discourse. He spoke often of the importance of family and children, which he also demonstrated through personal example.

For countless Jews in America and Israel, Charlie was a true friend and ally. At a time when standing with the Jewish people became increasingly difficult and, in some circles, socially and professionally costly, Charlie Kirk stood with us proudly, publicly, and without apology.

Charlie understood what too many influential Americans have forgotten: Israel is not merely a modern country or a political project. It is the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people, promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to which Jews have prayed to return for thousands of years.

His support for Israel was not contingent on polling, applause or political convenience, but rooted in moral clarity. Charlie recognized that Israel stands on the front lines of a much larger struggle between civilization and barbarism, freedom and tyranny, life and those who glorify death.

He understood that antisemitism is never only a Jewish problem. Hatred may begin with the Jews, but history teaches us that it never ends with the Jews. A society that tolerates the demonization of Jewish students, the celebration of terrorism or calls for Israel’s destruction is a society surrendering its own moral foundations.

After the horrors of October 7, when Hamas terrorists murdered, tortured and kidnapped innocent men, women and children, Charlie did not equivocate. He did not retreat into comfortable language, much less the moral rot that took over much of American academia. He defended Israel’s right to protect its citizens and confronted the poisonous spread of antisemitism, recognizing these as part and parcel of his efforts to promote peace, justice, and moral virtue.

Charlie recognized the connection between faith, family and freedom. Although he was a committed Christian, he respected the Hebrew Bible, defended the Jewish roots of American civilization, and encouraged young people to reject the emptiness of radical secularism. He called them back to belief, responsibility, marriage, parenthood and service to something greater than themselves.

Along the way, he consistently demonstrated his concern for ideology over identity. In one notable confrontation, Charlie faced the late founder of “Cosmic Judaism," who rose to promote socialism by dismissing the value of Jewish Day School education and the clear gap between public and private schooling overall. Charlie could not conscience a purported rabbi calling a Torah education “brainwashing," and rejected the questioner’s claim to accurately speak for Judaism. “No, you absolutely take the Torah literally," he interjected. “It’s literally the Torah!"

In an age that rewards caution, Charlie was fearless. In a culture drowning in carefully rehearsed talking points, he spoke directly. He specifically entered hostile spaces because he believed truth should never fear a debate.

We must realize, then, that his murder was not simply another senseless crime. It was an attack upon the American tradition of resolving disagreements through argument and persuasion rather than intimidation and bloodshed. This, of course, is one of many key lessons the Founding Fathers learned from our people.

Judaism also teaches us to answer darkness by creating more light. We answer hatred with moral courage, and answer those who attempt to silence truth by speaking it more boldly.

Charlie left behind a wife, children and a movement that continues to carry his mission forward. Our prayers remain with his family, whose loss is beyond measure. May they find comfort in knowing that his life changed millions and that his friendship will not be forgotten by the Jewish people.

May his courage inspire a new generation to stand for values and against antisemitism, to defend life, marriage, Israel, and the freedom to speak the truth. And may we honor him not only with words, but by continuing the work for which he gave his life.