Famously, the Torah eulogies Moses as the most humble person. This is considered such a great character trait that Maimonides said one should try to be extremely humble. It is striking that many people have eulogized Charlie Kirk by praising him as being humble.
Kirk was 18 when he started Turning Point USA in his garage. When he didn’t get into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he decided to skip college and made Turning Point his full-time job. He showed an extraordinary ability to be the Mark Zuckerberg of politics, and built Turning Point up to be on 3,500 high school and college campuses in 13 years. It is expected to multiply significantly in the wake of his murder.
Kirk had an amazing ability to fundraise and connect with the most powerful people. JD Vance credits Kirk for his becoming a senator, and Kirk advocated for him to be vice president. Donald Trump Jr. said his father may not have won the presidency without Kirk. The president honored Kirk posthumously by flying the American flag at half-mast and giving him the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Kirk has been at the forefront of advocating for Israel during his famous debates on campuses nationwide, even at Oxford University. He donated military equipment to Israel after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and he understood that there was good and evil in the war between Israel and Hamas. Kirk made sure that only pro-Israel voices would be part of the Turning Point board.
I met Kirk only once at the 2019 National Council of Young Israel dinner when he introduced a Jewish honoree who was active in Turning Point. He impressed me with his friendship with the Jewish people and his humility, as he was already famous at that point. He never let his success go to his head.
Kirk told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was proud as a Christian to stand with Israel. He was humble enough to admit if he was wrong, telling media personality Mark Levin that he was right to support U.S. President Donald Trump in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities in mid-June. When Kirk complained that some of his Jewish friends were unhappy with him because he did not advocate for Trump to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, a pro-Israel WhatsApp group, Pens for Swords, organized a campaign of sending thousands of letters to Kirk, expressing their support for him.
Kirk was overwhelmed with the notes, writing: “Wow! I am speechless. Truly. Thank you. Give me a moment to process this. So kind. Thank you. Together, we stand for civilization. God bless you. Charlie.”
Kirk was known for his exhausting travel schedule. He decided to change things by adopting the Orthodox Jewish practice of going offline completely for 24 hours from Friday night until Saturday night, having family time with his wife and two kids. He did not answer his phone or texts; he didn’t watch TV or use his computer. He spoke publicly about how he had to respond to some 600 texts on Saturday night, but said he found the rest so beneficial for him. It was so impactful that he wrote a book about it, which is set to be released before the end of the year.
Kirk understood the danger of being outspoken. He publicly spoke of the death threats he received, and of being chased out of restaurants and assaulted. He advised an Israeli college student who complained about antisemitic harassment to learn to fight because the university and campus police will not protect Jews on campus.
When asked about antisemitism, Kirk called it demonic. He pointed to the roles Jewish doctors have led the fight against diseases, and the many medical interventions and inventions that have been created at least partly by Jews, which have saved millions of people worldwide. He said it is a brain rot to blame .2% of the world population—namely, the Jews, for a person’s problems.
Kirk lived a life of purpose and meaning, and despite the danger and threats, persevered because he felt the need to make the United States a better place. He achieved a great deal in his short lifetime, and it is likely that in reaction to his death, his achievements will continue to grow.
There is a belief in Judaism that even if someone is physically dead, their impact can still be felt as if they are alive. Kirk’s legacy is such that not only is he still positively impacting the world, but he will continue to do so in the future, as those he influenced make a difference in the world.
