By Kerry Eskenas Schlossberg
SAN DIEGO — Many Americans are oblivious to an ongoing “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” (also called “UAP” or “UFO”) disclosure process, but Jews have been at the forefront of this topic for decades. The drone incursions in New Jersey have recently captured the media’s attention, so it seems like a good time to point out some interesting facts about the Jewish community and this phenomenon that has been observed and documented for more than 70 years.
Many UAP organizations have formed since the December 2017 publication of a groundbreaking New York Times article exposing a UAP program at the Pentagon (co-authored by a Jewish journalist), and I have been fortunate to contribute to some of them. It has been surprising to meet so many fellow Jews who contribute to these same UAP organizations, sharing a passion for the topic as well as observance of the Jewish religion. Jews are indeed an “over-represented minority” in the UAP field:
- Stanton Friedman was a Jewish nuclear physicist who investigated the famous Roswell UAP incident of 1947, and was known as the most prominent leader in the emerging field of UFOlogy for decades.
- Haim Eshed, who served as the director of space programs for the Israeli Ministry of Defense for nearly 30 years, stated that a “Galactic Federation” has been in contact with Israel and the U.S. for years, but their existence is being kept a secret because “humanity isn’t ready” to know the truth.
- Avi Loeb, an Israeli-American, leads Harvard University’s Galileo Project, which utilizes a scientific method to search for extraterrestrial technological signatures and examine the possibility that UAPs have a non-human origin.
- David Spergel served as the chair of NASA’s UAP Independent Study Team, which issued a report in 2023 calling for scientific investigation into UAPs and greater transparency.
The above leaders are just a few examples, and you will find Jewish voices on the UAP topic all over the podcast and social media scenes as well. Jewish members of the U.S. Congress, including Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Jared Moskowitz, have vocally advocated for UAP legislation and championed disclosure efforts.
Everyone should be aware that the U.S. government has already officially acknowledged that UAP are real. There have been multiple Congressional hearings on the UAP topic as well, including a headline-grabbing July 2023 House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing with whistleblower David Grusch that I was fortunate enough to attend. It is amazing to watch history unfold on what may be the most important issue of our time, with implications ranging from beyond next-generation technology and clean energy, to national security and defense, to spirituality and the very nature of reality.
As this transformative information trickles out to the mainstream, it is critical for the Jewish community to realize that Judaism is compatible with the reality of UAPs. There are many references in the Tanakh to otherworldly beings and technologies—think of the Nephilim, Ezekiel’s wheel, and Elijah’s ascent to heaven by a chariot of fire. There are many interesting conversations to be had within our community, and resources are available to help us all process these exciting developments.
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Kerry Schlossberg, Esq., is a freelance writer.