Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
New York Sun editor Francis P. Church’s response in 1897 to 8-year-old Virginia, who asks if there really is a Santa Claus, endures for its lyrical beauty and supernal wisdom on humility and the human imagination. We hope it brings you joy this weekend. Merry Christmas from us all at the Prohuman Foundation.
Dear Editor,
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say that there is no Santa Claus. Papa says "If you see it in the Sun, it is so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia,
Your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds.
All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. . . .
Israel—It’s Complicated: A visit to a nation as resilient as it is traumatized.
In Persuasion, Prohuman Foundation advisor William Deresiewicz reflects on a reporting trip to Israel, drawing from dozens of interviews. He describes a society deeply traumatized by October 7 and its aftermath, yet remarkably resilient through grassroots solidarity, mutual aid, and enduring commitment to the nation’s future, reminding readers that Israel is far more complicated from within than it often appears from abroad.
“It’s complicated”: this would ordinarily be the laziest, most useless conclusion a writer could offer. In this case, however, it may be the thing that most needs to be said.
Harmony, Interrupted
Prohuman Foundation co-founder Bion Bartning, writing for Prohuman Pathways, reflects on why the Eurovision Song Contest was created after World War II. He examines the irony of recent boycotts of Israel’s participation in the contest, drawing on his own experience as an international exchange student, and on the broader rise of antisemitism. Cultural exchange, he argues, remains an essential way to humanize difference and keep people connected when politics fail.
There’s a choice embedded in this moment. Nations with political differences can treat Eurovision as a proxy battlefield, narrowing the space for understanding among millions of ordinary people, or they can reclaim its original purpose: a shared stage where disagreement doesn’t preclude participation and where cultural engagement persists despite political conflict.
If there is a Jewish Nobel for saving Jews, Ahmed al-Ahmed just won it
In a Jerusalem Post opinion piece, Zvika Klein celebrates Ahmed al-Ahmed—a non-Jewish Syrian-Australian fruit shop owner and father of two—who bravely tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen during the December 14, 2025, antisemitic terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people. Klein likens al-Ahmed’s instinctive heroism to the non-Jewish heroes honored as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ for saving Jews during the Holocaust, tying it to Hanukkah’s theme of pushing back against darkness with light, and urges Jewish organizations and Israel to formally honor him with gratitude and recognition.
Hanukkah’s message is not triumphalism. It is resolve. The miracle was not only that the oil lasted. The miracle was that Jews insisted on lighting the menorah anyway, in a world that had grown comfortable telling them to dim their presence. That is why Hanukkah is so emotionally charged in a year when Jews around the world are being told, explicitly or implicitly, to celebrate quietly, to hide symbols, to make themselves smaller for their own safety.
No. The answer to darkness is not disappearance. It is light.
Together, we have made immense progress building a foundation for social harmony. But, we still need your help. A generous donor is matching every contribution to the Prohuman Foundation, dollar for dollar, up to $250,000. Join the movement and double your impact today.
Rich Harwood: The New Civic Path
Rich Harwood joins us on Thursday, January 25 to discuss his book, The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation, where he advocates building community networks and civic groups to restore shared purpose.
Opinions expressed in selected articles do not necessarily reflect those of the Prohuman Foundation. We value diverse perspectives that enrich our understanding of topics close to our mission: to promote the foundational truth that we are all unique individuals, united by our shared humanity.