We have made coexistence sound far more complicated than it needs to be. We organize panels about it, argue over who qualifies to speak about it, and ask people to defend their decision to reach across a religious or cultural divide.
Meanwhile, a Muslim baker learned to make babka from a Jewish woman and sent it to a black man who grew up Christian and had never even heard of babka.
That man was Chris Campbell, known online as Chris CaresNone and affectionately called the “Babka King.” He has built an audience by approaching other communities through their food, asking why they have been “gatekeeping” something so good.
His path to becoming the “Babka King” began with a format he was already using to explore other cultures through food. After making similar videos addressed to Mexican and German communities, among others, Campbell turned to Jewish food and tried a black-and-white cookie. Jews embraced the video, and packages from Jewish bakeries began arriving.
One box was labeled, “Enjoy the babka.” Campbell had no idea what babka was or who had sent it.
He opened the package on camera and was immediately struck by the cinnamon, sugar, swirls, and layers. He tasted it, loved it, and eventually became known as the Babka King.
Campbell initially assumed the baker was Jewish. When the man later invited him onto a podcast, Campbell discovered that he was a devout Muslim who had learned the recipe from a Jewish woman.
That story should not be remarkable. Yet it is, because we have become so accustomed to stories of division that friendship among people of different faiths can feel like an exception requiring an explanation.
A Jewish woman taught a Muslim baker how to make babka. He baked it and sent it to Campbell, who tasted it, shared his reaction, and was embraced by Jewish viewers.
That is what coexistence can look like in real life.
I came to know Campbell beyond his videos when we traveled through Israel together in June. He joined a delegation I organized through ShieldGiving, the nonprofit organization I co-founded to give journalists and storytellers the opportunity to meet people, ask questions, and see Israel for themselves.
When people ask why he travels to Israel, his first answer is wonderfully uncomplicated: “I’m invited.”
He told me he is willing to enter rooms where his presence, energy, or audience might help. He also understands the difference between the political decisions made by those in power and the ordinary people who live in a country.
“I can compartmentalize what’s going on with the powers that be versus the people of the land,” he explained. “And the people of the land are the ones inviting me.”
Campbell does not present himself as an authority on Israel or the Middle East. He arrives with what he calls “curiosity energy.” He asks questions, listens, and acknowledges the complexity of what he does not know.
That approach is increasingly rare. Too many people decide what another community believes before speaking with anyone in it. We determine who someone must be based on religion, race, or nationality, then wonder why understanding remains so difficult.
“I come out and say I’m pro-humanity,” Campbell told me on Verified Sources, my podcast for Jewish breaking news, “which includes the people of Israel and includes the Jewish people.”
His point should not be controversial. Jewish people should not need to be excluded from someone’s concern for humanity to prove that concern is genuine.
Campbell also offered a question that could improve nearly every difficult public conversation: “Am I trying to be right, or am I trying to solve the problem?”
Reporting on antisemitism and the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, is an essential part of my work. I also believe we do Jewish communities a disservice when danger becomes the only context in which Jewish life is presented. Jewish life also includes hospitality, creativity, humor, family, and food worth sharing.
Sometimes, it even includes a serious conversation about the best babka.
One of my recent favorites came from Babka Bailout, whose za’atar, shakshuka, and Greek varieties kept me returning for another bite. Campbell, who previously collaborated with the bakery, offered his own concise review: It is “extremely good.”
Just before Rosh Hashanah, I brought that same Babka Bailout babka to my interview with Dr. Phil. I am Jewish, he is Christian, and we sat together and broke bread, another small example of how food can create a connection across faiths.
During my conversation with Campbell, I realized that food had done something political arguments rarely accomplish. It had opened a conversation without demanding that anyone surrender his identity first.
Sometimes it just takes a babka to have a conversation.
That openness mattered in a more emotional setting during Campbell’s time in Israel. At the site of the Nova music festival massacre, Israeli soldiers recognized him from his videos. Campbell said he felt that his presence gave them, even for a few moments, a sense that they could rest.
“You’re not alone,” he said. “People care about you.”
Campbell wants to acknowledge suffering while choosing to highlight more of the light he has experienced among Israelis and Jews. He is not ignoring what is difficult. He is deciding what he wants to contribute.
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When I asked why he continues returning to Israel, his answer remained simple: He was invited, he formed real friendships, and he now has people he makes a point of seeing whenever he returns.
Perhaps that is where coexistence begins. Someone extends an invitation. Someone else arrives with curiosity. They share a conversation, a meal or even a slice of babka, and discover that they have more to say to one another.
Ariella Noveck is a journalist specializing in antisemitism and Middle East affairs, with extensive experience covering Jewish communities worldwide. She can be followed on X and Instagram @AriellaNoveck
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
