Most of us are familiar with the beautiful custom of dipping apples in honey as we welcome a new year. As we dip the apple in honey, we say a bracha, a blessing, and wish for each other a shanah tovah u’metuka k’dvash, that the coming year will be as sweet as honey.

A lesser-known custom, which has become increasingly popular and more widespread in recent years, is of Iraqi origin, and one that my wife, whose family is from Baghdad, introduced to me. Iraq was once home to a prosperous, proud and prominent Jewish community dating back 2,600 years, and was a center of great learning where the Talmud was created. Every Rosh Hashanah, we observe in our home the practice of the Jews of Iraq and say blessings over various fruits and vegetables, each one being a pun on the Hebrew word for that particular piece of food.

So, for example, we hold up a date, which in Hebrew is tamar, and say, “she’yitamu soneinu,” which means “may our enemies perish.” We eat a leek, which in Hebrew is karat, and say, “she’yeechartu kol mevekshei ra’atenu,” which means “may those who seek evil against us be karet—cut off.” For beets, which in Hebrew is selek, we say, “she’yistalku oyveenu”—may our enemies be driven away.

There are more, but I think you get the picture.

I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. There are some positive blessings, such as when we eat seeds of the pomegranate and express the hope that our lives will be as full of mitzvot as the pomegranate is filled with seeds. Overall though, the pattern and theme of a number of the blessings are pleas for God to annul the plans of those who seek to destroy us, the Jewish people.

I do not know the history or origin of the custom, nor how long it has been around. The truth is, though, expressing the hope that enemies who plot to harm Jews will fail in their efforts could probably be said by almost any Jewish community, almost anywhere in the world, at pretty much any time in our history.

Regardless of when the custom began, I am certain and confident of one thing: I doubt that there was much debate, dissension or disagreement among them over how to define and determine who their enemies were.

Yet unfortunately today, it seems we Jews are so divided that we cannot even agree on what constitutes anti-Semitism. The left only recognizes anti-Semitism when it emanates from the right, and the right only sees it when it comes from the left.

The lack of unity on this most basic issue is why Natan Sharansky, during his most recent visit to the United States earlier this summer, asked me to convene a small group of diverse Jewish leaders to see if we could reach any agreement about the eternal external existential threats to the Jewish people.

In response to the rise in anti-Semitism around the globe, in 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) recognized that “in order to begin to address the problem of anti-Semitism, there must be clarity about what anti-Semitism is.” They set out to build an international consensus, and to come up with a working definition on which diverse parties could agree.

They undertook the project to give policymakers around the world the tools to identify the problem. After an arduous process entailing much vetting and discussion, what they came up with has met widespread acceptance, having been adopted by more than 30 nations, including the United States, the European Union, a number of NGOs, academic institutions and local governments and municipalities around the world.

However, since it cites as an example of anti-Semitism “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis,” and another stating that, “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” not everyone is willing to embrace and accept the carefully crafted document.

The opposition has come not just from those whom we would expect to oppose it, such as the Arab League, the 57 members of the Organization of Islamic states or Nazi sympathizers.

Objecting to its becoming official policy of the United States and opposing its being codified into U.S. law is a coalition of groups known as the Progressive Jewish Alliance, which consists of Americans for Peace Now, J Street, the New Israel Fund, T’ruah: Rabbis for Human Rights and a few other groups claiming to represent Jewish values.

Although the IHRA definition explicitly states that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic,” the alliance of Progressive Jewish groups issued a statement that they were concerned that adoption of the doctrine would undermine freedom of expression, because it may encourage criticism of Israel to be suppressed.

Yes, you heard correctly—Jewish groups, which claim to support Israel, feel compelled to protect the rights of Israel’s critics! But, if there is any one thing we don’t have to worry about, it is that there isn’t enough criticism of Israel and that debate over Israel’s policies might be stifled. Indeed, rejecting the IHRA definition is comparable to a person drowning in the ocean refusing to accept a life preserver because he/she doesn’t like the small print on the inside lining of the floatation device.

Something is happening in the Jewish world today, and it is deeply troubling.

In 1975, the late Israeli diplomat Abba Eban wrote in a column in The New York Times that hatred of Israel and the Jewish people are one and the same. Almost 50 years ago, he pointed out that the singling out of the Jewish state for the kind of criticism not leveled at other nations is a convenient way for those with contempt for Jews to dodge the charge of anti-Semitism. While they may claim to object to a particular policy or leader, in reality, what they object to is Israel’s right to exist.

He wrote: “There is no difference whatever between anti-Semitism and the denial of Israel’s statehood. Classical anti-Semitism denies the equal right of Jews as citizens within society. Anti-Zionism denies the equal rights of the Jewish people its lawful sovereignty within the community of nations. The common principle in the two cases is discrimination (against Jews).”

Or to put it a different way, making obsessive, excessive criticism that focuses almost exclusively on Israel and claiming one isn’t anti-Semitic, just anti-Zionist, is like trying to explain the difference between lox and nova.

For 11 days in May, Israel was bombarded by more than 4,000 rockets launched by Hamas into civilian areas. Although Israel responded to the indiscriminate launching of a barrage of rockets with precision to destroy specific Hamas targets, while striving to avoid civilian casualties, Israel was the one accused of a disproportionate response.

If anything was disproportionate, however, it was the intense vitriolic hyperbolic criticism leveled against Israel in social media.

We have become somewhat inoculated and are not surprised that the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, as well as the Yale University Student Council, California Teachers Union, New York University professors and others came out against Israel. We are outraged and appalled but have become somewhat used to and almost immune to these criticisms.

In a post-Holocaust world where blatant hatred of Jews is unfashionable, I can understand why those who hate Jews would wish to justify their anti-Semitism and disguise their antipathy towards Jews in the guise of anti-Zionism, and claim they have nothing against Jews, only against Israel’s policies.

But for Jews to be so focused on publicly criticizing Israel while ignoring other human-rights abuses around the world, is inexcusable.

When almost 100 rabbinic students in non-Orthodox rabbinic seminaries have the chutzpah to sign a petition objecting to Israel’s taking measures to defend and protect its citizens and accuse Israel of “violent suppression of human rights,” something is terribly wrong.

To make the false claim, as they do, that “Israel’s actions constitute an intentional removal of Palestinians,” shows naiveté and a superficial misguided understanding of the conflict. Ignoring Hamas’s genocidal intentions as stated in its charter, these would-be rabbis probably believe the Hamas propaganda that the attack was prompted by seizure of Palestinian property, but which is actually much closer to a landlord-tenant rent dispute being adjudicated in one of the fairest judicial systems in the world, and indisputably in the entire Middle East.

For future leaders of Jewish communities to express a litany of complaints against Israel for defending its people while rockets were still falling, without making a single reference to Hamas’s provocations, is unprecedented and inexcusable.

We have a problem, and it is not just due to external threats from our traditional enemies.

The intent of those who hurl slanders and libel at Israel by accusing it of apartheid, genocide and ethnic cleansing is to portray it in a way that makes Israel seem morally repugnant, rendering the defense of its people seem unwarranted and unjustifiable.

Jews should not adopt the positions or language of those who undermine Israel’s legitimacy. How dare they spread the malicious lies of those who denigrate our people?

When our fellow Jews are under attack, we should be character witnesses on their behalf. As Gil Troy wrote, these charges are “inaccurate and insulting, counterproductive and self-destructive. It hardens hearts and polarizes positions. And in demonizing the Jewish state, it encourages hooligans who target the Jews living in that state and the Jews living everywhere else, too.”

The 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas unleashed a torrent of cries of “Death to the Jews,” and attacks on Jews, Jewish institutions and even just places of business owned by or associated with Jews around the world. Synagogues throughout the world were targets of anti-Semitic acts of desecration because those who hate Israel do not make a distinction between Jews and the Jewish state.

By way of comparison, and to illustrate this point: When Russia attacked and invaded Ukraine, there were no calls for violence at Russian Orthodox churches; no need for increased security at their houses of worship.

Anti-Semitism takes many forms, not just blatant hateful comments and acts. It can be more subtle, such as denying or downplaying its existence. Last May, a Stanford University town hall was Zoom-bombed with racist and anti-Semitic messages and images. The perpetrators were equal-opportunity offenders, as they used the N-word and swastikas. But, so as not to overshadow the anti-black racism of what happened, the report of the university’s diversity committee omitted reference to the anti-Semitic aspects of the incident.

The time has come for us to demand greater accountability from colleges. A high percentage of Jews attend university. Other than one’s home, it is probably the largest expense a family has. We have a right to demand that our children not be subjected to vicious verbal assaults or prejudice. We must demand that institutions of higher education take measures to ensure that Jewish students are not bullied, intimidated or ostracized for joining Jewish organizations, supporting Israel or just for being Jewish.

If ever there was a time for clarity and Jewish unity, a time to stand with fellow Jews in the face of such an outpouring of blatant anti-Semitism and danger, it is now. Yet sadly, some have chosen not to stand with their people.

Motivated by attacks on Jews around the world, Elisha Wiesel sought to galvanize a unified Jewish response to the rising tide of anti-Semitism with a rally called No Fear this summer in Washington, D.C. Conscious efforts were made to be as inclusive as possible, to make the tent as big as possible and to invite groups from the right and the left to be sponsors.

Because the rally in solidarity with the Jewish people referred to the right of Jews in the United States and Israel to exist in peace and security, a number of organizations with the word “Jewish” in their names, which purport to speak on behalf of Jews (for the most part, the very same ones who objected to the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism), declined to participate in or support it because the platform referred to Israel.

Lest anyone question or think I am not aware of it, I recognize that Israel is not perfect; nor is it above criticism. But I do not love Israel because it is perfect. Nor does Israel need to be perfect for me to love it.

A story about a king who commissioned a painter to paint a portrait of him puts it in perspective. Upon meeting him for the first time, the artist said, “Your Majesty, I see that you have scars from childhood acne, and I want to be sure you will not be upset if I capture the blemishes since my style is to paint what I see.” The king replied, “You are welcome to include the blemishes. I only ask that you not neglect to paint my face.”

I do not love Israel because it has no blemishes.

In the early 20th century, a member of the House of Lords of Great Britain asked Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, when he was working for the establishment of the State of Israel, “Why do you Jews insist on Palestine when there are so many undeveloped countries you could settle in more conveniently?”

The Zionist leader replied, “That is like me asking you why you drove 20 miles to visit your mother last Sunday when there are so many other nice old ladies living on your street?”

More than our historical ties to the land, the Israel I know and love is the country that has risen out of the ashes of the Holocaust and is the one place in the world where someone from Poland and Yemen can live together and have a common heritage, language and destiny.

It is the nation that rushes to send humanitarian aid halfway around the world when natural disaster strikes. It is the people who, while fighting for survival, defiantly resists the temptation to succumb to the repression of freedom and democracy, as is the case in the countries surrounding it.

It is the country that rescues those rejected by every other nation and, despite economic problems of its own, doesn’t hesitate for a moment to absorb millions of poor Jews from the Soviet Union or to airlift tens of thousands of black Jews out of Africa to come home to Israel.

It is the startup nation that shares its medical and technological discoveries with the world—the place where the heads of Pfizer and Moderna, who came up with the vaccine to combat COVID-19, studied.

I could go on, for wherever we have lived—whether in Israel, or Iraq, not just in the realm of Jewish life, but in cultural, financial, academic and other areas—Jews have contributed disproportionately to better the lot, not just of Jews, but of everybody.

This is the story we need to tell and be proud of.

There is a midrash about an old man who spends his days prowling the streets of Sodom and Gomorrah crying out against the abuses and depravity that was so pervasive and that he saw all around him. One day, a person came up to him and asked, “Old man, don’t you realize that there is no way you can change these people?” He answered, “Long ago, I gave up any hope of changing them. Now I speak out against the injustice and immorality, so that they don’t change me.”

Let us speak out, so that those who denounce Israel so loudly, non-Jew or Jew, do not change us or diminish our unity or love for our people.

At the end of my aforementioned meeting with Sharansky, I told the assembled diverse group that when we are united, we can do great things. We came together and succeeded in freeing Soviet Jews, which ultimately led to the downfall of the Iron Curtain. And then, putting my hand on Sharansky’s shoulder, I said, “And we got this guy out of solitary confinement in the Soviet gulag.”

In one of his many conversations when making the case for the establishment of the State of Israel in its ancient homeland, Weizmann asked British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour, “If you were offered Paris instead of London, would you take it?” Balfour replied, “But London is ours,” to which Weizmann responded, “Jerusalem was ours when London was a marsh.”

God tells Abraham in the book of Genesis: וַאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר” וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה. “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you.” Let us hope this will soon come to pass—that all on earth, including ourselves and our fellow Jews, will recognize the blessing of being a Jew.

Let us hope that we live to see the day when the blessings we recite over fruits will no longer be the prayer that the plots of our enemies will be annulled. Let us hope that we will one day be able to just say the blessings that ask that we will be fruitful, and that our merits and mitzvot shall be multiplied, like the seeds of the pomegranate.

And may we then be able to enjoy the fruits of peace and security, so that the vision of the prophets may come to pass “and none shall be afraid.”

Originally published on jns.org

This article is the Yom Kippur sermon that the author delivered to his congregation on Sept. 16, 2021.

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STRONGER TOGETHER

AM YISRAEL: FOSTERING JEWISH UNITY AND PRIDE

WE are a people of memory. Our memories are inscribed on our collective soul.

WE remember when we were slaves to Pharaoh and we wandered in the desert for forty years. WE remember going into the Promised land with our Torah. We remember building the Temple and WE remember our exile to Babylon where our tongues would cleave to the roof of our mouths if we forgot thee O Jerusalem.

WE remember coming home and building our second Temple. And WE remember our longest exile from our home from the day the Romans destroyed our land and sent us wandering for 2000 years.

WE remember the horrors done to our people through the centuries.

WE remember when the The Crusaders, on their way from Rouen in Normandy to Jerusalem to liberate the Holy city from the Muslims, murdered us along the way, accusing us of being, “killers of the prophets, and murderers of the Lord.”

Pogrom De Strasbourg 1349

WE remember in 1146, the blood of Jews ran through the streets of the Maghreb.

WE remember the pogroms in the 13th century throughout Germany, in Mainz and Cracow; the rampages in the 16th century throughout Italy, Switzerland and Germany following the Passion plays.

WE remember the Cossacks and Poles in the 17th century led by Russian tyrants Chmielnicki and Krivonos murdering us. WE remember the Ukraine when 1.5 million of us were shot to death and then burned. WE remember seeing our mothers and daughters heads shaved, running naked through the forest to a pit already dug where they stood and waited to be shot and fall into the pit. Dead, nearly dead and wounded, we watched the earth move for three days until all died.

WE remember World War II France: 76,000 of us deported to the Nazi concentration camps and incinerated.

Now we are home. We must hold those old memories close so that we remain vigil against those who wish evil on us. Those who look at us with evil intentions neatly wrapped in pretty ribbons.

This Rosh Hashana let us not be taken in by those who try to deceive us. Let us not embrace those who say they love us - but don’t respect us as the Jewish people, who hear and believe in one God.

Because WE remember.

When we sit down at our dinner tables this Rosh Hashana, let us dip our apple into the honey and remind ourselves of the sweetness of Judaism and promise ourselves we will never bow down to evil intentions wrapped in so-called love.

Excerpted from Times of Israel, reprinted with permission from author. Read the original blog HERE.

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There is an assumption that every Jew should ultimately feel a strong connection to his or her people and the State of Israel; that there is something within every Jewish soul that pulls them to the Promised Land.

The emotional, historical, and spiritual ties that bound us to Israel in the past are slowly and steadily becoming unraveled in the present.

During the first few decades of Israeli independence, the vast majority of American and World Jewry saw the embattled Jewish State as a symbol of pride, national and spiritual identity. Zionism, and its message of self-sufficiency in a Jewish homeland, was a central component of Jewish identification. This, coupled with the recent memory of the Shoah and its horrors, caused us to see Israel as an extension of our Jewish selves.

We defended Israel's right to exist - holding our collective breaths during times of crisis and rejoicing in her miraculous victories. We demonstrated our support with our political clout and our pocketbooks, by making Aliyah, traveling on organized tours and sending our Children to study and experience the "Miracle on the Mediterranean."

Today, however, the word "Zionist" has become divisive. Israel's enemies have tried to co-opt the term by linking it with policies of oppression and racism.

Some of our Christian friends have used it to describe their love of Israel – and while I understand that this is done out a desire to show solidarity and support, this also can be seen by some as ignoring or redefining the essential element of Zionism as a natural outgrowth of Jewish identity in connection with the land of our people.

Over the past several decades, a great deal has changed. Instead of being the underdog, Israel, in the eyes of many, is now a pariah state. It has become de riguer to demonize Zionism as the source of numerous evils.

As riots continue to increase, I have no doubt that, in addition to Anti-Americanism, they will also be fueled by anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric.

Sadly, for many American Jews, Israel, instead of being a focal point of pride has become a source of discomfort or embarrassment.

I have colleagues who are afraid to even mention Israel from the pulpit – not because of their convictions, but because of the divisions and discord that doing so may create in their communities.

In addition, the more we talk about Israel's "survival" the less focused we are on the real mission of the modern State of Israel as the embodiment of Jewish values, vision and history.

For a growing group of individuals – Jews and non-Jews alike, the issue of whether or not to be openly supportive of the State of Israel goes beyond politics. There are those for whom the idea of a Sovereign Jewish State just feels wrong; for whom the concept of a separate country for the Jewish people is somehow backwards and inappropriate. Their logic goes something like this:

In olden days, it was the divisions between peoples that caused wars and hatred. The mere existence of a modern-day state that proudly and openly proclaims itself to be "Jewish" is contrary to 21st century values and understanding. Our shrinking, modern world with its inter-twined systems of commerce, currency and communication is multi-national and "post-ethnic."

Rather than focusing on the differences between nations, the western world needs to move beyond archaic and divisive ethnic, nationalist and religious distinctions and embrace a universal ideal of all people united under the banner of a common truth and belief in the equality of all humankind.

Perhaps it was John Lennon who embodied this vision best with his lyrics:

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

How many of us grew up singing this song? How many of us saw it as a plea for sanity, peace and harmony in a world that seemed to be daily descending into the depths of destruction? I know that I did.

John Lennon's anthem of universal peace reflects a central leitmotif of much of modern Western thought. The concept of tearing down the walls that separate us has become so intertwined with our collective conscience that any talk of particularism goes against the grain of much of modern thinking.

Jewish tradition walks a fine line between Universalism and Particularism. Unlike other faiths, Judaism does not teach that it is only through living a Jewish life that one can achieve salvation. There are many pathways to holiness. We are not the only religion, nor do we see ourselves as the "best" religion.

The often mis-understood concept of "Chosenness" implies that the Jewish people have a unique role to play in the unfolding of history. But we were not chosen to be better. Rather, we were chosen to receive Torah and bring God's presence into the world.

Most of us are comfortable with the Universal ideals of our faith. To state that all humanity was created in the Divine image; to reinforce the concept that salvation is open to all humanity makes us feel good about ourselves and our faith. But there are times when speaking of specific Jewish values, privileges and responsibilities make some feel uncomfortable.

An example of this occurs every Shabbat morning when we celebrate a bar or bat mitzvah – especially when there are many non-Jewish guests present. One of our goals during this service is to make everyone feel as welcome as possible –and we do a pretty good job. And yet, there is a fascinating point in the beginning of the service – during the opening blessings - called Nissim b'chol yom.

These prayers speak of our awareness of God's presence in our lives – whether we know it or not. The blessings state appreciation for God's "everyday miracles." We thank God for rising of the sun, for clothing the naked and healing the sick. It's quite moving. But there is a point in the recitation of these blessings where they shift from Universal to Particularistic concerns and I can sometimes feel a sense of discomfort move over the congregation.

When we say: "Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech Ha-Olam – she asini Yisrael. Blessed are You, Eternal our God, for making me a Jew."  I can see people pause for a moment.

Should we be saying this? Is this right? Why are we saying a prayer that's so….. "Jewish?" It's OK to talk about Universal concepts like peace and harmony, fellowship and God's love for humanity…but thanking God for making me a Jew? That seems almost out of place…..

My friends, there is nothing wrong in a Jewish service about thanking God for the gift of our heritage. Yes, our non-Jewish friends and family may not feel included in these words, but that's ok….. they probably don't mind. They are here because they love and support us. If we go to a Christian service, there are lots of prayers that we don't or can't say. This prayer – thanking God for making us Jewish doesn't state that Judaism is better – but it does state that our heritage is a gift from God – and for that we are grateful.

The truth is – while we share so much in common with our non-Jewish friends, neighbors and relatives, we're not all the same. We don't pray the same way and we don't necessarily agree on everything. And that's a good thing. Diversity in an essential element for human interaction.

Copyright © Photo by Bernadett Alpern

1. It is because we are different that we find ways to infuse our lives with understanding and growth through sharing our differences
2. It is because we are different that we can reach out and learn from one another.
3. It is because we are different that we can share, celebrate and, when necessary, overcome our differences - thereby enriching our lives in the process.

Of course, there are those who have no tolerance for differences – who see the world through a prism of perfection and fundamentalist triumphalism. It is fiery fundamentalist rhetoric that is fueling rioting in the streets around the globe. It is intolerance and bigotry that produced an amateurish film that was designed to insult an entire religion. This is not who we are. And this is not who we should be allowed to frame the perspective around our differences.

There is nothing wrong with being proud of who we are and what we stand for. And that goes double for the State of Israel.

When it comes to Israel, instead of being defensive, we have the right and responsibility to be proud of her successes.

No, Israel is not perfect. There are many serious issues that need to be confronted. But the Jewish State is not a pariah either.

Our task, on this Rosh HaShanah and every day following is to work to change the conversation: first in the American Jewish Community and then around the globe.

It's not enough to simply defend Israel's right to exist; we need to spend more time talking about the incredible gift we and the rest of the world have been given by the existence of the modern Jewish State of Israel.

In his recent book, The Promise of Israel, Rabbi Daniel Gordis writes about how we need to refocus our conversation about Israel to the values that the Jewish State provides – not only for the Jewish people, but for the entire world. Gordis writes:

What is at issue between Israel and the international community is whether ethnic and national diversity ought to be encouraged and promoted. Israel has something to say about the importance of human difference that is at odds with the prevailing attitudes in the world today. It is a country that insists that people thrive and flourish most when they live in societies in which their language, their culture, their history and their sense of purpose are situated at the very center of public life.

Gordis posits that Israel is unique because it is Jewish. Unlike the United States, or most other countries around the world, Israel was not designed to be a multi-national melting pot. If someday Israel were to have an Arab majority and elect a Muslim Prime Minister, it would be a catastrophe because the modern State of Israel was created for the purpose of providing a homeland for the Jewish people and to show the world what we, as Jews stand for and believe in. It is for this reason that the Two State Solution is a necessary step in creating peace in the Middle East.

The State of Israel is different than any other nation in the world today. Yes, it exists in order to ensure that the Jewish people will always have a homeland. But it also serves as an example of the power of a people to infuse 4,000 years of history and tradition into the building of a modern nation that embodies the highest aspirations towards which humanity can reach.

Out of the ashes of the Shoah the Jewish people created a vital and complex country that serves as a beacon of Democracy, intellect, artistic genius and economic success for the entire world to see.

Of course, there are problems. The specter of a nuclear Iran poses an existential threat. There is Civil War in Syria. The peace treaty with Egypt may be jeopardized with the new Islamist government. Hamas continues to shell rockets in the south…the list is long and frightening.

If we put these issues aside for a moment – and only for a moment - we also know that Israel is threatened – not only by external enemies – but by internal divisions as well - fueled by some of the same intolerance, bigotry and fundamentalist world views that plague its neighbors. But there is one difference: Jewish tradition teaches that we need to confront our differences – openly and honestly. To do otherwise would be a Chilul Hashem – a profaning of the Divine name.

How many of Israel's neighbors, in the aftermath of the recent anti-American and anti-Israel demonstrations, have gone through a Cheshbon Ha-Nefesh - soul searching? Where is the voice of the Imams and the teachers of the Muslim world who are condemning violence? If they are there – they have been silenced.

The world needs Israel because Israel has so much to teach. If, for example, instead of demonizing the Jewish state, Israel's enemies attempted to emulate her successes, think of what could be accomplished!

I feel very strongly about these issues. My convictions are deep because I am a Zionist. I have always been a Zionist. Ahavat Eretz V'Am Yisrael - a love of the land and people of Israel is central to understanding of who I am - as a Jew and as a human being. And I also believe that most of you feel the same way.

We are all Zionists because the State of Israel - the Land and People of Israel – warts and all - is central to our historical and spiritual birthright as Jews.

Throughout our history the land of Israel has been inexorably linked to our self-understanding.

When pray, we face Jerusalem. During Passover, at the end of our Seder, we pray: "L'Shanah Ha-Ba-ah B'yerushalayim - Next year in Jerusalem." In our prayer books, in our poetry and music, in every age, Jews have been spiritually and physically connected to this land. Zionism is a movement that is the natural outgrowth of that connectedness.

Our task, as we welcome this New Year, is to celebrate the State of Israel. We need to change the conversation about Israel and understand that we have the ability and the responsibility to be proud of what our people have created.

I also want to encourage you to find ways to travel to Israel. Whether it is your first trip or your 10th, there is no better way to truly understand your relationship with the Jewish State and the Jewish people.

May the coming year bring peace to Israel and the world. May all of us come to appreciate and share our love for the State of Israel and our faith.

AMEN

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]]> Sun, 31 Aug 2025 11:34:00 +0000 http://israelforever.org/vci/webinar/dont-let-them-get-away-with-it/ http://israelforever.org/vci/webinar/dont-let-them-get-away-with-it/ In this powerful webinar, Rabbi David Wolpe joins Dr. Elana Heideman of Israel Forever for an urgent conversation on antisemitism inspired by the timeless words of Elie Wiesel: "Don’t let them get away with it."

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

As antisemitism surges across the globe—from college campuses to mainstream media—Rabbi Wolpe breaks down the nature of hate, the influence of Middle Eastern regimes, and how we can respond with clarity, courage, and Jewish resilience.

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BE EMPOWERED

BE ISRAEL STRONG

]]> Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:05:00 +0000 http://israelforever.org/interact/blog/asking_for_forgiveness/ http://israelforever.org/interact/blog/asking_for_forgiveness/ Interestingly, in Jewish tradition, an individual cannot be right with God without being first right with his or her fellow men. People come first. If you know you have hurt someone you need to ask for their forgiveness before God will forgive you.

How many of the people you know find it difficult to apologize, to ask for forgiveness? How many people find it difficult to admit, even to themselves, that they have done something wrong?

“Jew’s Place of Wailing, Jerusalem” from William Bartlett’s Walks About the City and Environs of Jerusalem, 1844. (Wikimedia Commons)

Jewish tradition puts forgiveness and asking for forgiveness very high on the scale of importance. Selichot prayers are a ritual of admitting to God that we have sinned and asking for God’s mercy. This ritual is a way to make each individual internalize that no matter what they did, how they behaved in the previous year, in the next year they can do better.

Admitting, giving voice to the idea of having failed is walking half way down the path of actually doing and being better.

Interestingly, in Jewish tradition, an individual cannot be right with God without being first right with his or her fellow men. People come first. If you know you have hurt someone you need to ask for their forgiveness before God will forgive you.

Sephardic communities begin reciting Selichot at the beginning of Elul, the month before Rosh Hashana, (the Jewish New Year) so that a period of 40 days, similar to the time Moses spent on Mount Sinai, is devoted to prayers of forgiveness. The practice among the Ashkenazi community is to begin saying them on the Saturday night prior to Rosh Hashanah.

Originally, Selichot prayers were recited early in the morning, prior to dawn. There was a custom in Eastern Europe that the person in charge of prayers would make the rounds of the village, knocking three times on each door and saying, “Israel, holy people, awake, arouse yourselves and rise for the service of the Creator! It later became common practice to hold the first Selichot service‑-considered the most important‑-at a time more convenient for the masses of people. Therefore, the Saturday night service was moved forward to midnight. It is always darkest before the dawn. Dawn is the time that brings hope for a new day, for light and better times.

The mere gathering together of people at a time when they are usually asleep is impressive. There is nothing like Selichot in at the Kotel. Thousands mass together, with the same intentions, in the holiest place on earth for the Jewish people.

(Actually the Kotel is the western retaining wall of the ancient Jewish Temple complex, Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount. A few hundred years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Muslim Dome of the Rock was built in its place. The holiest place on earth for Jews, the Foundation Stone, believed to be the rock from which God built the rest of the world, is believed by many (Muslims and Jews alike) to be in the center of this mosque (hence the name). This stone was where the altar of the Holy of Holies stood, what used to be the focal point of the Temple itself – but Jews are not allowed to openly pray on the Temple Mount today. The Kotel, the Western Wall, is one of the closest locations to this holy site permissible to Jews, though many also consider the Southern Wall a "direct view" of the site.)

Selichot prayers are supposed to promote introspection. The melodies are sad and full of longing. Properly chanted, they form an oratorio expressing the despair that accompanies separation from God and the desire to change and repent. The self‑deprecation contained in the words, which express the feeling of life’s fleetingness, and the burden of vanity that motivates so much of what one does, all cause us to ponder how we can break the cycle of our lives and change ourselves for the better. The possibility of change and of a better life is inherent in these prayers:

“O Lord, hear our voice in the morning; in the morning we set them before You with hopeful expectation. Hear our voice…”

We live in very dark times but there is always hope. It will be the actions of individuals and the way they move through the world that will decide the fate of all of our lives. One person does not have the power to change the world but each person has within the power to change themselves and THAT is what change the world, possibly even could save the world.

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]]> Sun, 17 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000 http://israelforever.org/interact/blog/together_as_one/ http://israelforever.org/interact/blog/together_as_one/ The 9th of Av, Tisha B’Av, is a symbol of all the persecutions and misfortunes of the Jewish people, for the loss of our national independence and our sufferings in exile. If we cannot stand together as one, especially when it matters most, we risk losing it all. A house divided against itself cannot stand. This year, the Three Weeks of Mourning have been particularly meaningful to the Israelis as they hear air raid sirens and flee to underground hiding places. The Iron Dome protective shield had successfully shot down most of the rockets raining on Israel, but there is always the fear some will slip through.

As thousands of missiles shoot at Israel from Gaza and children have to hide in bomb shelters, we gaze at the Temple Mount with even more longing than normal.

We read from Lamentations, the traditional book used to prepare their hearts for Tisha B’Av:
“How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!” — Lamentations 1:1

Tens of thousands will gather at the Western Wall to pray and petition the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel in remembrance of the destruction of the First and Second Temples, hundreds of years apart, and the historical tragedies that have taken place on this day

The 9th of Av, Tisha B’Av, is a symbol of all the persecutions and misfortunes of the Jewish people, for the loss of our national independence and our sufferings in exile.

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Iron Dome shoots down missile above Tel Aviv

Copyright © Pinni Neteravich

After weeks of missiles falling on Israel and bombs dropping on Gaza, we land on Tisha b’Av.

Even with an uneasy review of the historic loss and the national tragedy, I have found it increasingly difficult to connect with a text from a distant time filled with a sorrow that I can comprehend only through footnotes.

But when watching the news one night and seeing a video of an Iron Dome missile intercepting a Gaza rocket, I found myself saying, “God, don’t let it miss.” Then I thought that Jews around the world were probably saying that simple prayer, too. I began to get some insight into why we mourn on the Ninth of Av.

Tisha b’Av connects us to feelings about communal loss, shared pain and the potential for history to repeat itself.

The feeling is a kind of anxiety that grows with the numbers of tunnels dug up and civilians killed, and begins to float freely as other countries and international organizations weigh in with what they think Israel should do.

To counteract that feeling of anxiety, I had to do some digging of my own.

Returning to Eicha, I recalled its opening verse, “Lonely sits the city/Once great with people!” This year, with air raid sirens blaring and Israelis taking shelter underground, has the potential to connect us to their experience.

At the same time, however, I realized that Eicha and Tisha b’Av make for an imperfect shelter in a world in which Jews — no matter how justified world leaders say we are in defending ourselves — are still being held responsible for much of the death and destruction in this conflict.

With every photo of a bombed hospital, and especially with the death of a child, the world seems to ask: Why are you mourning?

I am mourning and fasting as a response to those in the world who wrongfully perceive us as the willful perpetrators of destruction [that] reminds me of the baseless hatred said to have brought down the Second Temple...

Edmon J. Rodman, Tisha B'Av in a Time of Rockets, Tunnels and Death

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Mourning for the temple is sentimental and admirable.

Mourning our fallen Jewish brothers and sisters is essential and imperative.

This Tisha b’Av, we must remember the practical effects of sinat chinam.  It’s not simply a mussar-like platitude urging us to be kinder to one another. It’s a warning.

If we cannot stand together as one, especially when it matters most, we risk losing it all. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

We relive our most tragic moments every year on Tisha b’Av, but it’s not because we are masochists or incapable of getting past our trauma. Rather it is because we know that our sadness will turn to joy.

We hold onto our cumulative misery spanning thousands of years and millions of tears so that we have more to celebrate when our tears of sorrow become tears of joy. Forgetting all our suffering only diminishes our future delight.

This, too, is a useful tool for these dark times. Don’t avoid the news reports. Don’t hide from the pain. Don’t shy away from the stories. Engage in the struggle. Feel everything. Then when the sun shines again, it will shine so much brighter.

Tisha b’Av comes every year, but this year it is different. We have been given enough reasons to remember collective human suffering this year. We have been given enough reasons to remember the importance of standing together, especially when we disagree.

Tisha b’Av is an important opportunity to participate in an international communal day of reflection. It’s just what we need this summer. It couldn’t possibly come at a better time. Feel Tisha b’Av this year.

You need it.

We all need it.

Rabbi Eliyahu Fink, The Meaning of Tisha B'Av in Trying Times

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Am Yisrael - Can We Call Ourselves One?

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STRONGER TOGETHER

AM YISRAEL: FOSTERING JEWISH UNITY AND PRIDE

Elie Wiesel’s message to the world was to consider our collective responsibility - to remember, to understand even what is beyond all understanding, and to translate memory into meaningful purpose.

LISTEN TO PODCAST

Survivors of October 7 have heeded the call of responsibility and have been speaking about their experiences around the world, hoping to use the personal experience to shape public empathy and recognition of the fight for Jewish survival that the assault on Israel represents - for its victims, and for all of humanity.

Their survival of the massacre or captivity has awakened their connection with the Holocaust as witnesses of atrocity. Through the lessons of Elie Wiesel, their learning and activism, their healing and recovery, their sense of purpose and passion can be empowered, and can empower each of us as we become the witness to the witness of Jewish experiences of pain and memory.

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CARRYING ON THE LEGACY OF A MASTER

REMEMBERING ELIE WIESEL

We all feel it. Jewish history is at a crossroads. The issues that divide us are not only affecting the way we think about our fellow Jews, they are affecting the way we feel about ourselves, our identity, and our nation.

One of the challenges facing the Jewish People today is the growing lack of interest and recognition of Israel as an integral part of Jewish life and identity. After 2,000 years of an ongoing connection with our ancestral homeland, we are witnessing a prevalence of disenchantment or outright antagonism that increasingly distances Diaspora Jewry from recognizing the value of a meaningful connection with Israel.

What can we do to enable everyone to look at Israel and the Jewish nation as a whole and feel unified - feel like they too belong? Why is it that so many of our own, feel like they don’t have a place. Or feel like they need to conform? Why can’t we simply be proud of being a Jew in whatever way that speaks to us? It doesn’t mean we all have to see Israel as a physical home right now. But ideally, Israel is a place that is meant to encapsulate and appreciate all Jews - Ashkenazim and Sephardim, Religious and Non-religious, Assimilated and Traditional.

In spite of the rise of Antisemitism, the negative rhetoric centered around Israel, and the challenging issues that we face, Israel remains an eternal and integral part of Jewish life and identity.

We don’t all have to have the same background, political leanings or opinions. Yet we are all part of the story of Am Yisrael. No geographical or political divide can diminish the significance of that.

This is true whether or not we actively embrace this. The magical thing is that, when we do fully embrace this, we become stronger - as individuals and as a community.

While we cannot expect a static and unwavering relationship with Israel, there definitely exists a tangible will and desire to connect to our Jewish homeland. World Jewry is waiting for us to reach out and talk to them.

© 2018 אוסף התצלומים הלאומי Photo by Kobi Gideon

We see the best examples of this in the testimonials of those who use our content in both formal and informal learning environments.

What I love about Israel Forever is that you just spread awareness -- you are not politically affiliated nor do you ever spread hatred you are just about "we love Israel and the Jewish people" and that's a very positive message that not only do I think *I* can relate to but I think it is very powerful in getting many people engaged as well!” - Alex Toussieh, Mexico

There is one place I find my Israel sunshine and my inspiration - through the Israel Forever Foundation I can be a part of our majestic homeland from any place on earth. I'm able to refresh myself from the assaults that never cease and remind others that no matter what may come Israel truly is forever!

Through Israel Forever, I feel enabled to nurture the Israel connection that I cherish. We can all find something that resonates in our own experience or creates an equally-compelling association. While I can’t afford to always visit, IFF allows me to stay “in a relationship” with Israel. This keeps me invigorated, inspired in my commitment to Israel, and ultimately fosters feelings of warmth toward the Jewish state. - Rhonda Blender

Indeed, the words of those actively engaged with Israel Forever demonstrate our success at what we aim to do - initiate more consistent Israel engagement and enhance the power of the experience of Jewish unity (not uniformity!).

This is the the goal of the Israel Forever Foundation in general and the Stronger Together Initiative in particular.

In the face of general misinformation and the negative tone of political discourse we want to illustrate how the Diaspora-Israel relationship can thrive from a renewed sense of understanding, respect, and pride in Israel for all Jews. In achieving this, we strengthen our personal identity and provide a platform on which we can build a unified community.

Together we have the strength to attain any goal we set for ourselves and overcome any challenge - no matter how large or frightening it might seem.

Unity is always a positive state to strive for - unity, not uniformity. In uncertain times, it is more important than ever. That’s what Stronger Together is all about.

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STRONGER TOGETHER

AM YISRAEL: FOSTERING JEWISH UNITY AND PRIDE

As is characteristic of any good night out, I woke up in the afternoon. Everything was calm. I lazily got out of bed, put on my Shabbos clothes, and meandered to the main corridor of the seminary to get water. The sound of my singing filled the silence of the halls and I energized myself with the chilled breeze pouring in from the open doors.

As I returned upstairs with my freshly filled water bottle, my friend rushed into the hallway, looking concerned.

Rocket alert map from October 7 - courtesy INSS

“Serina, something’s happening. I usually have my phone switched off fully on Shabbat but I left it on this time and I thought my RedAlert was glitching–I kept getting ping after ping–”

“What? What happened?” She was speaking so fast.
I sped into her room to check out what she’s talking about.

“I looked at the news and it says there was an attack at a music festival.”

I checked her phone and my eyes widened as it all flashed in front of me: 22 dead and counting. What happened next was a whirlwind of trying to consume as much information as I could about the situation, all in the span of time it took for my friend to get dressed to go to Kiddish.

In an orthodox community who abstain from technology on the holidays, the only way for anyone to get information was from people like my friend and I, who checked their phones and relayed to others about what had happened. Despite it being very late into the afternoon, the Kiddish meal hadn’t yet started. Everyone had had a late night. The energy in the hall was dampened by the lingering in the back of everyone’s minds that something bad was happening. Although no one had exact details, the talks around the Kiddish table were intermittently interrupted by comments about the evil smoke of air billowing over the rest of the nation.

The massacre embodied the fears I had been conditioned to anticipate my entire life – that "never again" could happen again. I grew up with a typical Jewish American upbringing marked by visits to Holocaust memorial museums, attending talks from survivors when I was a child, going to Jewish camp and Hebrew school–developing a naive sense of security that that form of hatred was in the past.

As a university student, I came to fully understand the condition of Galut. It was February, 2023, and I was on a Shabbaton in Florida–the same weekend an International Day of Jewish Hate was announced. During that February, I gained the vivid awareness that I was living in diaspora, and what that meant. After the shabbaton, I had an interaction with an older woman in my community. In 1979, when she was only a teenager, she had been forced to leave Iran, settling eventually in the US. Now, in 2023, she shared a sobering insight. She calmly stated, “If the US is no longer welcoming to Jews, then it could be time to move again.” Her words struck me and continue to this day–I had never heard the concept of diaspora expressed with such matter-of-fact acceptance. It made me realise that while I exist comfortably outside of Israel, I will never be truly secure. Israel stands as the only nation where my safety is the foremost priority. Without the state of Israel, I am vulnerable to exile, persecution, and ghettoization.

Months later, I was studying the course of the Jewish people from a text known as the “lunar files.” This outlined that an Amalek (an enemy of the Jewish people) would exist in every generation. Typically, the Amalek is the most powerful country or empire at the time, but that the Jews would always survive. It compared the Jewish nation to the moon, both going through cycles of waxing and waning.

Predating the war by months, I had begun to predict something horrific would happen. Were we at our full moon moment? If that were true, we could only wane from here. Perhaps it was generational trauma leading to my cynical paranoia, but was I wrong? What took place only months later seemed just that.

I reflected on the great success Jews were having in the United States, with unlimited access to shape the course of their lives through arts, medicine, and any line of work they chose. We have never been this assimilated, while enjoying the full benefits of citizenry anywhere.

However, at this unique juncture in the history of the Jewish nation, the global superpower - the United States - is not antisemitic. It is not the Amalek. On the contrary, it protects the freedom of religion. There has never been a time in history when the dominant power was on the side of the Jews.

It is at this critical time of synergy, where we have our own country, and we share allyship with the most influential country in the world, that we must advocate for Jewish life, for ourselves.

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Held in the shadow of Israel’s war with Iran, this year’s Elie Wiesel Memorial Program offered a powerful reflection on memory, meaning, and moral courage.

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Elie Wiesel z"l taught that our responsibility is not only to remember the past, but to transform that memory into purpose. In a world where truth is under siege and Jewish lives are again threatened, his voice remains urgently relevant.

In this special program, Dr. Elana Heideman, Israel Forever's CEO and Elie Wiesel's protege, honors Wiesel’s enduring legacy, exploring how his teachings can strengthen our resolve, awaken moral clarity, and remind us of our role as “witnesses to the witness” of Jewish suffering and survival.

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CARRYING ON THE LEGACY OF A MASTER

REMEMBERING ELIE WIESEL

A deadly war now being waged over the skies of Iran and Israel is killing dozens and threatening not only Israel’s existence, but also the global economy and even world peace. This edition aims to cut through the headlines and provide clear answers to pressing questions about this rapidly unfolding crisis. We will delve into Israel’s significant and ongoing military action, Operation Rising Lion, airstrikes against Iranian nuclear, military and infrastructure targets, and Iran’s lethal retaliation of missiles and drones. Scenes of destruction throughout Israel and Iran and alarming casualty reports on both sides have captured the world’s attention.

The operation’s name may be drawn from biblical strength (“Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion,” Numbers 23:24) and a powerful play on ancient Iranian symbolism of a lion and sun that were on the national flag until the Islamic Revolution. This highlights Israel’s resolute determination to act decisively in self-defense against existential threats to prevent a nuclear catastrophe and possibly allow Iranians to topple their government. Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi recently made repeated calls for Iranians to “overthrow and liberate Iran.”

Since June 13, the ‘shadow war’ – marked by years of Israeli and American sabotage operations – has erupted into open conflict. The Israeli Air Force has conducted extensive strikes deep within Iran, with reports of significant damage and casualties among top commanders and nuclear scientists. In response, Iran has launched deadly barrages intentionally targeting densely populated Israeli residential areas – totaling more than 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of lethal drones.

Why did Israel act now?

Israel acted decisively in the face of Iranian nuclear threats to Israel becoming imminent. Iran has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction for decades – and accelerated its nuclear program after the Iran-backed Hamas Oct. 7 massacre. After years of warnings and failed diplomacy, the UN’s nuclear watchdog (IAEA) recently voiced “serious concern” and confirmed Israel’s assessment that Iran was rapidly advancing its nuclear program – enriching uranium to dangerous levels that could only be used in nukes.

President Trump gave Iran 60 days to make a deal by June 12, a deadline that passed. Israel launched its airstrikes on day 61. Iran also was rebuilding its air defense system, radars and other military capabilities after Israel crippled them in targeted strikes last year. This was not Israel’s first preemptive strike against an existential nuclear threat: the Israeli Air Force destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981 and Syria’s in 2007. Neither country restarted their program.

How can Iran be the aggressor when Israel attacked first and is killing more people?

Israel’s pre-emptive strike aimed to prevent a catastrophe of unimaginable scale. Imagine if just one of the Iranian missiles hitting Israel was armed with a nuclear warhead? Iran has historically and repeatedly declared its intent to destroy the Jewish state, the size of New Jersey.

There also is a major difference in military tactics. Iran intentionally fires missiles at Israeli homes, while the Israeli Defense Forces focus on Iranian military and political sites. Iranian missiles have destroyed houses, apartment buildings and a science lab dedicated to finding a cure for cancer. Israel used precision weapons to target Iran’s nuclear weapons program and scientists. Israel warns Iranian civilians living near certain facilities to leave before military strikes. Iran does not separate civilian from military deaths in its reports.

Why does Israel believe it cannot negotiate with the current Iranian regime?

How can Israelis “meet in the middle” with a government whose stated goal is total annihilation of the Jewish state? Negotiations are impossible. Any expectation of successful negotiation eroded over decades of Iran’s genocidal rhetoric and proxy wars, coupled with its decades-long nuclear program. There is no diplomatic answer to an existential threat that also promotes the hatred of Jews (antisemitism) around the world.

Is Iran a threat to the U.S.?

Iran has directly attacked Americans for nearly 50 years. This includes seizing 52 American citizens for 444 days at the U.S. Embassy at the start of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and its attempted cyberattack against Boston’s Children Hospital in 2021 – trying to “interrupt ongoing patient care and emergency surgeries.” Iran also had a direct role in the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. servicemembers. Iran continues to openly call for America’s destruction. The terror regime armed and directed militias responsible for maiming and killing hundreds of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Iranian agents continue to plot attacks on American soil.

Is Israel dragging the U.S. into a wider conflict?

This dangerous narrative is echoed by prominent anti-Israel voices from the far-left and far-right. They claim that Israel wants America to fight on its behalf – a classic stereotype of Jews. Despite their very different ideologies, figures like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, unite in their antagonism against the Jewish state and, often, American Jews.

Sen. Lindsey Graham compared them to “the heirs of Neville Chamberlain” – the British prime minister in the 1930s who believed that Hitler could be appeased through negotiations. Israel is acting in full coordination with America, but without the U.S. participating in any military attacks. A strong U.S.-Israel alliance is important against shared threats like Iran and the U.S. military is providing defensive support to Israel.

Is a wider regional war inevitable?

The risk of escalation in the past would have been high, but Israel has severely damaged the ability of Iran’s proxies to simultaneously attack Israel – including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. The strength of the Abraham Accords and the unspoken support of Iran’s enemies – the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – also make a larger conflict less likely. Israel’s targeted strikes aim to destroy Iran's nuclear program and stop its aggression.

Are Western countries condemning Israel’s actions?

Israel is fighting for the Western values of democracy and freedom. Many countries, including some in Europe, have supported Israel’s right to self-defense. German Chancellor Merz: “This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us. We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world.”

Crucially, the U.S. is pursuing intense diplomatic efforts. It supports Israel's right to defend itself, while urgently working to de-escalate the broader conflict and pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Israel fights what it sees as a war for the entire free world – essentially doing the work of many nations – and makes painful choices now to prevent a much larger and more devastating war.

How is Israeli society unifying and enduring through multiple conflicts?

Israelis have been resilient in their multifront war: facing rockets from Hamas and Yemen, and drones and missiles from Iran. While local political debates continue, the direct Iranian threat has unified Israelis: a majority think the campaign will unite society and only 16% oppose Israel’s operation. Faced with an enemy openly committed to their destruction, they all share the desire to live in peace. Israeli opposition leader Lapid: “When it comes to the security of the people of Israel in the face of our enemies, we are one people, with one mission. Our children will not live in fear of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Not today, not ever.”

In times of crisis, Israelis of all backgrounds show a deep commitment to everyone in Israeli society. Muslim Arab volunteer medic Jamal Waraki was a first responder on Oct. 7 and recently rescued an 80-year-old Israeli buried under rubble. He described the Iranian regime: “These are not humans. They are monsters who deliberately target civilians.”

Nine Israelis stranded in Cyprus traveled on a tugboat to enter Israel during the war, including former Jerusalem Post editor Ya’akov Katz: “We are a people who run toward home, not away from it. Toward our families, our communities, our nation. Even in war.”

Does the Iranian regime truly represent the will of its people?

Many Iranians – especially those living outside the country – do not share its government’s hatred of Jews and Israelis. They want a future of freedom and peace, like they had before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranians who break strict moral codes – including women who refuse to wear the hijab and individuals identifying as gay – are often imprisoned, beaten and even killed.

Videos and voice messages from Iranians include chanting, “Death to the Dictator, death to the Islamic Republic,” “I wanted to thank Israel and Uncle Netanyahu for what they did” and “We need to be united to topple this blood thirsty government.” Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Crown Prince of Iran, is encouraging Iranians to overthrow the regime and “reclaim their nation.”

1. Israel acted decisively to prevent a nuclear catastrophe

An imminent existential threat demanded swift, resolute action. Failing to act would have unleashed unimaginable devastation, not just on Israel, but globally. Israel’s decisive move is intended to prevent another Holocaust against the Jewish people – there are more than 7 million Jews in Israel today. Such a bold defense is a shield against a worldwide campaign of terror – highlighting the stakes of unchecked aggression.

2. Iran fuels global terror and threatens world stability

Iran-backed terrorist groups – including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen – demonstrate the regime’s influence in destabilizing the world. The Iranian regime is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, funding, arming and training its proxy groups to attack Americans and Israelis. This support empowers terrorists to inflict devastating attacks – spreading fear, chaos and death – leaving a trail of innocent victims in their wake. This relentless campaign of terror demands a unified response to hold Iran accountable and dismantle its network of destruction.

3. Iran is intentionally targeting Israeli civilians

The Islamic regime’s brutal strategy deliberately inflicts terror on innocent families and civilian life. All non-essential businesses throughout Israel are closed and Israelis only are allowed to use public transportation to travel to hospitals or military bases. They must stay close to bomb shelters at all times. The barbaric targeting of civilians exposes a chilling disregard for human life and every moral code. Iran’s actions highlight a terror-first agenda, in stark contrast to nations upholding humanitarian standards. Iran’s actions must be condemned.

4. Iranians are being held hostage by a hostile regime

Millions of Iranians endure a daily nightmare under a tyrannical regime that denies their basic freedoms and human dignity. The Ayatollah rules Iran with an iron fist, despite his citizens’ desire for peace and a return to a modern lifestyle – similar to America and Israel. Their largely hidden struggle against their government’s hatred and brutality is fueled by an unbreakable spirit.

Standing united against Iran’s threats and for human rights requires informed action:

• Challenge anti-Israel narratives: Speak out against hateful rhetoric and misinformation targeting Israelis – and Jews – online and in your community.
• Amplify voices: Share compelling stories of Israeli resilience and the courageous struggles of Iranians living under tyranny. Use your social media and personal networks to promote empathy, awareness and solidarity.
• Advocate for public policy: Contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives to demand they take action against the Iranian regime to ensure it does not rebuild its nuclear weapons program, to sanction its proxy network and to voice support for the liberation of the Iranian people.

The Jewish Spirit of Resilience: A First-Hand Account of the Israel-Iran War

As told to The Focus Project by an American-Israeli woman in Beit Shemesh, Israel

At 3:00 a.m. on Friday, a red alert shattered the quiet, sending us scrambling into our mamad (protected room). We assumed it was another routine rocket from Yemen – an unsettling but familiar disruption. But within minutes, reports confirmed this was different: Israel had carried out a surprise strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Tehran. We were told to stock our shelters with food, water and necessary supplies. A massive Iranian counterattack seemed imminent.

For weeks, speculation about whether Israel would strike had circulated. Many feared that if it did, Iran’s response would be devastating. Messages from family poured in, unsure if they were sending love or saying goodbye. Yet, miraculously, the long-dreaded, immediate response didn’t come. Within 30 minutes, we were cleared to leave the mamad. Authorities later confirmed the early sirens were precautionary. Israel’s operation had caught Iran off guard, severely damaging its capabilities. By midday Friday, even secular broadcasters were calling the mission a miracle — some reading psalms live on air. Government officials shared the euphoria but warned a deadly attack from Iran was still likely.

That attack came just as we lit Shabbat candles Friday night. Sirens blared again, and we returned to the mamad with instructions to remain until further notice. An hour later, we were cleared to leave by Home Front Command but told that we needed to stay near the shelter – a reality that has become common place since then. Our reprieve was brief, as it granted us just enough time to eat quickly and settle our kids to sleep in the shelter. As we cleaned up, the sirens blared again. The night passed in a blur of interrupted sleep, trips in and out of the mamad, frightened children, and the distant booms of Iron Dome interceptions. While not the hundreds we feared, the barrages still came in waves of dozens.

Since then, our children sleep in the mamad nightly, too afraid to return to their rooms. They ask if more sirens are coming. We tell them the truth – we don’t know – but reassure them that we’ll always keep them safe, with God’s help. Our lives now revolve around alerts. A new early-warning system gives us a few minutes’ notice. We have learned to shower quickly, eat fast, and structure playtime with bathroom trips around the anticipated missile barrages.

This alert-driven reality mirrors the intensity of life post-Oct. 7. Flights are grounded, transportation halted, schools and non-essential businesses closed. No one leaves home without knowing the location of the nearest shelter. For those without an in-home mamad, the fear is worse. One mother shared on a local Whatsapp chat about how she has barely slept and how her family has had to run to various shelters nearby: a synagogue’s mamad, a dark public shelter, or miklat, and a supermarket shelter – her son shaking with fear as the ground trembles from the boom of rockets overhead.

Unfortunately, the shelters have not been enough to prevent every loss. I cry as I read that more than two dozen Israelis have been murdered and more than 600 have been injured in the missile barrages from Iran. Cities like Bat Yam, Tel Aviv, and Haifa have all reported casualties, while the rest of the Jewish world mourns.

The fear doesn’t end when the sirens stop. Every decision – laundry, cooking, even friendly conversations – is affected by the question: “Will this be interrupted by a siren?” We scan headlines after every barrage, praying to read “No injuries,” and shedding tears when we don’t. Many mothers care for young children alone, with fathers called up for reserve duty.

With schools closed, I try to create normalcy at home – filling days with stories, prayers, crafts, dancing. My husband balances religious responsibilities, work calls and parenting, while our teenage son and his peers are more annoyed by being stuck at home while still taking school tests rather than being frightened. Community life continues through it all: men still attend synagogue, and neighbors still check in on one another.

Now at day five, a remarkable shift has occurred. Thursday night was spent huddled in prayer for safety. Friday night was a volley of in-and-out trips to the mamad. By Sunday, we heard just one siren and Monday brought none to our area, while other regions still unfortunately endured attacks. Iran’s capabilities are noticeably weakening – dropping from over 100 missiles Friday to fewer than 10 on Monday night.

Amid the fear, something else has emerged: awe. There’s a growing sense that we’re witnessing biblical level history. During a missile barrage siren in the north, Israelis had to stop their cars while driving through a tunnel. Rather than sitting in fear, they began dancing and singing about how God does good to His people – an act not of denial, but of faith. Even my proudly secular Israeli cousins have been quoting Torah scripture and sharing how the weekly Torah reading connects with the week’s events. National Unity Party leader, Benny Gantz, was photographed praying with tefillin at a bomb site in Haifa. Gantz is not religious. In adversity, the differences between us have lost significance. Our focus has been on our love for one another and our divine connection to our ancient homeland. This is the Jewish spirit and resilience that has defined us for thousands of years.

Iran’s hatred is ancient. The war against us for being Jews is nothing new. But with God’s help, we face it with strength, unity, and unwavering faith—confident that “the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” and He can handle Iran.

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For over two thousand years humanity lived in darkness and confusion. The human imagination could not imagine a One God responsible for all creation, who scrutinized human behavior and held them morally accountable. In a tangled world of multiple gods, no common baseline of moral behavior emerged.

The chaos and moral anarchy continued until, finally, God Hashem delivered His word and His will to our nation. We were selected to live a godlike lifestyle, obeying a system of 613 eternal divine mitzvot which permeate every aspect of human experience.

Additionally, Hashem God summarized this elaborate network of mitzvot by issuing ten foundational commandments which, like the stony luchot tablets upon which they were etched, are absolute and unchanging. The Ten Commandments, by underscoring immutable religious and moral responsibilities, provided moral clarity to a muddled world.

We are living through a baffling period of history. Our people and our land were viciously attacked and, yet we are blamed and denunciated with baseless and spurious claims. The world around has gone berserk with hatred and antisemitism. This Shavuot, alongside the Ten Commandments of Sinai we require ten additional "commandments" or ten guiding principles to provide clarity and sanity during our age of bewilderment.

Here are ten fundamental doctrines regarding Israel, Jewish destiny, and Jewish universalism.

1. Hashem chose us as His people, tasking us with inspiring the world to higher religious and moral ground. We were awarded His land of Israel to better broadcast our divine message. In an ideal condition, Jewish presence in Israel provides broader benefit to the entire world. Jewish settlement of Israel is both a nationalist and universalist agenda.

2. We broke history. Originally, we were intended to establish a Jewish homeland and monarchy in Israel and to educate humanity through the nation state we assembled. After our repeated betrayals of Hashem, we were expelled from Israel and, for the past two thousand years we have lived on the margins of history and of society. We are slowly repairing that rupture and gradually reconvening Jews into our ancient homeland. This gathering will not be swift, nor will it be easy. We continue to face domestic challenges and international opposition. Repairing historical breakdowns takes time.

3. Antisemitism is woven into the fabric of history. We serve as the moral and religious conscience of humanity, and no one likes a whistle blower. Though antisemitism can be traced to political, economic, ethnic, and sociological factors it stems from the larger truth that we challenge the world to higher ground. As antisemitism is programmed into history it will only end when history ends. Over the past few decades, education and legislation have succeeded in dramatically curbing this hatred. Yet, despite our best efforts, the monster still lives. Just when we thought that Jew-hatred was a relic of an oppressive medieval past we were reminded that it is still very much alive. It will only end when history itself ends.

4. For years we were cast as outsiders, a sub-human race of religious infidels unfit for membership in general society. We were both hated and marginalized. We weren’t viewed as central, or even relevant to human history. Now that we have returned to Israel the tables of history have turned. Our battle to defend our homeland lies at the center of a larger global battle of ideas. This is unsurprising. Israel is the land where human history began and where human history will end. We know it and, subliminally, the entire world knows it. For this reason, Jewish presence in the land of God is so hotly contested, and for this reason the battle over the land of Israel is integrated within a larger ideological and cultural struggle.

5. Arab violence against Jews has absolutely nothing to do with borders, refugees, or any other political factor. Regarded as religious heretics, Jews were discriminated against in Arab countries well before the state of Israel was conceived. We faced dozens of blood libels and pogroms unrelated to Jewish settlement of Israel. In the past two centuries our constant willingness to negotiate peacefully was met with Arab inflexibility and intransigence. We were not the aggressors on October 7th and have never been the aggressors in our peaceful attempt to settle a small parcel of our ancient homeland. Sadly, had the Arabs not been so consumed with hatred and violence we would have long ago converted the Middle East into an oasis of prosperity. But history is too confusing for a tik-tok generation of protesters with attention spans no longer than 15 seconds.

6. The application of "International Law" to Israel has become farcical. International bodies, established to supervise and enforce international behavior, have been hijacked by political interest groups and have been weaponized against our people. Condemning Israel in the UN or prosecuting us in the Hague provides the appearance of legitimacy to vile and repugnant Jew-hatred. Antisemitism has always taken two forms: raw violence by mobs complemented with governmental legislation. This wave is no different. We face both military and legislative antisemitism. Nothing about this war has violated international law, though we may have violated the verdicts of kangaroo courts manipulated by antisemites. Block out the noise. 

7. The sky isn’t falling upon our people. We have suffered a horrible tragedy, and there is no easy or quick solution upon the horizon. However, the condition of our people has never been better in the past two thousand years. Despite our ongoing struggles, Jewish history has made dramatic strides. Our ancestors, who suffered far worse hardships, would gladly trade places with us. It is specifically during dark and depressing periods that historical perspective is crucial.

8. We are responsible to lead a moral lifestyle and to conduct warfare ethically. We avoid indiscriminate bombing not only to appease international opinion but because of our own moral code. As the people of Hashem, we are expected to try, as best we can, to protect innocent civilians. Hamas murderers and their accomplices must be killed or arrested but, to the degree possible, innocents must be protected. The unfortunate loss of civilian life is completely the responsibility of maniacal terrorists who exploit them as human shields. Battling murderers who have embedded themselves within citizens, we have conducted the most moral war in the annals of military history. Block out the cacophony of Israel bashing, and keep your sanity, while the rest of the world loses theirs.

9. The easiest way to repel hate is to retaliate with our own hatred, and this certainly hasn’t been humanity's finest hour.  However, in response to this loathing we cannot become misanthropic or lose hope in human potential. Currently, the world is very confused. People of higher education from whom we expect more, are acting foolishly and embarrassingly. Yet we must continue to believe in the divine potential of every human being and hope that, one day, our current enemies will become our audiences as we deliver spiritual and cultural restoration. If we abandon this hope, we abdicate Jewish mission.

10. We know how history ends. Knowing the ending doesn’t excuse us from struggling with history and attempting to improve it. However, as gloomy as our current situation may be, we know how this all ends. What we don’t know is how quickly it ends and whose shoulders carry history to the finish line.  One manner of negotiating tragedy is by taking the long view of Jewish history.

Ten historical commandments for this year's Shavuot.

Original article published here

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

Who is Fighting Antisemitism?

Israel is a miracle

Unfinished Journey: The Path to Jewish Independence

Celebrate a people, a land, and a destiny.

CELEBRATE SHAVUOT WITH ISRAEL FOREVER

Why do people ignore reality and truth? Why do facts and history no longer matter and only incitement to inflamed feelings, based on distortion of facts and distortion of history matter? Why is Jewish identity to be hidden and Israel ignored, demonized and delegitimized? Why are standards applied to us as Jews or as Israelis, and to the only Jewish country in the world, Israel, different from standards applied to everyone else in the world, and to every other country or nation? Why does the expression "even va-even," used for "double standard" exist today in this contect? And I am not referring to the higher standard that we apply to ourselves as Jews and Israelis. Those come from our heritage and Jewish texts. The double standard applied to us from the world is not from the same positive source. Might it be that we have thousands of years of Torah and traditions that inform us that we are not kings or queens or supreme rulers of the universe, answerable only to ourselves? That we have morals, and standards that are set way above our tiny selves, and are responsible to a much higher source. We are a light unto the nations and we take our role in the world responsibly and seriously. Maybe, the standards we have set for ourselves are so different from the world, but why cannot the world learn and understand, or at the least, let us live in peace?

Why don't Jews know their own history, not in a sanitized version, but the real struggle for thousands of years, the persecution, the blood libels, the money lender origins, the caricatures, the feelings in other countries that Jews were less than, and had to be taught how to dress, eat, the use of proper utensils, etc., before we could be "enlightened" and brought into "proper" society, the funny hats we were made to wear to humiliate us, bringing into existence the striemel as a way to turn this hat situation around and instead used to bring honor to the wearer. And so much more that it would take pages to enumerate. Why do we have to conform and become someone else? And why cannot we see that becoming someone else is giving up who we are, another form of erasing ourselves, as so many centuries have wanted to happen to us?

Why do we turn on ourselves and why do we see denominations as all important, allowing these designations to cause dissension between us, when the world only sees us collectively as Jews? The world does not care if you are or are not observant. We are always going to be Ivrit, the "other," whether we assimilate or not, no matter what denomination you choose or do not choose. Why do we not just identify as Jewish?

Why are people from all different countries who are now American citizens, or who were born in America but whose ancestors hail from other countries, allowed to be proud of their heritage and their being American? No one thinks twice about being proudly Irish-American, Italian-American, German-American, Swiss-American, Cuban-American, on and on, but have you tried to say that you are Israeli-American or American-Israeli for that matter? As if we as Jews, would have a "dual loyalty" to America just because Israel is in the mix. We are Jews yes, but we are also Americans! One does not preclude the other, just as it does not for any other nationality. American Jews are proud of being Americans and of being Jews. And it is a fact that many Jews helped win American independence during the American Revolution. We fiercely love both countries, including their flaws and disagreements about flaws.

Often, you have to be very careful about your name if it is Israeli or too Jewish sounding. From the time I was in elementary school, I knew other Jewish children who tried to change their last names. One girl I knew whose last name was Shapiro came to school one day declaring her name was really SHAPiro. People often change their Jewish sounding names by putting emphasis on different syllables, changing it to a different pronunciation. Maybe then you will be "hidden" and allowed to participate better in society. You may not be seen as Ivrit.

In fact, I have been told to change the pronunciation of my last name to sound more German. Why not add an extra "n" into the bargain. This was from a business associate trying to be helpful. My late Father was furious. No, that is not our name. And yes, in addition to changing my name, I have been offered the wonderful opportunity to sign a paper saying that if I would raise my children as Christian, then a certain job in academia would be mine. I had no children at the time. Were they going to come and check each year on this issue to see that I complied?

And why was not the term "antisemitism" acknowledged, as a term that unfortunately, describes only the experience of the Jewish people? Indeed, I wish there was no need for such a term at all, but it is our experience, the oldest hatred for thousands of years and increasingly on the rise in the world now. No, the term antisemitism is not a universal term for oppressed people. It unfortunately is uniquely Jewish. Antisemitism against Jews was sanctioned by the government of every country. During World War II, the great powers of the time knew what was happening in Europe and to its Jews, but all were silent, including the great powers of the world.

The Shoah also is not a universal experience. It too, is unfortunately uniquely ours. It should not be appropriated by the world, but understood as a warning of what will happen to others if no one stands up now, if our young people are not taught and given the tools to combat the hatred directed specifically against us in the world today, acknowledge its ancient roots, understand its development, and take action now. And this kind of hatred against any people or nation should never be tolerated.

Imagine, persecution and genocide sanctioned by governments! Everyone was reluctant to help us. Does that happen today for any other country or people? If there is genocide anywhere in the world, do not governments and people help and condemn these acts? But antisemitism, Jew hatred, is still not a strong enough issue to eradicate and condemn it. Sadly, today, antisemitism is not only still around but appears to have become acceptable.

Things that are said and done are not just history. Silence and inaction also send messages. It would be good to remember the words of Golda Meir at the Evian Conference, July 1938:

"Jews neither can nor should ever depend on anyone else for permission to stay alive."

And why are people uncomfortable with Jewish self-determination? Why is it popular to undermine and delegitimize Israel? And why are our people not fighting harder against what is happening to us in the world today? All of us are important and all of us have a talent to contribute.

I have so many whys with no satisfactory answers. But we must find answers for our survival and for our children's survival, the future generations who must learn to love and cherish and hold dear and important their Jewish heritage. We must find answers to our whys for the survival of the only Jewish state in the world, Israel, who has given so much to the world despite world condemnation and untruths. We must raise generations to be strong, resilient, proud, outspoken, leaders. We must confront our whys, never stop asking why and demanding acceptance on our terms. We cannot afford to be silent. Our young people must be given the tools and the confidence to raise their voices as Jews and in defense of Israel. They must not be silenced by social media, peers, or any other form that seeks to silence them. To do this, we must become strong, resilient, vocal, and demanding, and we must teach young people also, to become these things. We must teach love of our heritage and to never let anyone make us feel "less than," and we must be proud that we are Ivrit!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

The Battle for Critical Thinking and Constructive Dialogue

Making A Difference in Challenging Times

Jews in Conflict: Facing the World, Facing Each Other

Who is Fighting Antisemitism?

We Were Not Human in Their Eyes

Antisemitism Every Day

ASK THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

HAVE THE IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS TODAY

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Dr. Elkayam-Levy, a leading voice in international law and human rights, recipient of the 2024 Israel Prize in Solidarity, and chair of the Civil Commission investigating Hamas's crimes, offers legal, moral, and deeply personal insights into what these crimes mean for Israel, for the global feminist movement, and for humanity itself.

This is more than a conversation about war crimes. It is a wake-up call to reclaim truth, restore moral clarity, and insist that Jewish pain, and especially the suffering of Jewish women, is not invisible.

QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION:

• Why have so many international institutions refused to condemn gender-based atrocities?
• What does it reveal about the selective empathy and politicized morality of today’s world?
• How can we ensure that justice — and memory — are not buried beneath denial?

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BE ISRAEL STRONG

9th Annual Elie Wiesel Memorial Program

Elie Wiesel’s message to the world was to consider our collective responsibility - to remember, to understand even what is beyond all understanding, and to translate memory into meaningful purpose.

Survivors of October 7 have heeded the call of responsibility and have been speaking about their experiences around the world, hoping to use the personal experience to shape public empathy and recognition of the fight for Jewish survival that the assault on Israel represents - for its victims, and for all of humanity.

Their survival of the massacre or captivity has awakened their connection with the Holocaust as witnesses of atrocity. Through the lessons of Elie Wiesel, their learning and activism, their healing and recovery, their sense of purpose and passion can be empowered, and can empower each of us as we become the witness to the witness of Jewish experiences of pain and memory.

JULY 27, 2025
7:00PM ISRAEL | 5:00PM UK | 11:00AM CST | 9:00AM PST

Join us for the annual Israel Forever Elie Wiesel Memorial Program: a dialogue between survivors of attempted genocides of Jews, and the words that can inform and inspire us.

Please consider contributing to support our annual Elie Wiesel Memorial series. 

If you wish to be added to our Whatsapp channel for other virtual learning opportunities, please submit your phone number below.

In order to create a visual memorial that could be shared through social media to garner interest in the story and impact of Elie Wiesel, we made a memorial for Elie Wiesel at the Elie Wiesel Square in Jerusalem. We wanted to find a creative way to engage the passers by with the memorial square.

We started off by using quotes about him and what his legacy meant to people around the world from the Elie’s Echo program of Israel Forever. The messages brought to life how his perseverance and positive outlook inspired a generation, and can continue to do so for generations to come.

• We printed out multiple sizes of the posters, for different effects and placement options.
• We laid some of the quotes and one of his books by the trees.
• We set the bigger quote papers on the ground and led them up to Elie’s placard.
• We placed on the benches some of Elie’s books and more powerful quotes.

Posters leading to memorial plaque

Books and quotes on bench

Capturing memorial for social media sharing

Examining book collection

Looking at the memorial

Talking with visitors

The quotes were being held down with rocks because it was so windy. It felt as if the rocks were like those we, as Jews, put on the tombstones of the deceased - a reminder that their memory is eternal. We left everything out for a while and watched as people got off the train, and passed by the silent memorial. Some stopped to see what we were doing, some asked questions, some shared stories.

The impact, the experience, were a quiet and special way to feel invested in ensuring the legacy of Elie Wiesel, his voice and his vision, lives on in all of us, as the witnesses to the witness.

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REMEMBERING A MASTER

KEEP HIS LEGACY ALIVE

On Yom Yerushalayim, for the first time in nearly 2,000 years, Jerusalem was reunited under Jewish sovereignty. The words “Har HaBayit b’yadeinu” ("The Temple Mount is in our hands") echoed not only through the streets of the Old City, but across generations of Jewish longing, prayer, and hope.

It was more than a military victory.
It was the fulfillment of prophecy. A return to the heartbeat of our people.

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Jerusalem has never been “just” a city.
It is where our ancestors walked, prayed, ruled, and dreamed. It is named more than 600 times in Tanach — long before any empire laid claim to it.

Today, as our enemies seek to erase our past and deny our rights, we must speak louder with clarity and pride. The battle is not only over land — it is over truth.

Antisemitism isn't something that is restricted by time or place - it's not an Israel war or an attack against Diaspora Jewry. We need to not divide ourselves into "the Israelis" and "the Diaspora" - it is too dangerous to continue that line of thinking. Too many of the world still blame the Jews and call for our extinction. The wars of Israel are a war on all Jewish existence.

Even here, even now, wherever that here and now for you are, our lives are threatened simply for being who we are. That’s why it matters more than ever to remember that we already have a capital — Jerusalem. Eternal, undivided, and defended by the IDF, Jerusalem is not just a city. It is our home, our heart, our hope. Likewise, when we stand undivided, protected by our noble army, remembering that we all are a part of the Eternal Nation, that we can get through this. It is only together that we will win.

For 2,000 years we prayed to return to Jerusalem. Today, we don’t just pray — we protect it. When the world fails to shield us, Jerusalem stands as a reminder that we must never rely on others to guarantee our safety. We must know our truth. We must stand by our capital. We must never stop fighting for it.

We remember that Jerusalem was our capital when London, Paris, and Washington D.C. were still swamps and forests. We remember that for 19 long years, the Kotel was silenced by snipers, inaccessible to Jews, until we returned. And we remember that today, we are still defending our right to exist—not only across physical borders, but in timelines, headlines, classrooms, and campus quads. The struggle for truth continues—and so must our voice.

Use your voice for creating influence in your community

• Support our soldiers as they continue to protect our nation, our capital, and our homeland.
• Find creative ways to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim in your home
• Create your own Jerusalem Cornerstone
• Sing a Song for Jerusalem
  
  

FOR JERUSALEM OUR FLAG WAVES!

This Yom Yerushalayim, bring the story of Jerusalem into your home, school, or community with our Yom Yerushalayim Resource Packet — filled with historical insights, activities, discussion prompts, and inspiration to deepen your connection to Israel’s eternal capital.

Whether you’re teaching, reflecting, or gathering with others, this is your opportunity to make the meaning of Jerusalem personal, powerful, and proud.

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With every program, we are shaping a mindset of active participation for all our global community members. YOU make a difference through your continued interest in learning, in doing something meaningful with your time and energy left after our daily grind realities. We can all do more to help others who are feeling isolated during this time.

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Terror strikes from Washington to our skies under missile fire, and around the world, we sit in our safe rooms and spaces of comfort — shaken but not silent. The hatred that fuels every attack against our nation reminds us that no matter where we are in the world, Jewish lives are under threat simply for existing. And we cannot be silent.

They were murdered because they were Jews. And the hundreds who have been murdered in attacks since October 7 in Israel and abroad were warnings just like this one, and we all ask how long it will take before people wake up to the need to do more, do something DIFFERENT. Demand more, resist with pride and know that our fight is the fight of generations.

Let’s be clear: peace is not a partisan goal. Every Jew who chooses to live proudly is part of the peacemaking effort.

In the face of terror — we build. In the face of lies — we speak truth. And in the face of fear — we strengthen our unity.

We need to not divide ourselves into "the Israelis" and "the Diaspora - it is too dangerous to continue that line of thinking. Too many of the world still blame the Jews and call for our extinction. The wars of Israel are a war on all Jewish existence.

Stop the excuses and apologetics.
Stop the shock and the silent boohoo.
Stop the hypocrisy and the double think,
Stop the euphemistic transference of blame to excuse murder and calls for genocide against the Jews.

Stop saying it was because they were embassy workers, because it could have been any next couple who left that event. And it can be any event anywhere and now you can no longer deny the warnings we have been making for years.

Stop saying they were peaceniks as if that makes it "worse" - the killer did not ask their political side. Stop creating division when all Jews everywhere are the target.

We are all seeking peace but your antisemitism is destroying civilization.

Stop what you are doing and make the decision you are not going to sit idly by.

Every one is needed in this war to save humanity.

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מסר לישראלים בקהילה שלנו

האם אנחנו מתחילים לדבר אחד עם השני יותר אולי נצליח לחזק את עצמנו.

החלטתי הבוקר להוציא את קולי בעברית להזמין הישראלים שחברים או שעוד לא מכירים אותי להצטרף לשיחתנו בארגון שלי ישראל לנצח.

רק כשאנחנו מדברים ביחד אנחנו יכולים להיות יותר חזקים יותר מאוחדים וזה בדיוק מה שאנחנו צריכים בתקופה הקשה כשיש לנו אויבים מכל צד שמאיימים עלינו אפילו אלה שמאיימים עלינו מבפנים ומסכנים אותנו - את המדינה ואת העם ואת הארץ עם הקיצוניות של שנאה עצמי כיהודי כישראלי עם זכות לחיים חופשים מרצח.

מה שקרה בוושינגטון לא פעם ראשונה לא פעם אחרונה - אנחנו מכירים טוב טוב הסכנה של טרור והרומנטיקה להיות מחבל שנולד מהשנאה נגד היהודי.

רק ביחד רק באחדות אנחנו נצליח במלחמה הרחבה שזה לא רק בגבולינו ובארצנו אלא עם האויב שיש בכל מקום.

לשטף עם חברים שמעוניינים לעשות יותר לבנות את האחדות כולנו רוצים

The refusal to admit the dangers as they grow is a threat on the integrity of the moral code our humanity claims to stand on.

Use your voice for creating influence in your community

We need to do more to support each other in this fight.

Whether by getting involved in frontal advocacy or perfecting one’s own perspective and commitment to the mission of Jewish continuity, having as many individuals involved is crucial to fighting this never-ending war against antisemitism. But not all of us feel capable of doing so.

Empowerment efforts like those crafted by Israel Forever are perfectly suited to combat the misinformation and hatred that fuels antisemitism today by starting with the Jews - young and old - who do not know how to respond, what to say, or how to strengthen their identity and resolve in the face of the continued persecution of Jews, Jewish identity, and Jewish rights as human rights.

The nation of Israel is strongest when we unite together, and YOU CAN DO MORE to foster that dream by supporting the work of Israel Forever today.

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With every program, we are shaping a mindset of active participation for all our global community members. YOU make a difference through your continued interest in learning, in doing something meaningful with your time and energy left after our daily grind realities. We can all do more to help others who are feeling isolated during this time.

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Every step forward seems to come with a push back, and a test of our resilience.

As Yuval Raphael stood on one of the largest stages in the world at Eurovision to sing her heart out representing our nation and our thirst for life, she was faced with harassment while her supporters at home in Israel were running for their shelters in the face of a missile attack from Yemen.

As we marked Declaration Day in Jerusalem, online and around the world, the calls of Nakba Day grew louder and calls for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews continue to reverberate in every space, and in our darkest fears.

As Israel planned the next strategic move to rescue the 58 remaining hostages while bringing humanitarian aid due to international pressure, Israel also prepared for the next brutal battle with Hamas and continued threats from Iran, alongside empty threats from Qatar-bought nations. Because we are in a fight for our lives.

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The current wave of antisemitism has not ebbed and shows no sign of dissipating until every single voice is raised. But many feel confused or isolated. Jews, individually and communally, continue to live in fear, increasingly feeling the need to hide or distance themselves from the reality, denying essential elements of their identity and our collective purpose.

We have watched as our brave fighters of all types continue to sustain their strength, and so, too, must we empower individuals, groups, and communities to find usable resources that can mitigate the toxic impact on our hearts and minds. In our premiere virtual workshop, Vital Endurance taught by IDF reservist and the founder of Warrior Mindset, Itamar Hayun, you can gain practical tools for developing mental and emotional resilience, and original techniques to thrive during these tenuous times.

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The strategic challenges of defending Israel are real, and those of us who have never served in the line of duty can learn so much from our soldiers on the front lines. Learn about resilience and developing strength in the face of terrorists, and what we can gain from appreciating the selfless service and deep truths exposed while fighting the enemy.

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Too often it seems like we take our soldiers for granted. Those in service or reserves who have to go back and forth between life and battle and some semblance of normalcy, whatever that can mean after having to witness and experience all of the elements of war. We must stand with them in their fight. We must denounce all lies about them, refuse the demonization and make every effort to protect the humanity that they represent in their fight to save the world from terror.

This is a war of civilization over barbarism. Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until our hostages are released and our security and freedom protected.

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With every program, we are shaping a mindset of active participation for all our global community members. YOU make a difference through your continued interest in learning, in doing something meaningful with your time and energy left after our daily grind realities. We can all do more to help others who are feeling isolated during this time.

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Eighteen foreign ambassadors joined dozens of Jewish organizational leaders, Israel activists, journalists and social media influencers at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem on May 14, the 77th anniversary of Israel’s establishment, for a gala celebration hosted by the Israel Forever Foundation on Declaration Day.

The event, billed by Israel Forever Foundation CEO Elana Heideman as a reaffirmation of “the legal, moral and historical rights of Israel and the Jewish people,” was broadcast live to supporters of Israel in the Jewish state and around the globe.

“On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion stood before the world and declared the independence of the Jewish state in our ancestral homeland,” Heideman wrote. “It was not just a political act—it was the fulfillment of generations of yearning, struggle and faith.”

She added, “Now, in 2025, we are called to do the same. At a time when Israel’s legitimacy is under attack, when antisemitism is surging around the globe and when truth is too often drowned out by noise, Declaration Day is your opportunity to rise above it all. To stand proud. To make your voice heard.”

In her opening address, Heideman called on everyone, everywhere, in the spirit of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, “to stand with the Jewish nation, not only in celebration but in commemoration of the history that we come tonight together to reaffirm.”

“Standing up for Israel is standing up for the future of mankind and for the future of peace,” she declared to warm applause from the audience. She entreated people abroad to “fight for the rights of Israel and Jews and all of humanity,” adding, “We don’t have a narrative; we have a truth; a truth that we can be proud of.”

Noting that Israel’s Declaration of Independence contained 664 words, she then invited a string of speakers to share their meaningful messages in 664 words on this Declaration Day.

Jewish News Syndicate’s award-winning columnist and senior contributing editor, Ruthie Blum, was first up, representing both JNS and the Israeli media. “Some people think of me as a purveyor of gloom and doom, because of my pessimism when I write,” she said. “But actually, I would like to say something that is the optimistic part of the pessimism. None of the bad news that we’re hearing is anything new. And that means we got through it and we will get through it.”

She shared that she had made a lot of mistakes in her life, but moving to Israel from the United States in 1977 was not one of them. “Never have I been sorry and not after Oct. 7 either,” she said. “And that is because we have truth on our side.”

At JNS, she said, “Our mission is to tell the truth… and being pro-Israel is on the side of truth. The Jewish people are an ancient people. This is the land of the Jews. The State of Israel was recognized. It is legitimate. And rather than being warmongers, as we’re accused of, we’re peacemongers. If anything has caused us a headache, it’s our seeking peace at every opportunity. It is therefore easy to tell the truth about that because it is the truth.”

Knesset Member Ohad Tal (Religious Zionism) echoed Heideman’s call “to stand with Israel” at this difficult time in its history.

“You know, friends, once again Israel is under attack, not just by rockets but by those who question the very right of the Jewish people to exist. I was thinking, while we’re talking about this day, Declaration Day, that the Jewish people basically broke all rules of history, of physics, by returning here to this land after 2,000 years of exile.”

The big question, Tal said, is why the Jewish people returned to their homeland. “Have we returned only for ourselves, or as some people say, to have the right to defend ourselves? Or did we come back to bring a new message to the world? I think the second option is the right option. We came here not just for our sake, but really for the sake of humanity, to bring a blessing to the entire world.”

Tal thanked those who participated in the event and everyone watching, appealing to all supporters of Israel to “keep standing with strength and pride for the one and only Jewish state.”

Crossposted with permission from JNS

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MAKE DECLARATION DAY HISTORY

Amid what she describes as “a siege on Jews and Israel on every front,” Elana Heideman, CEO of the Israel Forever Foundation (IFF), has invited the international community to join together in solidarity with Israel on May 14, Israel’s Declaration Day.

Asked what her message is, after more than 19 months of war since the Hamas assault on Oct. 7, 2023, Heideman told JNS: “I think that our message this year is never to be ashamed, to stand strong for Israel and with Israel, because the declaration of our independence is such an all-encompassing document that it enables us to identify who we are, what we stand for, how our soldiers are taught to fight, how our society continues to thrive.”

Sounding a note of hope, she added, “We are a people of life and the Declaration of Independence goes through the trajectory of our experience and ends with a message of life.”

Heideman stressed that Israelis and Jews, together with Israel’s allies and friends, need to feel confident enough to stand up and speak out.

“I don’t think that today many do. They’re very tarnished by almost 19 months since Oct. 7, and the world is in a worse situation than we ever imagined it could be on that horrific day. And we thought we could mitigate. We thought that this would not get worse. We see that it is.”

Heideman pointed out that on May 15, Palestinians and the enemies of Israel mark Nakba Day, commemorating what they consider the “catastrophe” of the establishment of the Jewish state.

“Let them have their narrative of lies,” Heideman said. “As long as we protect our history of truth, we will take a step forward no matter what comes, no matter what it looks like in the next phase. And there will be a next phase. We want people to feel empowered.”

Conceding that this is “a massive burden” for the Jewish people, she nevertheless believed, “it’s possible,” and urged people all over the world to “pick Declaration Day” to demonstrate their support for Israel.

Declaration Day

“We are excited to have created a proactive opportunity to affix May 14 as the historical milestone that it was in 1948,” Heideman said in a special interview in JNS Studios in Jerusalem on May 8. “Declaration Day is the day on which the Yishuv, the Jewish leadership in Palestine, actually declared the declaration legally as a result of the conclusion of the British Mandate.”

She added, pointedly, “On Declaration Day, we have to reaffirm. And that’s really something every single person can do. So join! You can follow us at Israel Forever, and come to declarationdayisrael.com and see all of the different options on how you can get involved.”

The Israel Forever Foundation, a nonprofit engagement organization that seeks to strengthen the connection between Israel and Jewish identity, launched the Declaration Day initiative in 2023 as an online program with 36 hours of informational and inspirational programming viewed by millions worldwide.

IFF is co-chaired by its founders, Richard D. Heideman, chairman of the inaugural JNS International Policy Summit, a former president of B’nai B’rith International and the American Zionist Movement, and his wife, Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, president of the International March of the Living.

Elana, their daughter, is a charismatic Jewish activist, historian, educator, writer and motivational speaker who made aliyah from the United States in 2005 and lives on Moshav Nes Harim with her three children. She completed her doctorate in Holocaust Studies, Antisemitism and Phenomenology at Boston University under the supervision of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Elie Wiesel.

In the third year of this global awareness initiative, she said, Declaration Day takes on new significance as Israel is forced to continue its fight for independence and freedom. “International affirmation of May 14th as a turning point will give profound context to the understanding of Israel’s legal rights, and a confirmed date on the secular calendar for which it should be recognized by leaders and nations, by young and old alike.”

“We celebrate Kaf Tet B’November, the 29th of November,” she said, referring to the day on which the UN General Assembly approved the Partition Plan to create the State of Israel. “And then when we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day), it’s filled with joy. But we lose the significance of that historical moment. And so we wanted to put this into public awareness increasingly, not only amongst the Jewish world, but the world as a whole, as a global initiative to affirm the same principles and values that were recognized that day when the Jewish state was reborn.”

Heideman said that this year, 77 years after David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the Declaration of Independence establishing the State of Israel, the IFF is hosting its annual exclusive event at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem, which will be attended by a host of dignitaries, the diplomatic community, invited guests and journalists. It will be livestreamed in Israel and abroad at declarationdayisrael.com.

“On May 14, we invite organizations, communities, families, groups of all ages—everywhere and anywhere—to mark this historical day with purpose and pride,” Heideman said. “This gives us the opportunity to carry our Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations from among our communities outward and to invoke May 14 for its historic justice.”

By emphasizing the meaning of that historic moment, she said—the end of the British Mandate and the right of the leadership to proclaim national independence—“we can protect the integrity of the movement that enabled its fulfillment: Zionism and the Jewish right to self-determination that is maligned today.”

“We can bring history to life and build a proactive reaffirmation of the independence achieved by the rebirth of the Jewish state in the ancestral and biblical homeland of the Jewish nation. Amplifying the ancient path to independence and the fundamental steps to statehood, our collective mission will cement the date for perpetuity,” she stated.

Without disclosing the identities of the VIPs attending this year, Heideman said, “We are really honored to have been able to welcome so many diplomats over the years and we look forward to having a number of diplomats who will be addressing and preparing their declarations of affirmation in solidarity with Israel’s independence, but again, looking at its historical significance, not only for the Jewish world, but for all of humanity.”

She said there would be an online program whose agenda coincides with the historic developments at the Tel Aviv Museum on May 14, 1948. “At 1 p.m., secret envelopes were hand-delivered to people who were intended to be at this moment of the fulfillment of the miracle. And at 4 p.m. sharp, that’s when it began,” she said,

Echoing that buildup, Heideman said, IFF’s online programming focuses on historical events, “but we also have a very cool initiative that invites other people to share their own declaration. And so we have people submitting already from all over the world a reel that will be featured on Declaration Day so that they can stand together with Ben-Gurion and make their own declaration that we are standing united.”

She stressed that it was not a political event. “This is not left. This is not right. This is as straight as a fact in history. This is not hasbara (public relations). This is the truth. And so we hope that we can conquer the Internet, that we can take over Instagram with people putting out reels and videos and shout-outs,” she said. “Let’s hashtag Declaration Day. Let’s affirm it. Let’s make sure that every generation knows about it, because then we will never be able to negate the essential value of what took place on that day.”

Become a partner

“Public, private, virtual or live, you can host or sponsor a program, you can bring the Declaration Day exhibition to your community, you can submit a personal or group video statement,” Heideman said. “Your voice can inspire others to mobilize their personal activism and do more to counter the denial of Israel’s rights as affirmed 77 years ago. Learn more or submit your partnership or declaration at declarationdayisrael.com.”

At a time when Jewish rights are maligned and threatened in Israel and across the world, it is essential to amplify the practical and tangible elements of establishing understanding and respect, she said.

“Declaration Day gives you an original way to work with your connections in the Jewish and non-Jewish world and stand in unity with the ideals of Israel’s imperative destiny. We can give voice to the members, friends and allies of Israel and the Jewish people who stand united behind the undeniable facts of biblical and modern history.

“Declaration Day is such an opportunity. You can help get the day recognized by your city councils, state and national leadership. Declaration Day resources and activity kits make hosting easy for every Virtual Citizen of Israel to do something on May 14. Together, we can bring history to life in a purposeful way.”

Heideman said that Declaration Day can serve as a demonstration of the solidarity that is needed today: “A united proclamation of unwavering support for Israel’s right to continued freedom and independence, without threat, terror, or continued demonization and delegitimization. Building on our national pride and history, the affirmations of today will serve to uphold the principles of justice, historical accuracy and Jewish rights for tomorrow.”

Crossposted with permission from JNS

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MAKE DECLARATION DAY HISTORY

Brigadier General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser joins Elana Heideman for a deep and timely conversation on A Jew Today. Together, they explore the emotional, strategic, and ideological battles Israel faces in 2025 — from defending its legitimacy against rising antisemitism, to building long-term support for the Zionist vision.

With clarity and candor, Kuperwasser shares insights from his decades in Israeli defense and intelligence, unpacks the global war on truth, and explains why facts alone won’t win hearts. They discuss the failures of past assumptions, the dangers of complacency, and the urgent need for proactive initiatives like Declaration Day to reaffirm Jewish rights, history, and pride — in Israel and around the world.

Listen now as a podcast and discover how you can be part of the mission.

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On January 20, 1942, the infamous Wannsee Conference took place, where Nazi leaders meticulously planned the Final Solution—a systematic attempt to exterminate the Jewish people. This video explores the chilling parallels between the horrific events of the Holocaust and the contemporary threats facing Jews today. From coordinated efforts to harm Jewish communities to the use of dangerous language and international complicity, history is repeating itself in terrifying ways.

Learn how we must stay vigilant and raise awareness to prevent history from repeating.

TRANSCRIPT:

On January 20th, 1942, Hitler's henchmen came together to discuss what became known as the Final Solution. This conference, known as the Wannsee Conference, brought together the upper echelons of Nazi leadership in order to outline, with high-level precision, the plan for the deportation and extermination of Jews.

They discussed the methods of killing, the coordination between all of the different agencies that would be required, the seizure of Jewish property, the euphemistic language that should be used in order to disguise and deceive—not only the victims but the world—and the categorization of Jews that would be necessary in order to organize them: those who should be selected for the transports, those who should be selected for work, and those who should be selected for the gas.

The expansion of the genocide outside Germany's borders was also agreed upon at this infamous conference. This gathering of so-called intellectual minds enabled the Holocaust to be implemented in its highest degree: the massacre, the extermination, and the annihilation—by gas—of millions of Jews.

Yes, there were others, but as Elie Wiesel has always reminded us: “Not all victims were Jews, but all Jews were victims.”

Today, Jews continue to be victims of additional plans that aim at genocide against our nation. Once again, conferences are being held—in academic spheres, in social and economic arenas, and even by those negotiating terrible deals on behalf of terror organizations.

What have they been trying to plan—even prior to October 7th, but especially since? Further plans for the deportation of Jews from their safe spaces, by forcibly evacuating Jews from their homes. They have analyzed the most "appropriate" methods of killing and torture. These methods have become exposed—not only since October 7th—but also in the threats being voiced again and again.

There is clear coordination among different agencies: the Red Cross, the United Nations, UNRWA, and other international “humanitarian” organizations who continue to support Hamas and their terror network.

The seizure of Jewish property? We know what took place on October 7th. But we also know about the illegal building on settlement areas that are still under dispute—land that rightfully belongs to the Jewish people, but that falls between borders established by various international agreements. There are ongoing attempts to slice up Jewish rights—through conferences and committees—much like those of the Nazis, and in every generation where they have tried to deny Jewish rights and bring about the extermination and annihilation of Jews.

The euphemistic language once used by the Nazis is now commonplace. It fills social media feeds, the mainstream press, and everyday conversations. Terms like “genocide in Gaza,” the lies and fabrications accusing Jews of being "baby killers"—these are not new accusations. But they are being used today in new and incredibly dangerous ways.

The categorization of Jews continues—targeting those labeled as Zionists, as if that makes them legitimate targets. Unfortunately, many ignore this categorization, but we must raise awareness of just how dangerous these repeated patterns are.

There is so much to learn from history—starting with the Wannsee Conference. It is your job to learn more and to do more. Reach out to us if you need more resources at your fingertips.

We cannot let genocide expand beyond our borders. We cannot let it happen again within them. Even now, as terrorists with blood on their hands are released into our communities, we must remain vigilant. We must remain aware. And we must remain hopeful—that, perhaps, we can raise the alarm around the world in time to prevent disaster.

Use your mind. Use the facts. Recognize the patterns. And do more—as we continue our fight.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

• What was the nature of the Wannsee Conference? What was its outcome?
• Do you see parallels between the past and the present? Either in the war Israel is fighting against Hamas or in the hate being faced by the international Jewish community?
• How can we stop the danger of history repeating itself? What can we do to educate people about the truth?

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As a nation, in our fight for freedom, we are stronger when we work together and use our voice and our energy to make a difference. YOU CAN DO MORE, AND WE ARE HERE TO HELP.

ISRAEL FOREVER: FOSTERING UNITY AND PRIDE FOR VIRTUAL CITIZENS OF ISRAEL EVERYWHERE IN OUR FIGHT FOR JEWISH FREEDOM TODAY AND FOREVER

The goal of every Yom HaShoah program is to make the experience meaningful for everyone in attendance. To do justice to the memory of the murdered and to honor the few who are still alive.

To have led hundreds of people in a memorial program in Tel Aviv was a truly powerful and emotional experience. This has been my life's work for decades, and the ability to make a difference for the sake of memory remains central to everything I do.

After our successful program in Jerusalem, we again partnered with Adopt a Safta and Nefesh B'Nefesh to create a special ceremony in English for those who might otherwise not have a place or yet understand the numerous ceremonies in Hebrew that take place in every school, community, or museums.

We came together to remember. To learn. To inherit. We came together to pay tribute to the memory of the deceased, to the dignity of life destroyed, and to the legacy that we shall pass on to future generations. We listened to the testimony of Zeni Rosenstein, who was 6 years old at the time of the Holocaust.

Inviting them each to share the names of survivors they have met, or family that has perished, one by one they arose from the audience, one after the other, and the names filled the room.

The impact was undeniable. The recitation of names continued and the surrounding silence had a power of its own. The accents of those who joined us - American, French, British, South African, Australian, even Israelis - were evidence of the various countries from which we came, all sharing in common our return to our ancient homeland to build a life in Israel.

Just as we honored the decimation of Hungarian Jewry - in the short 10 weeks of deportations in which 80% were sent to their death upon arrival - so, too, did we pay tribute to the events of 1944, and honor all who perished, all who suffered, and all who lived to tell the world.

As I read through my Facebook feed last night and this morning, I encounter messages of memory from friends and acquaintances around the world - some of which I have shared below - and am so grateful for the tool of social media through which people can prove the importance of memory.

My heart is heavy, I choke back tears, and I cherish the moment every year that I can stand in silence with the nation of Israel as the siren reminds us of our eternal connection - to the dead, to the living, and to each other.

May we always remember the names of the survivors we have encountered throughout our lives, taking it upon ourselves to transmit their memory, their stories, whatever details we can, to ensure that "Never Forget" does not remain an empty cliche....

Debbie Katz Rosenzweig On Yom HaShoah I find myself without words - everything is too small to include, commemorate, decry, or understand the unfathomable horrors of the holocaust. My life is my response. My life as a proud, committed, Jew living in Israel trying my best to contribute to the building of the inspiring future of our people. May we always defend justice and fight oppression while living kindly, gently and full of love.

Bat Zion Susskind-Sacks Just listened to the testimonies of Six survivors who lit the candles. I thought I heard it all but my goodness the stories never end. My people is alive and will continue to live thrive and contribute. Tonight more than ever I pledge Am Yisrael Chai.!

Shari Shuter-Jovani Today I thought 'in their memory, and for their honor, let me strive to do better in this world...'

Lucy Dukore Today is Yom ‪#‎HaShaoh‬, ‪#‎Holocaust‬ Remembrance Day- and in Israel there are a lot of things going on but at home, perhaps not. Even if I'm the only Jew you know and you don't care, take the time to educate yourself, find out what it was- for the sake of the 6 MILLION PEOPLE who died, or just because you know me. (You would be surprised how many people don't know what the Holocaust is)

Itzik Yarkoni Today we must be part of the story..Today we must remember and tell the story to others..Their story is part of us now and we will teach it and remember it always. Never again

Paula R. Stern A candle is burning in my window...for six million....for Yeshaya Zeev, for Yehoshua, for Shmuel, for Binyamin Elimelech, for Chaim Eliezer, for Raizel and her two daughters, for little Gavriella. Each one was a whole world...their light lives on...never ever again...because WE won't allow it...

Laura Kam Just when you think you heard everything about the Holocaust you learn a new and amazing story...

Miriam Kresh The hardest thing I've seen, on the street while the Holocaust remembrance siren is blowing, is old people standing with their heads in their hands and weeping.

Stuart Schnee 119 family members on my mother's side.

Debbie Gold Hadar Holocaust Memorial Day. One of the two days in the year when I feel my motherhood most keenly. Weeping for those who died so prematurely, cherishing my own dearly. May their memory Be blessed.

Muriel Tebid My heart is heavy remembering the death of so many of my fellow Jews. My heart soars at the beauty and strength of the State of Israel. I never forget.

Amy D. Goldstein Today we remember those who lost their lives during the Holocaust - may their martyrdom remind us the cost of silence in the face of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry - whether it's in the streets of Europe or in America's college campuses.

Chaya Zebrak David  As an Oleh, with no family to speak of who actually perished in the Shoah... my mind wanders...always comes home, here to Israel, with a sense of sorrow and then an abrupt burst of pride.

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Share your love of Israel as a Virtual Citizen of Israel today!

Legitimate targets for hate, continued demonization, and yet we continue our cry for freedom. The worst thing we can do is fight among ourselves. Did we learn nothing from October 7th? Have we forgotten about the value of unity in our mission? We must stand strong against those within that are trying to create divide.

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The media are constantly pushing a twisted narrative, an anti Israel bias and we must fight back. How? By doing something - anything. Spread the true information, fight against the false. It’s the only way. You can’t complain about hasbara being poor while doing nothing as you seen them lie to the world.

WATCH AND SHARE

We will not let them divide and conquer us - we will continue to pray for our hostages and their families.

We will strengthen our resolve, we find new ways to commemorate history, and create connections with who we are today.

? Nearly 25% of American Jews are disconnecting from their heritage. ?

A recent study reveals a growing crisis: almost a quarter of those raised Jewish in America no longer identify with their religion. This isn't just a statistic—it's a call to action. WATCH AND SHARE

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE >

At Israel Forever, we've always responded to this urgent challenge—igniting pride, deepening connections, and empowering Jews around the world to embrace their unique heritage. Through our programs, content, and vibrant global community, we've inspired countless individuals to reconnect with their Jewish identity—and we continue to do so every day.

Don't stand on the sidelines—become an active, passionate participant in the eternal chain of the Jewish people. The future of Jewish identity starts with you.

GIVE NOW TO SUPPORT ISRAEL FOREVER'S VITAL WORK IN EMPOWERING EVERY JEW.

Now is the time to stand for peace and for justice.

Now is the time to make a difference with every small effort we can.

Many slates are in the running, and already empty campaign promises are being made. But Americans 4 Israel stands above the rest in our commitment to protect the integrity of our proud Zionist movement. Americans 4 Israel stands out as a true beacon of innovation and nonpartisan leadership, dedicated to representing the broad spectrum of the Jewish diaspora. We’re not here to divide. We’re here to unite. Every vote stands up for unity, security, and the Jewish future.

YOUR VOTE FOR AMERICANS 4 ISRAEL SLATE #19 IS ESSENTIAL.

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This one of a kind necklace is an exclusive item offered to our Virtual Citizen of Israel global community members by the renown JB Jewelers of Jerusalem.

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With every program, we are shaping a mindset of active participation for all our global community members. YOU make a difference through your continued interest in learning, in doing something meaningful with your time and energy left after our daily grind realities. We can all do more to help others who are feeling isolated during this time.

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EXCLUSIVE VCI ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY:

The war, the media, the lies… it takes a toll on each one of us. To conquer the mental and emotional challenges, everyone can learn ways we can strengthen our resilience and face the hate with an empowered spirit.

Many Jews abroad often face their struggles alone. The aim of this program is to offer tactical and psychological tools that can help individuals face challenges, learning from our soldiers who have confronted danger, fear, and uncertainty and have developed tangible tools to overcome.

JUNE 8, 2025

7PM ISRAEL | 5PM UK | 12PM NY | 9AM LA

Join a virtual workshop by Israeli Reservist Itamar Hayun exclusively for Virtual Citizens of Israel and develop usable techniques for coping with the stress, confusion and hesitation of countering the toxic impact of today’s war on Jewish life in and outside of Israel.

RSVP Now and Be Empowered

Elana Heideman is joined by Itamar Hayun, and IDF reserve soldier and founder of Warrior Mindset. Itamar shares his first-hand experiences from October 7th, the battle of Nahal Oz, and his time in Gaza, taking us through the emotional, mental, and strategic realities of defending Israel.

Tune in for explorations of Jewish resilience, military failures, the importance of education in shaping the Jewish future, and how Israelis and Diaspora Jews can cultivate strength in the face of adversity. Join us for an inspiring conversation about identity, survival, and the unbearable Jewish spirit.

Listen now as a podcast and discover how you can be part of the mission.

We are also honored to have Itamar join us as one of our Israel Strong educators.

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