Come see the living story of our people. Then, return to your communities with faith renewed and hearts strengthened.
Yisrael Ganz
(JNS)
After years of war and heartbreak, the people of Israel stand resilient, hopeful, determined and full of faith. Despite the pain, our spirit is unbroken. We look toward the future with the same strength and optimism that have sustained the Jewish people through every trial in history.
Yet as we rise from the rubble and rebuild our lives, we must also open our eyes to the world around us. Once again, Jewish communities across the globe find themselves under attack, not only on social media but on the streets, in universities and during public discourse.
The surge of antisemitism that has swept across continents is not just a reaction to the conflict in Gaza. It is a reminder that our fate as Jews, in Israel and in the Diaspora, has always been intertwined. When Israel bleeds, the Jewish people everywhere feel the pain. When Jews abroad are targeted, the heart of Israel aches.
Now, more than ever, we must return to our shared mission: the Jewish mission to strengthen Israel. The way to do so is by reconnecting with it.
Our story did not begin in Tel Aviv or New York. It began in the hills of Judea and Samaria, in the places where Abraham walked, where Jacob dreamed, where Joshua crossed the Jordan. This land is not just geography; it is our spiritual DNA. Here, the idea of faith itself was born.
This is the moment to renew that bond, not only by defending Israel from afar but by coming to see the land. Every Jew, wherever they live, should come to the heart of our homeland, to walk the paths of our ancestors, to feel the pulse of history beneath their feet and to see with their own eyes what Israel truly is. Because there is no substitute for standing on the ground where prayer was first whispered, where kings ruled, prophets spoke and our people’s destiny took shape.
Strengthening Judea and Samaria is not merely a matter of politics or geography; it is a declaration of life, of belonging, of purpose. It is how we ensure that the covenant between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel remains alive, visible and unbreakable.
To our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora: Come see the living story of our people. Walk where Abraham walked. Stand where Joshua stood. Touch the stones that hold our shared past and our shared future.
Then, return to your communities with faith renewed and hearts strengthened. Tell the story of the real Israel, the story of hope, courage and destiny.
Because the Jewish mission has always been the same: to bring light into darkness, faith into doubt and life into the places others thought barren. Today, that mission continues in the heart of the land where it all began.
Image: Judea in late winter. Jan. 24, 2021. Credit: Davidbena via Wikimedia Commons.
