Every modern generation of Jews measures Israel through two lenses: Its strength, and its spirit. At times, these two move in perfect alignment. At other times, they strain against one another—each demanding attention, each requiring care. Today, we are living in such a moment, a moment of change and challenge.

There is no question that Israel’s strategic position has changed. Over the past decades—and especially in the wake of recent conflicts—Israel has demonstrated capabilities that previous generations could scarcely have imagined. Today, its military strength, technological innovation, intelligence coordination, seamless coordination as a capable ally of the US, and regional positioning have fundamentally changed its regional dynamic going forward.

Israel is no longer a fragile state fighting for survival on every front. It is a regional power and a global innovator - a nation with alliances, leverage, and resilience. That strength matters. It deters enemies and protects lives. It ensures that the Jewish people are never again defenseless in the face of existential threats. For a people whose history is marked by vulnerability, this transformation is nothing short of extraordinary. But strength alone is never the full story.

Even as Israel’s external position has grown stronger, its internal challenges have become more visible—and more urgent.

The societal divisions that emerged before, the horrors of October 7th, and the traumas that followed in recent years have left deep marks on Israeli society. Communities have been displaced. Families have endured pain and loss. Entire regions require rebuilding—not only of homes and infrastructure, but of a sense of safety and stability that cannot be restored overnight.

At the same time, divisions within Israeli society—political, religious, cultural—have tested the cohesion that has often been one of the country’s greatest assets. These tensions are not new. Debate has always been part of Israel’s democratic fabric. But in moments of crisis, the stakes feel higher. The fractures feel deeper, and the question becomes unavoidable:

Can a nation remain strong externally if it is strained internally? And are there lessons from the answer to that question that can apply to us, here and now, in the diaspora?

History suggests that the answer depends not on the absence of disagreement, but on the presence of shared purpose. The Jewish people’s greatest strength has never been uniformity.

It has been unity—the most elusive, fleeting, and demanding value our tradition has given us.

The physical rebuilding that lies ahead is daunting. Homes must be reconstructed, communities must be restored, and infrastructure must be strengthened. When our leadership was visiting several social service agencies and organizations in Israel last November, we learned about the massive investment going into construction and rebuilding over the next years and decades. But the deeper work is social.

It is about restoring trust, reinforcing connection, and rebuilding a sense of collective responsibility that transcends differences. The generation of soldiers who spent hundreds of days in battle - a generation being described as the generation of lions, of redemption, of victory - has demonstrated that they are willing to sacrifice everything for their people and their land. And they won’t be satisfied with mediocre leadership in government. They will demand more and better, and they will lead by example.

This kind of rebuilding doesn’t stop at Israel’s borders. It requires the participation of the Jewish people—everywhere.

For American Jews, the question is not whether we are connected to Israel.The question is how we act on that connection in this moment.

Our support for Israel today must be both meaningful and multidimensional.

It means contributing to efforts that rebuild communities and provide for those most affected by conflict—families who have lost homes, livelihoods, and a sense of normalcy. It means strengthening the institutions that sustain Israeli society—education, healthcare, social services, and community organizations that innovate to do the quiet, essential work of holding a nation together. It means advocating clearly, confidently and unapologetically for Jewish sovereignty in the Jewish ancestral homeland, even in environments where that position is challenged. And it means engaging with Israel not as a distant symbol, but as a living, evolving society—complex, resilient, and deserving of both support and honest partnership.

But we have another responsibility that cannot be ignored. At the very moment when Israel’s strength has increased, threats to Jewish safety and security in the diaspora have also risen.

We have seen it in the data and felt it in our communities. We have witnessed it in front of our synagogues, on campuses and in public spaces. Supporting Israel and safeguarding Jewish life here are not competing priorities, they are inseparable.

A strong global Jewish community reinforces Israel. A secure American Jewish community ensures that Jewish life continues to flourish beyond its borders. And as I’ve written before, walls and gates don’t exist for themselves. They protect what lies within - the garden of Jewish identity and meaningful Jewish life. Without the walls, the garden is threatened. Without the garden, the walls are meaningless and useless.

That is why efforts like our Rockland Community Security Initiative are so essential. They remind us that preparedness is not a reaction to fear—it is a commitment to continuity, and to remember that Jewish strength has always been both local and global.

Israel today stands in a position of unprecedented strength. But strength is not static. It must be sustained, and it must be supported. And it must be matched by internal cohesion and collective purpose.

We have always understood that our destiny is shared. When Israel rebuilds, we are part of that rebuilding. When Israeli society wrestles with division, we are stakeholders in its unity. When Jewish communities face rising threats, we respond—not separately, but together. If the future of the Jewish people is important to you, this is not a moment for distance, It is a moment for engagement, investment partnership and clear purpose.

The story of Israel and the Jewish people has never been defined solely by the challenges we face, nor solely by our strength. It is defined by the ability of all our people to navigate both at the same time.

To be strong externally, and united internally. To rebuild when necessary - and if necessary again, and again - and to move forward with determination and hope.

That responsibility does not rest in Israel alone, It rests with all of us.

And as we meet this moment—with open eyes, steady resolve, and a commitment to both support and preparedness—we reaffirm a truth that has guided the Jewish people across generations.

We are stronger when we embrace all that binds us together rather than allow our adversaries to pick us apart because of our differences.

Join us on Tuesday to commemorate the heroes who have fallen in battle on Yom Hazikaron. You can register HERE.