The Long Road

Rarely is a historical event so shocking and unimaginable as to upend our very understanding of the world. For those old enough to remember, September 11 was one such event. For an earlier generation, it was World War I.

Jews globally are coming to the understanding that, for us, October 7th was just such a moment. What we knew of ourselves and of our place in this world has changed, perhaps forever.? The tectonic plates have shifted. We stand on new ground.

Coming to terms with the new reality is hard. Very hard. On October 6th Israel and Jews felt overwhelmingly secure.? Diaspora communities flourished.? Antisemitism was largely in check.? Israel was still a “villa in the jungle” but a seemingly well-defended one at that.? The Jewish State was ascendant.

But the attack of October 7th and the war against the Jewish people that began on that day have fundamentally challenged all these assumptions and more.

It is way too early to draw any firm conclusions. It may take a generation or more for the impact of that fateful day to be fully understood. ?Events continue to cascade at a rapid pace, making it all the more challenging to gain perspective. But it is vital to learn some tentative, if early lessons.

The first is that the security of the State of Israel and that of the Jewish people is one and the same. For over 100 years the Jewish people invested its formidable energy into the Herculean task of reestablishing a Jewish Commonwealth. Having successfully done so we have tied the security of the Jewish people as a whole to the security of the State of Israel. A strong Israel provides a shield to Jews?everywhere.? This is not only because Israel is the ultimate safe haven for the world’s longest persecuted minority.? It is also because the locus of Jewish power in Israel radiates a protective aura to Jews across the world.? Conversely, a weak Israel means vulnerable Jews everywhere. We have seen this clearly in the shocking rise in global anti-Semitism over the past 9 months.

Second, we Jews are, for now, on the defensive. This is an uncomfortable feeling, one that we have not experienced since 1973. The State of Israel has enjoyed 50 years of ascendancy across all the major vectors. The economy grew, our military became more sophisticated, our population exploded, we joined the OECD and our tech sector blossomed. Now the halo of Israel security establishment has dimmed, the economy threatened by the cost of war and boycotts and the country feels diplomatically isolated. Global antisemitism is normalized and diaspora Jewish communities are erecting ever higher fences.? But recognizing the we are on the defensive is also liberating. It enables us to focus our energies on what is truly important and to brace ourselves for the task at hand.

Lastly, the battles Israel is currently waging, both against Hamas and against Hezbollah, are part of a long, difficult struggle against Iran. All our troubles start in Tehran, a fanatical Islamicist regime bent on our annihilation. Together with our many friends around the world we must devise and implement a strategy to deal squarely with the Iranian threat to the West, to the State of Israel and to Jews everywhere. Only then will the nearby threats from Gaza and Lebanon recede.

The good news is that we have the strength to overcome all of these challenges. Israel has outstanding human capital, social solidarity, a growing population and technology prowess. ?Our youth is the pride of the nation. Recently, Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet compared today’s generation of young Israelis to the Greatest Generation who built America to its post-war greatness.? The comparison is apt.? Israelis know who we are and why we are here.? We understand our role in the long history of our nation and stakes at hand.?

At the same time many Jews around the world are rediscovering the importance of Israel to their lives and reconnecting. And we have many true friends in capital cities.? All these are critical assets in wagging this fight.

The challenges we face will not be solved overnight. And it will not be easy.? The fight against Hamas in Gaza is incomplete, our hostages still languish in captivity and the situation on Israel’s northern border is untenable. Our leadership must be refreshed and our systems reformed.? We need to rectify the damage to our economy and diplomatic standing. We will need to face down the Iranian threat.? And antisemitism must again be relegated to the dark, dank corners of the world. ?

None of this is pleasant to contemplate. It is easier to hope the world returns to the 6th of October. But in our hearts we all know that is not going to happen. We are now on a different trajectory, one that is more difficult but that at the same time holds out the possibility, in fact the likelihood, of Jews and Israel emerging stronger, more united, more dynamic and more secure than ever before.

There is a long road ahead. We all need to brace ourselves for difficult days to come. But at the end, and with God's help, not only shall we overcome but we shall emerge?ascendant.