{"id":256203,"date":"2026-08-19T13:53:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T13:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/256203\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T13:53:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T13:53:34","slug":"opinion-dont-turn-away-from-israel-and-jewish-people-this-is-the-time-to-lean-in-and-double-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/256203\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Don\u2019t Turn Away From Israel and Jewish People \u2014 This Is the Time to Lean in and Double Down"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>(Adobe Stock \/ Sawitree88)<\/p>\n

By Rick Zitelman<\/p>\n

For many Jews in America, this is one of the most difficult moments in generations to openly be Jewish and support Israel.
Some are deeply troubled by Israel\u2019s internal politics. They see a nation increasingly divided. They question whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is acting primarily in the country\u2019s best interests or in his own political survival. They are frustrated by the influence of the ultra-Orthodox parties, the continuing controversy over military service exemptions for many Haredi students, and reports that extremist violence by some Jewish settlers in the West Bank goes unpunished.<\/p>\n

These concerns are real, and they deserve honest discussion and debate. Friends and family can disagree on these issues while remaining committed to Israel\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

At the same time, many Jews outside Israel face a different but equally troubling reality. Antisemitism \u2014 more accurately, Jew hatred \u2014 is rising at levels not seen in decades. Jewish students are intimidated on college campuses. Synagogues require heightened security. Jewish institutions spend millions simply to protect their members. Hate crimes are on the rise. Some Jews are reluctant to wear a Star of David, attend Jewish events, or publicly express support for Israel.<\/p>\n

Faced with these pressures, some have begun to distance themselves. They reduce their support for Jewish organizations, stop contributing to Israeli causes and some quietly withdraw from Jewish communal life altogether.<\/p>\n

This might be understandable, but it is a mistake.<\/p>\n

Israel has never been perfect. No democracy is. Throughout its history, Jews and Israelis have vigorously debated politics, religion, security and the country\u2019s future. That spirited debate is itself evidence of democracy.<\/p>\n

Israel is far more than today\u2019s headlines.<\/p>\n

It is the nation that transformed a tiny desert country into the \u201cStart-Up Nation.\u201d Israeli ingenuity has changed the world through innovations such as drip irrigation, water conservation and desalination technologies, the USB flash drive, Waze, Mobileye, and countless advances in technology, medicine, biotechnology, cybersecurity, agriculture and artificial intelligence.
There is much pride in the Israeli victories after the rebirth of the Jewish state in 1948, and after the 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars, as well as the hostage rescue from Entebbe.<\/p>\n

Should we abandon that pride because today\u2019s politics disappoint us? No.<\/p>\n

Families don\u2019t work that way. The Jewish people are one extended family, we\u2019re all \u201cB\u2019nai Israel\u201d \u2014the \u201cChildren of Israel.\u201d Every family has disagreements. Every family has members whose choices we question. But when a family faces danger, we don\u2019t walk away. We come closer. We argue, we debate, we support and try to improve one another \u2014 but we remain family.
Our history teaches us this lesson repeatedly.<\/p>\n

For more than 3,000 years, the Jewish people have endured exile, conquest, persecution, expulsions, forced conversions, pogroms, the Spanish Expulsion of 1492, the Holocaust and countless other attempts to erase us from history. Yet we continue to survive; not because we always agreed, but because we refused to abandon one another.<\/p>\n

After the horrific events of Oct. 7 unfolded, Jews from all over the world came together and stood together in unity. Today, we face another defining moment. The challenges are different, but the answer is the same: strength through the unity of the Jewish people.<\/p>\n

This is not the time to retreat from our Jewish identity. It is the time to strengthen it, \u201cLean into\u201d and double down on our unwavering support.<\/p>\n

This may not be easy for some; most things in life that are rewarding and meaningful are not easy.<\/p>\n

Let us invest more in Jewish education through day schools, synagogues, summer camps, and adult outreach and learning. Let us teach our children the richness of Jewish history, values and tradition. Let us support organizations that strengthen Jewish communities and Israel. And let us continue to engage thoughtfully with Israel \u2014 not by ignoring its shortcomings, but by caring enough to help it fulfill its highest ideals.<\/p>\n

Supporting Israel does not require agreeing with every government policy or every political leader. In fact, one can love and support Israel while criticizing decisions made by its leaders.<\/p>\n

Our choice is important. What are YOU going to do about it? Retreat, stay the same, or take individual and collective action and reaffirm who we are and what we stand for?<\/p>\n

What will you tell your children and grandchildren when they ask, \u201cWhat did you do when many in our country and across the globe turned against Jews and Israel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rick Zitelman is the founder and president of the Zitelman Family Foundation, which supports the unity and continuity of the Jewish people through meaningful and relevant Jewish wisdom and education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Adobe Stock \/ Sawitree88) By Rick Zitelman For many Jews in America, this is one of the most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256204,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[37,41993,41960,649,52,11488,6393],"class_list":["post-256203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-israel","tag-op-ed","tag-op-eds","tag-opinion","tag-opinions","tag-voices","tag-zionism"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117122512606325169","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}