What I loved most of all about Israel and why I became a Zionist was because Zionism was

a rejection of victim.

Wind back the clock to before October 7th,

2023, and ask yourself what came to mind

when you heard the words Israel or Palestine or the Holy Land.

Maybe you thought in terms of Cold War or biblical prophecy,

maybe terrorism or forever wars,

or you might have thought of terms like occupation or colonialism

apartheid. Regardless of what came to mind, since October 7th, we've all been

forced to reckon with what we think about this place.

6.30 a.m. we're in our synagogue praying and

the sirens go off and they're going on and on and on and on.

But how well do we really understand this story?

Last fall, I traveled there to try to understand the desires of the people

at the center of this conflict, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. to

the people at the center of this conflict, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, from the West Bank to the Gaza envelope.

I am alive because I wasn't, I didn't come home,

but there all my friends that were here were murdered here over there

Let's go We heard from Israelis and Palestinians, and we heard from Israelis and Palestinians,

Christians, Jews, and Muslims,

describing why this place matters and why it commands the world's

attention.

...