Israel now controls Gaza, and its starving people are now Israel’s responsibility. Their deaths are a stain on our collective Jewish soul. Feeding their hungry is now our duty. Has October 7th so hardened our hearts that we have no concern for other human beings? Gaza has become a humanitarian crisis that demands our compassion.

Wandering is not aimless. It is not the destination that writes meaning. It is instead the movement from one place to another that define us. History, and Torah, are written by wandering forward.

We yearn to gain the blessings and praise of our neighbors. The Zionist dream was to be a nation like all other nations. Our longing remains for the Jewish people to no longer be treated as an outcast and to be welcomed into the family of nations.

The only thing that America ever provided my grandparents was a promise. And they fell in love with that American dream. The most important thing my grandparents ever gave me was providing me with that same promise and dream. On this July 4th I pledge to continue fighting for that promise and dream.

We have become Korah. And for this we should ask forgiveness and mend our ways. If we are ever going to make it to our promised land and improve our society, we must stop attacking each other.

Hateful, and yes even murderous, ideologies can never be defeated by military means alone. It’s never just about bunkers and bombs. To think that it will all be cured by bigger bombs and larger planes is fallacy.