Friend,
As my family and I prepare to celebrate the festival of Passover, I wanted to pause for a moment to say thank you for all you do to support Pro-Israel America and the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Each year, Jews around the world begin the Passover story with a set of contrasts: “Now we are here, next year we will be in the land of Israel; this year we are slaves, next year we will be free people.”
Today, Israel is a reality, the homeland and its people reunited. It changes how we relate to the text of the Haggadah, and it changes our sense of responsibility for ensuring Israel’s future. If I were writing my own text of the Haggadah today, I might say, “Now we are here in the land of Israel, next year we will be securely at peace.”
Yet, Israel is very much not at peace today. The recent wave of terrorist attacks has killed at least 13 in Israel in the last few weeks – the deadliest spate of terrorist attacks in seven years. Unfortunately, more attacks are likely, putting both Israelis and Palestinians at great risk. IDF Chief Aviv Kochavi stated that they have “thwarted at least 10 [additional] terrorist attacks over the past 2 weeks.” As I write this, the IDF announced a successful operation to foil a planned Passover terror attack in Jerusalem.
Terror will never bring peace. Yet, too many Palestinian leaders remain wedded to violence as a political tool and strategy, as they have been since the 1920’s.
While Iran, Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and their allies condemn them, the Abraham Accords are a concrete step toward peace. They give us hope that Arab-Israeli relations will forever be changed from conflict to cooperation, setting the example that one day will hopefully transform relations between Israelis and Palestinians.
While there may not yet be peace, Israel remains stronger and more vibrant than ever. Israel’s robust civil society, its entrepreneurial economy, its thriving institutions of learning, and its simple will to survive are all sources of its strength. And that strength is a force for good in the world. Even as Israelis absorb the dreadfulness of recent events, they are actively welcoming more than 15,000 Ukrainian refugees (mostly non-Jews) fleeing the horrors of war and thousands of Russian Jews worried about an uptick in antisemitism. Israelis are running the only foreign field hospital in Ukraine and are sending medical and other supplies to alleviate the humanitarian tragedy unfolding before our eyes.
For the United States, Israel is both an invaluable strategic ally and a humanitarian imperative to ensure the survival of the Jewish people. While we hope and work for peace, we must never waver in our commitment to Israel’s security and its imperative to defend itself from its many enemies. That is at the foundation of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and it is why we must ensure that Israel has the ability and means to protect itself from terror, from rockets and missiles, and from Iranian nuclear ambitions.
As we enter Passover, I am once again moved by your commitment to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. Whether you celebrate Passover or Easter, we wish you a time of renewed hope and health for America, Israel, and the world.
Thank you again for all that you do to support the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Chag Pesach Sameach!
Thanks,
Jeff and the Mendelsohn Family
P.S. Our family cherishes Grandma Carolyn’s charoset recipe. It’s a delicious tradition in our household, and we’re happy to share it with you again this year!
