Dear all,
In 2018, the Trump administration moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The decision sparked heated debate, including within the Jewish community.
I remember someone asking me, “What do you think about changing Israel’s capital to Jerusalem?”
I responded, “Jerusalem already IS Israel’s capital.”
He looked at me incredulously. “Are YOU a Trump supporter?”
I was bewildered. Somehow, stating a fact about Israel had become a declaration of American political allegiance.
That conversation returned to me this week as Americans went to the polls for the midterm elections. Once again, I was struck by how easily our political identities can become the lens through which we judge one another’s relationship with Israel.
But Israel is not a Democrat. Israel is not a Republican. And our connection to Israel cannot be measured by our support for an American president.
We can love Israel and question its government.
We can defend its right to exist and challenge its decisions.
We can disagree profoundly about American politics while sharing a profound connection to the Jewish homeland.
Our relationship with Israel is not a political loyalty test. It is a relationship rooted in history, peoplehood, faith, and responsibility.
Politicians come and go. Governments rise and fall.
But our connection to Israel is older than any political party and must be deeper than any election.
And that is something worth remembering in this moment in time.
With love and Shalom,
Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro
