We are about to enter Pesach in what can only be described as surreal times. The past two and a half years have moved so quickly, yet they have carried a weight that is impossible to ignore. We lived through the largest massacre of Jews since World War II, coming after a period of deep internal division, only to be reminded in the most painful way that our story is still unfolding.
Since then, we have faced a relentless reality. Missiles over Israel. Rising antisemitism across the world. A constant awareness that there are those who seek our destruction. The current confrontation with Iran feels like a moment where everything is coming together, a culmination of forces that have been building for decades.
Iran’s hatred of the Jewish people is neither new nor rational. In the 1990s, Iranian-backed terrorists carried out devastating attacks against Jewish communities, most notably the bombing of the AMIA building in Buenos Aires, where innocent Jews were murdered. Around that same time, a Jewish flight in Panama was also targeted in a deadly attack that never received the attention it deserved. I remember standing at the AMIA memorial, reflecting on the lives lost and the brutality behind it. These are not isolated moments in history. This hatred has deep roots, and it continues to reveal itself again and again.
At the very same time, we are witnessing something else. We are witnessing open miracles. Missiles are falling, sirens are sounding, families are running to shelters, yet far fewer lives have been lost than anyone could have imagined. There is something greater at work. There always has been.
The timing is striking. This moment stretches from Purim into Pesach. On Purim, a powerful enemy rose up with a plan to destroy every Jew. On Pesach, we remember the greatest empire of its time enslaving, torturing, and attempting to break our people, until redemption came. These are not just stories of the past. They are the pattern of Jewish history.
Support from allies matters, and we are grateful for those who stand with us, especially the United States. Yet the deeper truth is that our survival has never depended solely on the nations of the world. It comes from something far more enduring. God has always been with us. Through exile, persecution, and challenge, we have never been alone.
There is something else that has carried us through every generation. We have each other. We are one family. That unity is not just a feeling. It is our strength, and it is our responsibility.
This past week, I had the privilege of seeing that strength up close.
In Miami, Rabbi Meyer May, the Executive Vice President of Aish, and I spent time with one of the great champions of the Jewish people, Mr. Jay Schottenstein, together with his grandson Jacob, who spent this past year learning at our yeshiva. What made the moment even more powerful is that both Rabbi May and Mr. Schottenstein served for decades together as board members of ArtScroll.
Sitting with them, listening to their stories of how ArtScroll was built, how it developed, and how it transformed Jewish learning, was deeply moving. They spoke about a time when access to Torah learning was limited, when opening a Gemara felt out of reach for so many. Through vision, commitment, and relentless dedication, they helped change that reality for an entire generation. Today, anyone can open a volume of the Schottenstein Talmud and learn. That did not happen by accident. It happened because people believed that every Jew deserves access to our heritage.
That is exactly what Aish has been doing for decades, and what we are continuing to do now in new ways, reaching Jews everywhere and making Torah accessible, relevant, and alive.
In Panama, I had the opportunity to spend Shabbat with an extraordinary Jewish community and with a group of Jewish leaders from YPO Mosaic. YPO is an international network of CEOs with many tens of thousands of members across the globe. Within it, YPO Mosaic is a remarkable group of over 500 Jewish leaders who have come together with a deep commitment to the Jewish people and to Israel.
There was something incredibly powerful about being in that room. These are individuals who lead major businesses and carry enormous responsibility, yet when they gather, the conversation becomes singular: how do we help the Jewish people? How do we stand up for Israel? How do we respond to rising antisemitism?
After Shabbat, I shared something with the group that I believe with absolute clarity.
A question lingered throughout Shabbat: how do we sit here in comfort while missiles are falling in Israel? How do we live with that tension, that pull to be somewhere else, with our people?
My answer was simple.
“This is not a moment to step away. This is a moment to step up.”
Being together is not an escape. It is a responsibility. When Jews come together with clarity and purpose, that is part of how we respond. We gather to think bigger, to act stronger, and to take responsibility for our people and for Israel.
“We are not here despite what is happening. We are here because of it.”
That is how the Jewish people have always lived. In moments of challenge, we do not retreat. We rise, we unite, and we take responsibility for our future.
And that is exactly the message of Pesach. Even in the darkest moments, when everything seems uncertain, we come together, we tell our story, and we step forward with faith, with strength, and with the unshakable belief that redemption is not just possible, it is inevitable.
As we approach Pesach, I ask each of you to bring this awareness into your Seder. If you are surrounded by family and friends, take a moment to think about those we have lost, those who are fighting to protect our people, and those who cannot yet sit in peace.
If you do not have a Seder, find one. Create one. This night defines us. It is the night where we tell our story, not as something distant, but as something alive.
The story of Pesach is not ancient history. It is happening now. The names may change. The enemies may change. The ending does not change. The Jewish people endure. The Jewish people rise. The Jewish people fulfill their purpose.
The challenge ahead is not only to confront those who hate us, but to strengthen the love between us. We must hold onto our unity not only in times of crisis, but in the days that follow. We are one people, with one destiny, guided by something far greater than ourselves.
As we enter Pesach, remember this: our story is not defined by those who rise against us, but by how we rise in response.
