God Bless America

Thank you, America! (OU)

I often talk about how proud I am to be an American. How great America has been to the Jewish people. That has never been more true than right now. So on this Independence Day, July 4th, 2025, I want to express my profound gratitude to a nation that has given the Jewish people the unfettered opportunity to succeed in any endeavor they choose, and has granted us unprecedented religious freedom.

Never has that last point been more evident than it is today. Religious Jews, whose education demands intensive classroom instruction - and therefore by its nature requires a parochial school education - have now been given the means to better afford it. It is no longer the case that only a public school education is federally funded.

Yesterday, Congress passed a bill that includes a provision for school choice. This mandates that all parents - regardless of the type of school their children attend - be eligible for federal educational support. Parents who wish to give their children a more intensive religious education will no longer be penalized for that choice. They will now stand on equal footing with public school parents. The President is scheduled to sign that bill into law later today. And I can’t think of a more appropriate day to do so than Independence Day.

America’s unprecedented response to rising antisemitism is another area worth highlighting. One of the most troubling arenas where antisemitism has flourished is on college campuses. Anti-Israel sentiment has too often translated into naked antisemitic behavior, particularly by leftist professors - many of whom are either Palestinian or extoll extremist Palestinian ideology. These educators have been indoctrinating students with blatant lies about Israel: labeling it a colonialist, apartheid, racist, and even genocidal state. Long before the October 7^th massacre of Jews by Hamas that precipitated the war in Gaza

Student governments, often governed by those indoctrinated students, have pushed for and led protests demanding that their schools adopt the antisemitic BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) platform. Biased media coverage of the war in Gaza has only fueled this trend and contributed to the rise in antisemitism across the country. The media often highlights these misguided individuals as if they alone reflect the moral core of our culture. Sadly, this kind of thinking has begun to seep into public consciousness.

As a result, harassment of Jewish students on campuses has spiked nationwide.

And here, once again, the government shines. They have tackled antisemitism on campus like no administration before them. Previous administrations either ignored it or dismissed it as free speech.

Not this one. Heads have rolled. Ivy League university officials who turned a blind eye - or even expressed support for pro-Palestinian protests that included threats of violence against Jewish students have been forced to resign in disgrace. That happened because this administration finally gave these issues the attention they deserve.

And last, but certainly not least, is America’s relationship with Israel - now stronger than ever. The coordination between the U.S. and Israel in neutralizing Iran’s nuclear program is one of the most significant achievements of the 21^st century thus far. After extensive analysis by experts on Iran’s nuclear capabilities – it is now believed with a high degree of confidence that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been set back by at least two years.

Even Iran’s foreign minister publicly admitted that the country’s nuclear program was severely damaged. When asked by an American reporter whether Iran would retaliate with more than the feeble response seen after the U.S. bombing of Fordow, he said they would not. When asked whether they would restart their nuclear program, he affirmed their ‘right’ to do so, but appeared far more concerned about what the U.S. might do if they tried. And therefore said they are now more focused on  restoring their country.

Israel and its neighbors are now safer than they were just weeks ago. Syria has even indicated a willingness to join the Abraham Accords and has reportedly offered to concede the Golan Heights to Israel - provided Israel vacates the buffer zone it currently maintains between the Golan Heights and the rest of Syria. Not a word was mentioned about a Palestinian state.

A 6-month ceasefire with Hamas also seems to be on the immediate horizon, one that would include the release of all hostages. Israel has already agreed to it. Hamas has not. Their sticking point appears to be a refusal to lay down their arms. But their primary patron, Qatar, has now told them to do exactly that. One thing is clear: Hamas is a shadow of its former self. Iran is no longer in any position to help them. And Qatar, who once funded and backed them, appears to be done with them too. Everyone wants peace now. It seems even their own backers are sick of Hamas.

The President also expressed his displeasure with the ongoing corruption trial of Israel’s Prime Minister. Calling it a witch hunt! He said that all charges should be dropped. Those who thought President Trump had turned sour on Netanyahu - well, think again.

And then there's the cultural battle taking place in this country. A war between values rooted in biblical morality and those rooted in ever-shifting secular ideologies. Many of the values under attack today are the same values upon which this country was founded, many of which come from the ‘Old Testament’ - our Tanach or more precisely, our Torah.

Those who love to emphasize the theological differences between Judaism and Christianity - or point out that Christian interpretations of certain portions of the Torah differ vastly from ours - are missing the larger point. Which is that the core values that underlie this country are values that Jews and Christians share. That’s why it’s not uncommon to see groups like Agudath Israel and the Catholic Church filing amicus briefs together before the Supreme Court. A national voucher program is one such example.

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that parents may remove their children from classes that discuss LGBTQ issues, or decline to use textbooks that promote their values if it contradicts their religious values.

So yes, this is a great time to be a Jew – especially a religious Jew - in America.  So on this day, July 4th, 2025, I proudly join the Orthodox Union in expressing my profound gratitude to this great country for bringing us to this historic moment.

God Bless America, land that I love.