Last week, I spent several meaningful days in Israel. Across every conversation I had, I encountered people thinking seriously about Israel’s biggest challenges and working with urgency and determination to shape a stronger Jewish future. Their commitment, especially in this moment, was both humbling and inspiring.

One of the reasons for my visit was to participate in a national conference convened by President Isaac Herzog, focused on “Our Shared Israeli Future.” CJP was honored to be one of just four sponsors — and the only local North American Jewish Federation — supporting this important effort to reduce polarization and strengthen a sense of collective responsibility across Israeli society.

You can read a bit more about it on eJewishPhilanthropy, on the JFNA blog, and watch the some of the conference online.

At the conference, I facilitated a candid conversation between Becky Caspi — Director General for JFNA’s Israel Office — and Danny Gordis, a writer, speaker, and a good friend, on the relationship between Israeli and North American Jews. We discussed what it means to be one People living in two homes, and what genuine, mutual responsibility for one another could look like.

Later, delivering closing remarks to more than a thousand Israelis gathered to imagine a shared future, I felt both the weight of the moment and a real sense of possibility.

During the speech, I reflected on the thousands of young American Jews we have brought to Israel and the sparks of Jewish Peoplehood that I have seen ignited when they connect in deep and authentic ways with their Israeli brothers and sisters. I spoke about what Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik described as the two britot (covenants) that bind the Jewish People together: Brit Goral (the covenant of fate) and Brit Yeud (the covenant of destiny).

Brit Goral refers to our shared history, shared suffering, shared fight against those who try to cause us harm. We are in it together whether we like it or not. Brit Yeud describes something more aspirational — a shared future we actively choose to build together, guided by our vision and values as a People.

Both dimensions of covenant are featured prominently during the holiday of Shavuot, which begins tomorrow night. The holiday commemorates the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The experience of slavery and the exodus from Egypt — like thousands of years of antisemitism and survival against all odds — created indelible bonds of fate. The revelation at Sinai transforms the Israelites into a “holy people” bound together by their relationship with God, Torah, teachings and values that have the potential to change the world.

I felt that same sense of shared responsibility and collective purpose at the conference last week, where the positive energy and the spirit of agency and hope were palpable throughout the day.

The conference and the role that Greater Boston Jewish community played are powerful reflections of our vision for the future of our relationship with Israel and the many connections that bind us together. During such a challenging time in both of our countries, coming together felt like a much-needed day of positivity and hope for a brighter future — one that we can build together.