America’s 250th anniversary is a moment to look beyond ceremonies and remember the ideas that made this nation possible: a faith-informed moral code, a commitment to liberty, and a special bond with the Jewish people that shapes our history and our foreign policy choices today.
Our founders built a republic that borrowed heavily from a moral tradition rooted in the Bible. Those Judeo-Christian pillars gave Americans a language for liberty, human dignity, justice and personal responsibility that still holds political and cultural force.
These are not abstract points. They are traceable to texts and teachings that informed Western law and civic life for centuries, including passages that helped shape concepts of governance and accountability. One clear echo appears in Isaiah, where it is written, “the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king” (Isaiah 33:22).
Symbols on our currency and mottos in our public life are not empty decorations. When we affirm “In God We Trust” we are invoking the same God who appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who helped lay down a moral foundation many of our laws still reflect. Recognizing that lineage matters when we think about alliances and national identity.
That history is one reason support for Israel is not merely an item on a foreign policy checklist but a moral and historical instinct. In my role with the Young Leadership group of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, I have seen the cost of keeping a nation free and the character that cost demands.
After the October 7 terrorist attacks I traveled to Israel and met soldiers, families and communities shattered by violence but steady in resolve. Their resilience was matched by a moral seriousness about defending life, freedom and their neighbors, and that combination of courage and conscience felt deeply familiar to anyone raised on American civic virtues.
Backing Israel should not be reduced to a partisan talking point. It is rooted in shared traditions and in the unique contribution the Jewish people have made to the moral vocabulary of the West. A recent study found a worrying generational gap, with only 29% of younger evangelicals saying they believe the Jewish people are God’s chosen people, and that cultural shift should give conservatives pause about passing on civic faith to the next generation.
Strategic cooperation with Israel, including recent joint efforts to push back against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, reflects more than convenience. It reflects a historic partnership built on common commitments to truth, security and liberty. If we mean to keep America strong and free for another 250 years, standing with our Jewish neighbors and a reliable ally is a practical and moral duty that deserves steady support and vigorous defense.
