What color is your heart?
What is the Jewish nation’s essence? It’s our heart.
Heart is what separates the good from the great. We are meant to be a light unto the nations. And in that light, the world can learn from us.
More than 3,000 years ago, as we wandered the desert before entering the Promised Land, Moses called us a “stiff-necked people.” His words still resonate. But since October 7, we have shown something else: we are one beating heart. We ache collectively for the hostages in Gaza. Their pain is our pain. We feel their absence as if they were our own family — because in many ways they are.
I’m proud to be an American. I’m also a proud Jew. We are fortunate to live in a country that, since its founding, has offered Jews freedom and safety. American democracy aligns with the values of Judaism — liberty, justice, and tikkun olam, the call to repair the world.
And yet today, many Jewish Americans feel politically homeless.
The Democratic Party once stood firmly with Israel. I don’t align with the MAGA movement, but I also feel increasingly alienated from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Too many elected leaders have grown silent when moral clarity is most needed and turned a blind eye to the root causes of this war.
There are still hostages in Gaza.
The Jewish people have something urgent to teach the world: that life matters. That truth matters. That moral clarity matters.
Israel, like any nation, has the right and obligation to defend its citizens from terror. Hamas hides weapons under schools and hospitals and glorifies martyrdom. In contrast, Israel fights to bring home the 50 hostages still held in Gaza, more than 670 days after they were taken. Twenty are presumed to be alive, enduring unimaginable conditions. Two recently released propaganda videos showed Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David looking like Holocaust survivors — starved, skeletal, tortured.
Hamas is also still holding the bodies of about 30 victims. Among them are two American citizens: Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. We still seek to give them a dignified Jewish burial. In Judaism, the dead are never forgotten. Living or deceased, every Jew matters.
Yet the world looks away. Worse, it spreads misinformation.
The New York Times recently printed a front-page photo of Muhammad al-Matouq, a child living in Gaza, claiming he was starving due to the war, when in fact he suffers from a genetic disorder. It later issued a quiet correction, but the damage was done. The image went viral, fueling false narratives. That’s not just sloppy journalism. It’s information warfare.
Where is the outrage?
We need leaders who see through the noise.
A few months ago, I was contacted by Dory Benami, who was considering running for Congress against Rep. Brad Sherman in California’s 32nd District. Dory had read my writing in the Jewish Standard and wanted to talk about the political landscape. He recently launched his campaign to bring moral clarity — and unapologetic support for Israel — back to the Democratic Party.
The June 2, 2026, primary in California’s San Fernando Valley is more than a local race. It’s one of 28 key Democratic primaries across the country that will shape the future direction of the party: Will it stand for truth and moral clarity — or continue to look the other way?
Dory is fighting for what’s right. I hope you’ll consider supporting him. Learn more at www.doryforcongress.com. We need elected officials who represent our values — not just when it’s easy, but when it matters most.
America must remain a safe and welcoming place for Jews. As the poet Yehuda Halevi wrote: “My heart is in the East, but I reside at the ends of the West.” My heart beats red, white, and blue — but a part of it will always be blue and white, with a Magen David at its center.
What color is your heart?
We recently marked Tisha B’Av and remembered the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. This year it hits harder. The parallels are difficult to ignore.
Our Sages teach that the Second Temple was destroyed because of sinat chinam — baseless hatred — and that the Third Temple will be rebuilt through ahavat chinam — unconditional love for each other. As difficult as the last two years have been for Jews worldwide, it has united us, and it has reminded us of our oneness and brotherhood. We all feel that tug at our hearts for the hostages.
It’s time to bring them all home.
Sarah Kukin Gretah, who works as a grants manager at the David Berg Foundation, is passionate about philanthropy in the Jewish community and is a fierce advocate for the State of Israel. She lives in Tenafly with her family.
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