Last week, I traveled from Israel to Paris for a peace conference – a rare space where hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians could gather face to face, in one of the most painful moments our region has ever known. I was supposed to return after 48 hours, but the sudden eruption of war with Iran shut down Israeli airspace. Stranded, I found refuge with my sister in the American Northwest.
Yet, even as missiles kept falling, I did everything I could to get back home – not only to be with my family, but because this is my country – and it’s worth fighting for.
The need for a political horizon
Across the Jewish world, younger Jews increasingly turn away from Israel, feeling betrayed or ashamed. I’ve heard it in every community I visit. And who can blame them? From afar, they see a government that doesn’t reflect their values – a leadership with no vision, no political horizon, no plan. Leadership driven by fear and power, rather than care and responsibility.
However, this government does not speak for all of us, and we must not let it shape what it means to be Israeli or Jewish. For too long, Israel has been defined by an extremist leadership that undermines democracy and elevates Jewish supremacy and military force as its guiding principles.
Let me be clear: Israel has the right to defend itself, and I am deeply grateful for the protection I receive – especially in moments of real threat. Still, as someone who has experienced personal loss due to the deep psychological wounds of war – and I am far from alone – I also know that military force alone cannot create a livable, safe future. There must be a political horizon.
Diplomacy is not a sign of weakness; it is the only way to provide security for all of us in our fragile and beloved region. That’s what I and many others in the region do every day: fight for peace – for a future beyond despair and endless war.
Building bridges for peace
I am a co-director of Women Wage Peace, Israel’s largest grassroots peace movement. For the past three years, we have worked in full partnership with our Palestinian sister movement, Women of the Sun.
Even in the midst of war, we are building bridges – holding vigils, leading joint training programs, and walking together toward a future we are too often told is impossible. We are not alone. There are tens of thousands of peace activists, Israelis and Palestinians, doing the same.
The peace we are working toward is not naive. It’s a clear-eyed, hard-earned vision of a negotiated political agreement that ends the cycle of violence and recognizes the dignity, security, freedom, and the right of both people to self-determination.
Such a peace is not easy to achieve and won’t fix everything overnight, but it will fundamentally change the way Israel is seen, both by the world and by the next generation of Jews. It will silence one of the loudest justifications for antisemitism, and it will allow a new generation of Jews to reconnect with Israel – not as a source of anguish and contradiction but as a place where Jewish values are lived in action: compassion, responsibility, and the pursuit of justice.
That is the Israel I am asking you not to give up on. Don’t let Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s voice drown out what is, after all, the voice of the majority of world Jewry. Don’t let the extremists solidify their vision for Israel – a vision rooted in fear, exclusion, and endless conflict.
An Israel that drifts further into extremism not only endangers its own citizens but also undermines the safety, moral standing, and future of Jewish communities around the world. We all have a stake in ensuring that Israel reflects our deepest values, and it’s our responsibility to lead that conversation, rather than let others impose their narrative. Let this be the generation that didn’t turn away.
Let this be the generation that helped turn the tide.
The writer is a co-director of Women Wage Peace, the largest Israeli grassroots peace movement.