We stayed up all night watching the hostages return.
Into the early hours of the morning, US time, lovers of Israel – Jews and non-Jews, older and younger – pulled what college students call an “all-nighter.” We held our breath, waited and worried, and then broke into cheers and wiped away tears.
It was inspiring. It was emotional. It was a dream come true. It was, also, a vicarious celebration.
Lovers of Israel, as clichéd as it may sound, are linked to the destiny of Israel. When Israel weeps, we weep, and when Israel celebrates, we celebrate.
We understand that ours cannot adequately mirror the intensity of feeling, whether it be pain or happiness, felt by Israelis living in Israel, but we nevertheless share in those feelings.
Our children, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, and friends are in Israel. So whatever Israel feels, we feel too.
We, in the Diaspora, are living testament to the classic poem penned in the 12th century by Yehudah Halevi, the Spanish philosopher, physician, and Jewish poet. The poem, titled “Libi baMizrach,” or “My heart is in the East,” goes on to say, “while I am at the far reaches of the West.”
These hundreds of years later, Halevi’s words resonate; they ring so very true for so very many of us – the lovers of Israel who live in the Diaspora.
That truth was echoed by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, who is buried in Uman, Ukraine, and who, 500 years later, taught the lesson that: “Wherever I go, I am going to Jerusalem.”
Diaspora's connection to Israel
This Diaspora Jewish connection to Israel is deeper than we are led to believe.
Doomsayers may correctly point to polls that show a weakening of the connection, especially that of younger Jews in the United States.
However, the truth is that this younger generation is more skeptical than previous generations. They have a more complicated or nuanced relationship with Israel. Their grandparents enjoy a more mono-dimensional relationship with the Jewish state and have an unconditional love and affinity for it.
This younger generation, those who love Israel, do so in their own way, a way that is replete with caveats and conditions for everything, including Israel. Needless to say, I am not referring to those young Jews born into Jewish families who parrot Hamas’s talking points.
Those Jews, of whom there are more and more, are Jews who lack a Jewish soul. Fortunately, while they are a disturbing group, they are still a minority.
A poll of New York Jews, published in 2025 and conducted by the Jewish Federation of New York, found that 64% of those Jews polled feel very or somewhat attached to Israel. In addition, 55% have friends or family living in Israel.
These are important and significant numbers. They represent the reason not to fear our future – because loving Israel is personal. Within the Jewish community there is a foundation of support for Israel, not just among its Orthodox dimension, but also within the overall community of American Jewry.
When it’s personal, the link is deeper and more substantive. Having a friend or loved one in Israel means that there is a direct link. The safety and security of Israel is linked to the safety and security of the friend or loved one. It is no longer logical or political or religious; it is personal.
It is akin to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which reads: “An attack on one is an attack on all.” Article 5 was only invoked once – in the aftermath of 9/11.
If unity and shared commitments are true for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), just imagine how strong they are for Jews in the Diaspora and their link to Israel. News from Israel and about Israel – good and bad – resonates deeply.
The October 7 massacre created a sense of collective belonging for many. Jews and non-Jews, and lovers of Israel, bonded together, bridging religious divides and political divides. As one, they formed a deep emotional bond.
But it also created a divide. The lovers of Israel are proud of the Jewish state; Israel’s haters are embarrassed and angered by it.
In 2021, according to a Pew study, 82% of the Jews polled asserted that caring for Israel was “essential” or “very important” to their Jewish identity. Today, post October 7, the numbers have dropped. The trend has shifted.
The too long-awaited joyous homecoming of the living hostages buoyed Diaspora Jewry much as it buoyed Israelis. Together, we wait for and continue to pray for the return of all the bodies of those killed after having been taken hostage.
The writer is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Watch his TV show Thinking Out Loud on JBS.