In the fall of 1974, a little more than a year after the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, Elie Wiesel took the stage in New York at the national convention of the Jewish Federations to deliver a major address, titled “Against Despair.”
Wiesel spoke about the absolute necessity to celebrate Jewish life, especially on Simchat Torah, which many rabbis, he said, had been ambivalent about celebrating because of the war.
In an eerily prescient passage, he said, “Never before have Jews been so organically linked one to another. Shout here, and you will be heard in Kyiv. Shout in Kyiv, and you will be heard in Paris. When Jews are sad in Jerusalem, we are moved to tears everywhere.”
Since October 7, we have faced, as we did exactly half a century ago, a time of turmoil, tumult, and travail. But even more importantly at this pivotal moment in Jewish life, now is the time to celebrate the unity of the Jewish people and to chart our collective path forward.
The March for Israel that we held last November, which attracted 300,000 people to the National Mall and hundreds of thousands more online, is still reverberating in our hearts and minds. It was ineffably inspiring that the Jewish community, despite the diverse array of views we hold, could be so united in speaking and standing up for Israel, for the return of the hostages, and for a refusal to countenance antisemitism in any form.
That is why we are gathering again on Sunday, November 10, in Washington, DC, for a free, once-in-a-lifetime event that is open to those of all backgrounds, called “Stand Together: Unity, Strength, and Resilience.”
We are moving forward as one from the horrors and threats of the past year, and we are turning uncertainty, fragility, and vulnerability into confidence, dynamism, and vigor.
Tightening community, pride in our community, freedom
We are doing so by following the same playbook that has sustained us throughout the generations: tightening the weave of our community and demonstrating our pride in our Jewish identity and freedom to be Jewish.
Stand Together will feature Idan Raichel, Shulem Lemmer, and John Ondrasik from Five for Fighting, along with Olympic gold-winning wrestler Amit Elor, and many other luminaries. Emmy and Grammy-winning comedian, actress, and New York Times best-selling author Tiffany Haddish will be the emcee.
The event will amplify our voices – tens of thousands of our voices – as we express our own most sacred truths and values as a united Jewish people.
NOW IS the time to gather again to keep the energy that we catalyzed last November going strong – to educate ourselves about the immense challenges that still face us and the opportunities to move forward with creative solutions.
Our goal is to celebrate the return to Jewish communal participation that we have witnessed over the last year and to explore new ways to bolster Jewish pride and identity at all ages and stages of life.
We will accomplish this by reaching out beyond the Jewish community to all people of goodwill who share our commitment to democracy and civil rights at a time of antisemitism and anti-Zionism that have gone through the roof.
No less importantly, we will express our profound gratitude to our government, our military, and to all those who have supported us and continue to support us throughout this struggle.
Stand Together will be followed immediately by The General Assembly, the North American conference of the Jewish Federation system. The two-day convention, which will begin immediately after the event, will take the inspiration from Stand Together and turn it into action. It will foster resilience, inclusivity, and strategic philanthropy for this and future generations.
Herzog to visit US, speak at gathering
President Isaac Herzog will address the gathering in person; it will be his first visit to the US since October 7, 2023. Other major speakers will include Sheryl Sandberg, Bari Weiss, Rabbi Sharon Brous, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Meghan McCain, and many other leading voices in North American Jewish life.
Sessions will focus on the issues that are facing Jewish communities in a post-October 7 context, including the dissemination of hate on social media, the relationship between Black and Jewish communities, and the integration of women in Israeli leadership.
We will also analyze the results of the election, explore different methods to support vulnerable Jews financially, develop innovative strategies to uplift Israel’s narrative amid global criticism, and present effective ways to create durable interfaith alliances.
We are moving forward with our heads held high. Yes, as Wiesel said, we will weep for the devastation that has come upon our people, but our tears will not just be ones of sadness. In coming together and celebrating Jewish pride and unity, we also weep tears of joy.
The writer is executive vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America.