Gesher

Words have the power to build bridges or burn them. Following recent public discourse regarding the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora, our CEO, Ilan Geal Dor shared a vital perspective in מקור ראשון (link to the original article in Hebrew in the first comment).

While the original article was published in Hebrew, we believe the message of the "Great Jewish Family" is one that must be heard by our partners and friends worldwide.

Read the full English translation (thanks Gemini) below.
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Calling US Jews "Traitors" is a Failure to Understand the Relationship Between Israel and the Diaspora

By Ilan Geal-Dor | April 24, 2026

In a recent article, the harsh term "traitors" was used toward broad segments of American Jewry. Beyond the provocative verbal bluntness, this reveals a concerning worldview that reduces Zionism to a technical, contractual, and cold "here and now" relationship. It is a simplistic approach that ignores the deep, rooted essence of the State of Israel as the national home of the entire Jewish people.

The Great Jewish Family

We must correct a common error: the connection between Israeli Jews and Diaspora Jews is not a parent-child relationship. The State of Israel is not the "parent" who educates, scolds, or acts as a patron, and we in Israel are not the sole guardians of their identity.

We are brothers. We are members of the same ancient family, sharing a common history and an inseparable shared destiny. Within this family, the connection is horizontal and equal; it is based on mutual responsibility (Arvut Hadadit), not on relations of authority.

Belonging Beyond Geography Belonging is not merely a function of geography. It crosses oceans and political borders. As Zionists, Aliyah remains a central and supreme value for us. We strive and pray so that every Jew finds their home here with us.

However, even if a Jew does not move to Israel, they remain a brother. They do not lose their right to sit at the family Shabbat table. The inability, or even the lack of will, to move at one point in time does not turn a Jew into a "traitor".

A Shared Destiny Since the "Black Shabbat" of October 7th, we have seen this shared destiny in action. We have seen:

• Volunteers who came in the heat of the conflict to pick fruit in the fields of the Gaza envelope.
• Professionals who dropped everything to assist on the civil front.
• Brave young people who fought for Israel's reputation on hostile campuses.

They did not do this as "strangers" lending a hand to a foreign country, but as family members who feel that any harm to Be'eri or Metulla is a direct hit to their own home.

The Mosaic of Our Strength

The Jewish people is not a monolith, but a complete puzzle where every piece - whether it is in Los Angeles, Paris, or Johannesburg - is essential to completing the picture. The thought that we can "give up" on entire parts of this puzzle is a fatal blow to the national, spiritual, and cultural resilience of the State of Israel itself.
We need their spirit and their support, and they need us as a center of identity and pride. Not as scolding patrons, but as loving brothers.

A Call for Partnership

We must move from a language of exclusion and petty accounting to a language of partnership and deep responsibility within the Great Jewish Family. The word "traitor" must not be spoken within the Jewish home.

At the end of the day, despite all the disagreements and distances, we are one family. And brothers, even when they choose different paths and even when they are far from home, always remain brothers.