Where can rabbis gather to hear from the Speaker of the House and a progressive Democratic senator about their support for the State of Israel? Where can they join Christian ministers to advocate for Israel, participate in a respectful discussion about the administration’s efforts against antisemitism, study biblical texts, learn about troubling antisemitism trends, and hear from influential authors and student leaders confronting anti-Israel activity on campus?
If you said the Annual Conference of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition (ZRC), you would be right.
ZRC, the independent collective voice of more than 1,000 Zionist Jewish clergy, concluded its fourth annual conference earlier this month in Washington, D.C. It brings together rabbis from all denominations committed to strengthening ties between Jews of the Diaspora and Israel.
I commented in my opening remarks that “I get one of two responses when I tell people about the ZRC. People will either say, ‘I am so glad that there is an organization like this. We really need it.’ Or they will say, ‘I can’t believe this is needed. It should be obvious that rabbis are Zionists.”
However, it is not the case that all rabbis are Zionists. I elaborated on our approach and explained that “what distinguishes us is that we refuse to allow Israel’s enemies to define and determine the nature of our relationship to Israel.”
A feature of this year’s conference was partnering with Eagles’ Wings, the Israel Allies Foundation, the International Christian Embassy and American Christian Leaders for Israel. At a dinner at the Museum of the Bible attended by about 250 pastors and 70 rabbis, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) spoke personally of their deep connections to the land of Israel. In emotional and passionate terms, each recounted an anecdote of a biblical reference that came alive when visiting the Holy Land and captured their spiritual ties to the land and people.
The message of the evening, along with the 100 meetings held the following day with Congress members and their staff, was clear. The assembled conveyed a powerful theme: Unlike past times in Jewish history, the Jewish people are not alone and do not feel abandoned. Together with our Christian allies, we urged our elected representatives to help combat antisemitism, strive for the elimination of Hamas as a ruling entity in the Gaza Strip, work for the unconditional release of the hostages still held there by Hamas and dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, as well as their continued support of terrorism.
This was a fitting culmination of the conference, which featured Yardena Schwartz speaking about what she uncovered when researching the Hebron pogrom of 1929. Her book, Ghosts of a Holy War, documents how the seeds of pathological Jew-hatred were planted by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, using false rumors to incite Arab mobs to go on a killing spree not unlike what happened on Oct. 7, 2023. Best-selling author Lee Yaron recounted some personal stories from her book, 10/7: 100 Human Stories.
We also heard from students about the frightening incidents and intimidation that they are encountering on college campuses. Complementing this was Professor Shai Davidai of Columbia University and Alyza D. Lewin, president of the Louis Brandeis Center, who illuminated the latest alarming concentrated effort among academics to teach and promulgate a false narrative, wiping out any history of Jews ever being in the land of Israel. Equally disturbing was what Michelle Stravitz of the newly formed American Jewish Medical Association described as the growing phenomenon of antisemitism in the health and medical professions, and how her organization works to combat it.
At the gathering, rabbis had an open and respectful discussion representing a wide range of opinions about the Trump administration’s actions to curb antisemitism. No vote was taken. No consensus was reached. But rabbis had a chance to hear thoughts that they agreed and disagreed with in an all-too-rare atmosphere of open and honest discussion.
In a time of increasing polarization, ideological divides and rising Jew-hatred around the world, the ZRC’s annual conference stood as a rare and powerful model of unity, purpose and moral clarity. By bringing together rabbis from across denominations, Christian allies, thought leaders and policymakers, the ZRC reaffirmed that a passionate love for Israel, principled dialogue, an unwavering commitment to Jewish dignity, the enduring connection to our ancestral homeland and confronting antisemitism are all not only possible but essential to what it means to be a rabbi today.
Joined by steadfast non-Jewish allies, rabbis of all streams raised their voices not in uniformity but in harmony, demonstrating that principled Zionism transcends denomination, politics and background. Love for Israel is not the possession of any one group, but the sacred responsibility of those who are leaders of the Jewish people.
As we left Washington, inspired and emboldened, we carried with us a renewed commitment: to speak proudly as Zionist rabbis, to educate and lead with conviction, to advocate without hesitation—and, above all, to stand guard so that neither the Jewish people nor the truth about Israel are ever left to stand alone. We departed with spirits renewed, armed with new information and entrusted with the timeless task of bearing witness to our people’s dignity and our homeland’s truth.
In doing so, we affirmed who we are and who we are called to be.