4 | NOVEMBER 28 • 2024 J
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here was a shift in her that
many of us could relate to,
a feeling that the events of
Oct. 7 had flipped a switch within,
prioritizing Jewish identity in ways
that hadn’t been fully realized
before.
The last time I walked into the
General Assembly
(G.A.) of the Jewish
Federations of North
America, it was in Tel
Aviv in April 2023, a
conference so weighed
down by division
that you could feel
it the moment you
entered the room. Back then, the
gap between American Jews and
Israelis had reached what felt like a
breaking point.
The debate over Israel’s judicial
reform was tearing the Jewish
community apart. From opposite
sides of the Atlantic, it felt like we
were speaking different languages,
our concerns and priorities on
completely different planes.
But here, in Washington, D.C.,
earlier this month, just a year-and-
a-half later, the atmosphere was
charged with something new. You
could sense it in the air — this year,
they weren’t divided by ideology
or identity. They were bonded,
galvanized by a shared purpose
and the shared trauma of what
happened on Oct. 7.
That day changed everything,
and it didn’t just close the
ideological chasm; it erased it.
Suddenly, the “why” of supporting
Israel, the “why” of preserving
Jewish identity, the “why” of being
Jewish wasn’t up for debate. Now,

the mission was clear to everyone
in the room: they were no longer
debating what needed to be done
— the participants were consumed
by the question of how to do it.
Washington, D.C., gave us
autumn leaves and a brisk chill
that seemed to mirror the tone of
this year’s G.A. — sober, urgent,
but profoundly determined. Gone
was the usual back-and-forth over
ideological nuances.
Instead, everyone was focused,
with eyes fixed not on abstract
questions but on practical answers.
The tone was set right from the
start: It wasn’t about debating
support for Israel; it was about

making sure they knew how to do
it well, sustainably and effectively
in the face of a world that, now
more than ever, seems eager to
challenge us at every turn.
One of the speakers who
captured this transformation
perfectly was formerly Meta
COO Sheryl Sandberg. She walked
onstage looking every bit the
accomplished business leader she
is but spoke like someone who
had rediscovered her own roots.
She didn’t just talk about Jewish
identity as a part of who she was
— she owned it, saying, “Jewish
identity is now as important a part
of my identity as anything else.”

FLIPPING THE SWITCH
There was a shift in her that many
of us could relate to, a feeling that
the events of Oct. 7 had flipped a
switch within, prioritizing Jewish
identity in ways that hadn’t been
fully realized before. “I am female,
I am a business leader, I am an
American, and I am a Jew — and I
stand here as a proud Zionist and a
proud Jew, in a way I wouldn’t have
a year and a half ago.”
In that moment, she wasn’t
just speaking for herself; she was
speaking for an entire generation
of Jews who are now stepping into
their heritage with newfound pride
and urgency.

PURELY COMMENTARY

Zvika Klein
Jerusalem
Post

analysis

U.S. Jews Are No Longer Arguing
About What Is Needed, Rather
How to Implement It

Sheryl Sandberg (right) at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly

JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA