New Discourses What Jewish Values Can Teach Us About Being American: Another Trip to Israel
Feb 25, 2026
A second trip through Israel reveals visits to kibbutzim near Gaza, damaged towns, and everyday resilience. Conversations explore how Jewish values shape communal duty, law, and memory. Stops include yeshiva debates, ancient sites like Shiloh and Masada, lively markets, and the quiet anchor of Shabbat dinners.
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Why A Security Guard Returned To His Kibbutz
- James A. Lindsay describes touring Kibbutz Nir Oz and seeing bullet-ridden kindergartens and burned interiors after October 7th.
- At the overlook toward Gaza he recounts asking a security guard why he returned and hearing the simple answer: Jewish values.
Jerusalem's Role In America's Founding Ideas
- Lindsay connects Jerusalem's self-image as a "light unto the nations" to the founding ideas behind Washington, D.C. and American political design.
- He traces parallels: King David choosing a neutral capital and America's federal district concept reflect shared Jewish-derived civic values.
Choosing Rebuilding Over Victimhood
- Lindsay contrasts Israeli refusal to adopt a victimhood identity with a forward-facing ethic of rebuilding and life-celebration after trauma.
- He links that resilience directly to Jewish values and compares it to American cultural norms of recovery and progress.