One Jewish State | Ambassador David Friedman

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Hi, I'm Ambassador David Friedman. For four years I served as the United States Ambassador to Israel, and I learned a lot. For more than 50 years, I have studied Zionism, the Bible, and Jewish history, and I learned even more. I want to share with you what I have learned, especially now at this critical time for Israel and the Jewish people.

The massacre committed by Hamas against innocent Israelis on October 7th has brought great trauma to the state of Israel. But it also has brought great clarity.

It is this clarity that tells us we have to try something new. It is this clarity that tells us Israel must plan its future on its own, and not obsess about what others think. And it is this clarity that compels us to go back to basics, to return to the biblical values and divine covenants that unite the Jewish people. It is this clarity that has inspired me to lead a new movement called One Jewish State.

One Jewish State. In these turbulent times, this simple phrase of three words must be the guideline for our collective future. Each word of one Jewish State is deeply infused with meaning.

One. There's only one country earmarked for the Jewish people. Just one. The State of Israel. There are 49 Muslim countries and plenty of Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu countries, but only one Jewish State. This single Jewish State is about the size of New Jersey, and there is a special place for it in this world.

Jewish. The Jewish State of Israel is exactly that. Jewish. It is a place where Jewish history was born, where Jewish values were created, and where more Jews live than anywhere else. It is situated on the land given to the Jewish people by God, in the words of the Holy Bible. What are some of the places that make the State of Israel Jewish?

Let's start right here in Jerusalem. Israel's eternal capital. A capital established by King David some 3,000 years ago to unite the Jewish nation. That gold dome behind me sits on the Temple Mount. It is established by King David as the site of the Holy Temple, as recounted in the books of Samuel and the books of Kings. Two magnificent temples stood there for almost a thousand years, many centuries before that dome was built. Going back even further, the rock that sits inside that gold dome is said to be the stone upon which Abraham passed God's test of faith and received God's covenant to this Holy Land.

Speaking of ancient Jewish sites, I must also mention Hebron, from which King David ruled during the first seven years of his reign. This is where Abraham purchased a burial cave for his wife Sarah. Ultimately, it became the burial place as well for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebecca, and Leah, the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs. That biblical cave remains today a place of deep prayer and spiritual connection. There are so many other ancient Jewish sites to mention, but for now, I'll just add one, Shiloh.

Shiloh. After Joshua brought the Jewish nation across the Jordan River, following their exodus from Egypt, he eventually settled there. The tabernacle, the mobile temple, rested in Shiloh for some 369 years. Here is where the prophet Samuel was born, and Hannah, a childless woman, so yearning for a son or daughter, taught the world how to pray.

These holy places and so many more within the Land of Israel are living proof of the glorious heritage of the Jewish people. They provide the quintessential Jewish DNA that connects Jews across continents and across generations. This land and the biblical covenants and wisdom are merging from within it, are what makes us Jewish.

And finally, the last of our three words, state.

Israel isn't just a place, it is a country with sovereignty over its land and responsibility for its inhabitants. Today, that sovereignty has been called into question by the nations of the world and even by some within Israel. But Israel cannot be Jewish without sovereignty over the places that make it Jewish.

We hope that one day with God's help and with your help, Israel will have complete sovereignty over all of its biblical homeland, in a manner that brings peace, prosperity, and essential human dignity to all of Israel's inhabitants. As we begin to reimagine the state of Israel after the horrors, the trauma, and importantly, the clarity brought about by October 7th, let us always remember that this holy ground constitutes the one and only Jewish state. One Jewish state.

In this massive world, there must remain room for one Jewish state. Over the next few months, please visit our website and follow our content as we explore this concept in greater depth. Let's work together to make this vision a reality.


Click here to purchase from Amazon, Ambassador Friedman’s upcoming book, “One Jewish State” https://amzn.to/3V8OgNd