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GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Omer Yankelevich

Our Time to Come Together

t’s a striking moment in the Purim common language with shared goals. the world, it lays out our shared story
story when Mordechai, scared and With these tools, we will have the ability and principles to guide our actions.
Idressed in sackcloth, calls on Esther to engage where there are differences This living mandate can advance us as
to make a choice: of opinion. we tell a new narrative of the Jewish
“If you keep silent in this crisis, relief The eternal bond of history, text and people; one rooted in our shared past
and deliverance will come to the Jews tradition that links the Jewish people and inspired by our shared future.
from another quarter, while you and must return to the forefront. Ultimately, Today, the Jewish people face a
your father’s house will perish; and who we are connected by our fundamental dilemma, similar to Esther’s. We can
knows whether you have not come to mission to be a light unto the nations choose to turn inwards, or we can
your royal position for a time such as and to provide a vision of a better proactively – and perhaps uncomfort-
this?” (Esther 4:14). tomorrow. ably – reach out. This bold movement

Esther, forced to quickly grapple with While the Jews of the Purim story were requires the collective participation of
the gravity of Haman’s wicked plot to spread across 127 different provinces, rabbis, leaders, communities small and
annihilate the Jewish people, is given they were unified “in their own script large, and every individual to effectuate
a choice. She can continue to focus and language” (8:9), and connected by Our Common Destiny.
inwards and fall back on the excuse a common goal. Each and every one As Mordechai challenged Esther, “Who
of not yet being “called to come to the of us today is called upon to revitalize knows whether we have not come to
king” (4:11), or she can use her vital the mutual responsibility, solidarity our position for a time such as this?”
position in the service of her people. and respectful dialogue that unified
In the end, Esther chooses the bold the Jewish people throughout the gen- Omer Yankelevitch is Israel’s Minister of
Diaspora Affairs.
path, courageously confronting King erations. By reaching out and building
Achashverosh and Haman. Her ini- bridges, we forge a stronger, more con-
tiative ultimately enables the Jewish nected people bonded by a collective
people to unify and prevail. purpose.
Esther’s brave leadership has continued Our Common Destiny, a dec-
to inspire the Jewish people in the most laration published a few
trying of times. Faced with Hamans of months ago, is a joint
our own, the Purim story teaches us to initiative of the Pres-
ident of Israel, the
come together as a community in the
face of adversity. Ministry of Dias-
pora Affairs and
Today, in the backdrop of external the Genesis
threats, we, the Jewish people, face Philanthropy
internal challenges as tensions and dis- Group. It pro-
agreements threaten to tear us apart. vides a valu-
This is best personified in the ongo- able foun-
ing discourse regarding the growing dation to
gap between Israel and world Jewry, a build upon.
people meant to be one but separated Written and
by geography, culture and beliefs. Let signed by
us heed Esther’s call, “Go gather all Jewish leaders
the Jews” (4:16). Our responsibility is and thinkers
to overcome this divide and build a from around

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