For the past year and a half, counting has become a daily part of life for many Jews. Counting the dead after Oct. 7, 2023. Counting the hostages remaining in captivity. Counting more than 600 days of war. During this period between Passover and Shavuot when we also count the days of the Omer, it is an appropriate opportunity to take stock of how these counts have impacted the Jewish community. 

As congregational rabbis, we see the new and evolving challenges in American synagogues firsthand. Many of our fellow rabbis are fielding tough questions about Israel’s future, its politics and its place in Jewish identity. Some congregants are unsure how to express their support, and others worry about backlash. Too often, rabbis are left to answer these complex questions alone while also providing spiritual and emotional guidance to those grappling with today’s headlines and tomorrow’s fears.

These tensions are magnified for rabbis serving university communities. Some students arrive on campus with a strong Jewish identity, only to encounter vocal opposition to Israel that challenges what they’ve grown up believing. Others come with little background at all. Hillel rabbis are working overtime to meet students wherever they are, helping them process difficult conversations, stay grounded in their values and cultivate a meaningful relationship with Israel in spaces where doing so can feel unsafe.

In this climate, the rabbinic role has expanded. While we remain educators, counselors and spiritual leaders, we are increasingly called to be public advocates for Israel, for Jewish peoplehood and for truth itself. This moment demands more — more clarity, more compassion, and more connection. It also demands spaces where we, as leaders, can come together across geographic and ideological lines to reflect, learn from one another and grow in ways that strengthen our leadership and the communities we serve.

The rabbinic conference Zionism: A New Conversation, held in Miami in March, was created to meet that need. The philanthropists who organized this meeting, including the Lisa and Michael Leffell Foundation, the Paul E. Singer Foundation and the Maimonides Fund, recognized two truths. The first truth was that because rabbis are thought leaders expected to share our knowledge, opinions and guidance with our communities, we have a critical role in educating and helping our communities process what is happening in Israel, reimagining Jewish life here and understanding Israel-diaspora relations both now and into the future. The second was that while there are many organizations that want to help rabbis connect our communities with Israel, it is inefficient and untenable to ask rabbis to take time away from their daily responsibilities to attend a meeting for every organization. 

To address these challenges, Zionism: A New Conversation brought together a diverse array of thought leaders to speak to rabbis about new strategies, language, tools, approaches and partnerships to re-center Israel and rediscover Zionism in our communities. Moreover, what made this conference unique was its offering of a wide array of resources without a one-size-fits-all prescription. More than a dozen Israel-focused organizations hosted breakout sessions or presented their rabbinic-focused offerings in the marketplace, saving everyone time, helping to streamline conversations and identifying opportunities for partnership.

There were no dominant voices, no singular narrative and no egos. We were given space to listen to one another, and we participated in experiences that demonstrated how we can model that listening for our communities. Orthodox rabbis learned from Reform rabbis and vice versa. Hillel professionals shared ideas with pulpit leaders. Everyone contributed as equals. It was a collaborative environment where rabbis from every corner of the Jewish world gathered to exchange ideas and acquire practical tools to engage our communities. We explored not just what to say, but how to say it, to whom and why. 

For many of us, this was the first time we’d been in such a diverse rabbinic setting. That by itself would have been significant. But more importantly, it reminded us that we are not alone in this work, and that we don’t have to lead in isolation. Some of us have spent the last 18 months feeling like solo warriors. Together, we tapped into the collective wisdom in the room and walked away with renewed perspective, actionable resources, and a reinvigorated sense of connection. Many of us arrived exhausted, but left refueled.

This conference didn’t provide all the answers, but it offered a model of what’s possible when we come together without pretense, united by a common goal. It allowed us to return to our communities with fresh perspectives, pragmatic guidance and a deeper commitment to speak proudly and unapologetically about Israel.

As we count the Omer this year, we hope that more philanthropists will lean into this methodology, looking to the grassroots network of rabbinic leaders around the country and imbuing us with the skills, training and confidence to lead unapologetically Zionist communities. When they do, they will find there is so much that unites us. Israel is not a partisan issue. It is not a footnote to Jewish identity. It is a core part of who we are. We may differ in our politics, theologies and practices, but on this we are united: Am Yisrael Chai.

Rabbi Jonathan Berkun leads the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue in Aventura, Fla. 

Rabbi E. Samuel Klibanoff leads Congregation Etz Chaim, an Orthodox synagogue in Livingston, N.J. 

Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg leads United Hebrew Congregation, a Reform synagogue in St. Louis, Mo.