I have been thinking a lot about the energy we spend defending Israel’s legitimacy, especially in online spaces that rarely reward understanding. There is a place for answering lies and calling out antisemitism, but those cannot become the center of the Jewish story. The more important work is building our future: communities, institutions, and a positive narrative about how Jewish self-determination has made our world a better place.

When it comes to social media debates, the algorithm rewards division, outrage, and hate. It rarely highlights consensus. Nobody logs on hoping to have their worldview changed by a Facebook comment thread. Still, the temptation is real. I see people I know sharing posts arguing that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism, defending politicians who refuse to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, or dismissing concerns about rising antisemitism as an overreaction. The instinct is to jump in, correct the record, explain the context, and believe that if I frame the response clearly enough, logic will matter.

Recently, I saw several Facebook connections from different chapters of my life defending politicians on both sides of the........

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