Continuity endures when identity, responsibility, and the conditions for life itself are held together.

The previous parts explored history, identity, and responsibility. The remaining question is not what enables Jewish continuity, but what enables it in a way that contributes to the future of humanity.

At its deepest level, the endurance of Jewish identity has never depended only on memory, land, or institutions. It has depended on alignment with something more fundamental: the recognition that human identity cannot be sustained in isolation from the conditions that sustain life itself. In this sense, maintaining the integrity of Nature is not merely an environmental concern; it becomes a prerequisite for preserving the integrity of Jewish identity. A tradition rooted in covenant, responsibility, and limits cannot flourish in a world where the ecological basis of life — stable climate, living soil, water, and biodiversity — is progressively damaged or depleted.

This perspective also invites a more difficult reflection: the persistence of hostility toward Jews across history. Beneath political, religious, or economic explanations often lies a quieter question: What is in it for me that you remain a Jew? Jewish continuity has often been experienced as a reminder that identity can be tied to obligation, restraint, and memory rather than to power alone. Yet that same persistence has also allowed Jewish thought to contribute enduringly to humanity’s understanding of responsibility, justice, and limits.

For that reason, safeguarding Jewish identity is not solely a Jewish interest. It is also part of the broader interest of humanity. Traditions that emphasize responsibility toward creation, intergenerational continuity, and ethical limits serve as reservoirs of civilizational memory. When Jews safeguard their identity in a way that is inseparable from safeguarding the integrity of Nature, they help preserve a framework of responsibility that benefits the wider human community.

These considerations give particular weight to the conditions under which new initiatives — including the Ethical Market Economy (EmE) — might realistically take root. The chances of success increase when symbolic meaning and practical circumstances converge. One such convergence could emerge if the EmE were launched simultaneously in Israel and Palestine.

Such a simultaneous launch would create exceptional conditions for success. Israeli and Palestinian producers would have a strong incentive to compete energetically to create products with the highest ecological value in the shortest possible time, turning sustainability into a shared field of constructive rivalry. Even more importantly, one of the typical critical challenges of ecological marketplaces — the verification of claims about ecological value — would be naturally addressed. Producers on each side would have every reason to observe and assess the ecological value claimed by the other, creating a process of continuous and mutually attentive scrutiny. This reciprocal attention could function as a practical and largely self-sustaining form of verification, strengthening both credibility and trust in the Ethical Market Economy.

From this angle, the existence of a Palestinian state may also be viewed through a pragmatic and forward-looking lens. Beyond questions of justice, diplomacy, or security, it may align with the long-term self-interest of the Jewish people themselves. A stable Palestinian state could help create the political and psychological conditions in which cooperative initiatives — including the Ethical Market Economy — can be launched credibly and sustained over time.

The future does not depend only on preserving identity, nor only on protecting Nature, nor only on resolving political structures. Identity without responsibility becomes brittle. Responsibility without shared conditions becomes ineffective. And political arrangements without deeper ethical grounding rarely endure.

History shows that identity without responsibility provokes suspicion, but identity expressed through responsibility earns recognition. When a people’s continuity strengthens the conditions for life itself — socially, ethically, and ecologically — their presence ceases to appear as a challenge and begins to appear as a contribution.

The Ethical Market Economy rests on precisely this transformation: making responsibility visible in daily economic life, measurable through ecological value, and shared across societies.

Where contribution is clear, hostility loses its foundation. Recognition follows. Respect follows recognition. And from respect, a deeper change becomes possible.

They were once resisted for remaining who they were. They remained. They contributed. And for that reason, they are loved.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)