Two hundred and fifty years ago, a small group of visionaries put their names to a document that changed the world. They declared, against the verdict of history and the weight of empire, that all men are created equal—endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They were not certain they would prevail. Most of the world doubted them. And yet they built something that has endured for two and a half centuries, inspiring and lasting. A nation of immigrants became a role model for democracy and prosperity worldwide.

This legacy goes through my veins, as I was born to American parents myself. As an Israeli, I read those founding words with a particular reverence. The Jewish people know what it means to carry an ideal across centuries of hardship, to believe in a future that has not yet arrived, and to build something lasting on the other side of adversity. It is perhaps no coincidence that from Israel’s very beginning, both countries recognized something familiar in each other—not merely an ally, but a kindred spirit.

The bond between our two nations did not begin with the Iran war. It will not end when this war is over. It is older and deeper than any single point in history. We shall always cherish the moment when American soldiers arrived at the gates of Auschwitz. When David Ben-Gurion........

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