My Daughter Is Now an Israeli

The night Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities, I wasn’t thinking about geopolitics.

I was thinking about my daughter, Jordyn, who was home in her apartment in Israel. Her bedroom doubles as the safe room. When the sirens sound — as they do far too often — her roommates run in, they shut the door, and they wait for the all-clear. This is routine now.

Because she’s not a visitor. She’s not a student abroad. She is Israeli.

It started with a gap semester during COVID. That semester turned into a gap year. Then into a three-year degree. Then into making Aliyah. And now, she’s a combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. Each step brought her closer to a life she chose — and one that, as her father, fills me with both pride and worry.

After October 7, what it meant to live with that decision changed for all of us.

Not long ago, she wrote to her friends:

"The energy in the air today is unlike anything I’ve felt since October 2023. I am feeling sad, angry, heartbroken, and am experiencing a level of tiredness that goes beyond severe exhaustion."

Her words capture what so many in Israel feel: grief, heartbreak, anger, exhaustion. And still, determination.

But this isn’t just about Jordyn. My wife, our other two daughters, our entire family, our close friends — we all carry this. Every siren, every rocket, every news alert — they’re not happening “over there.” They’re happening to someone we love.

Now, as Chief Marketing Officer of Jewish National Fund-USA, I bring that personal reality into my work. Since 1901, Jewish National Fund-USA has been there for the land and people of Israel. We were there yesterday. We are there today. And we will be there tomorrow. We stand with the families who endure these moments. We help communities rebuild, stay rooted, and stay strong. And we tell Israel’s story — with truth, with heart, and with unwavering clarity.