America at 250: A personal reflection and a tribute of gratitude

I am blessed to live in America. I love being an American, and I love this country.

From being embraced by the Orthodox Jewish community – at Yeshiva University in New York where I earned my graduate and undergraduate degrees – to forging lifelong friendships with the Arabs of the Persian Gulf, America has offered me everything: I have established a family while embarking on a journey crossing cultural and religious boundaries in the pursuit of the greater good.

Originally from Lillehammer, Norway, I came to the U.S. to study but quickly fell in-love with the American way of life: the pursuit of faith, freedom and opportunity.  

As a Norwegian immigrant, I found every door to be open to me – whether social or professional – as I gradually established myself in Washington, D.C. My faith – Orthodox Judaism – was never an obstacle but always a source of pride.

I am so grateful to Norway, the land of the Midnight Sun, which gave me everything: I have never forgotten where I came from coupled with the fact that Norwegians are a highly respected people.

At the same time, Norway would likely never have prospered without American security guarantees as outlined in NATO’s Article V; the world owes America so much.

Jews are indebted to America as this is the first country to have granted Jews full and equal civil rights. America, in turn, has also benefitted from its Jewish compatriots and their massive contributions to its civilization, the most powerful in the history of the world.

It has never been lost on me that I have been able to thrive in America because of the generations of Norwegians and Jews who came before me; history has treated me kindly.

I have also had the privilege of getting to fully know Israel, a true miracle made up of a generous and forward-looking people.

America is fortunate to have friends in the Arabian Gulf, Israel, Norway and beyond.

Not everything, unfortunately, is rosy in America as the country faces an inflection point.

While the past decade has made clear that turmoil has arrived at America’s shores, its founding values are being contested by political extremists who are openly challenging American Jews and our space in civic life.

The extremists are also challenging capitalism – which has transformed the country into the richest nation in history where people of all backgrounds have prospered – by embracing transnational socialism at home and abroad. They are openly degrading America’s glorious history – from its World War II and Cold War victories – to adopting a revisionist narrative about the nation’s founding principles.

They are also siding with America’s enemies. 

These dynamics burst into the open during the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel. The celebration of the massacre on American college campuses– as well as around the world – serve as a testimony to an insidious ideology that has penetrated “academia” over many decades. 

This wicked ideology – which pits people against each other based on ethnicity within a neo-Marxist ‘oppressor-versus-oppressed’ framework – not only threatens peaceful coexistence but liberal democracy as we know.

Yet, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, I am optimistic about its future: What makes this nation so exceptional is its people: Americans are tolerant by nature – and respect and like Jews – and won’t be consumed by the mental disorder of antisemitism as displayed in its ugly and naked hatred.

What I love most about living in America is the fact that being Jewish – or not – doesn’t matter: What matters is character, common sense and decency. Everyone is treated fairly and with respect: this is simply the American way.

Based on my two-decade American experience, I can assure my Jewish brothers and sisters: the scourge of antisemitism will never succeed in this great land – we will defeat it at the ballot box, within “academia” and wherever it rears its ugly head – but we must remain strong in our conviction that our destiny is ours to forge. America is different. 

God Bless America!