“There we were all in one place, a generation lost in space…” We stood together as an entire nation, waiting to be transformed. Our tradition teaches that all Jews—past, present, and future—stood at the foot of Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah. This formative moment of revelation was so crucial to our collective narrative that even Jews who did not yet exist had to witness it directly. Standing at Sinai was the quintessential formative moment of the Jewish people in our ancient past, and I maintain that Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel were the formative moments of our people in the modern era. Zionism forever altered a wide variety of characteristics of the Jewish people and stressed that all aspects of Jewish culture – languages, religion, communal institutions, educational structures, and traditions – are the manifestations of Jewish national life, evolving over the centuries and coming to us today. The voting will open for the World Zionist Congress elections in less than four weeks. We, the Reform Movement, have an opportunity to make a major impact in Israel and the Jewish world on behalf of our Jewish values of equality, justice, freedom, pluralism, justice, democracy, and peace. Your vote will give us power and influence, essential funding for our Reform Movement in Israel, and the ability to advocate for our values in the Jewish State and worldwide. This is the moment when we proactively take control of our destiny and direction. Just like when we interpret Torah to adapt to the modern world, we also have a chance to craft and shape Zionism in the 21st century. Many of us have spent so much time and energy over the past nearly 500 days making the case for Israel, defending Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, while also tirelessly advocating for the values of Redeeming the Captives and pressing for an immediate return of all hostages, humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and speaking out against antisemitism and undue criticism in our communities across the ocean. As we watch the haunting images of those who have returned from Hamas captivity over the past few weeks, we know that we must do everything we can to speak out in favor of bringing home the remaining 76 hostages still languishing in unspeakable inhumane conditions. This is a moment that demands we raise our voices and be counted among the multitudes of the Jewish people, to be counted and to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Reflecting on our ancient past, the revelation at Mt. Sinai and receiving the Torah transformed us from a ragtag group of former slaves into what Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan famously coined a civilization. With the Torah we now have the context for our collective narrative, our master story of who we are as a people, where we came from, as well as a set of rules, precepts, values, and a moral code for how we live our lives. Sinai was a pivotal moment in Jewish history when we came together as a spiritual nation to support a common cause for the first time. While the Torah defined us as a people, no other event in Jewish history was able to change the face of our history until Zionism emerged in the late 19th century and the State of Israel was established in 1948. These three monumental events (Sinai – Zionism – Israel) are defining moments in Jewish history, symbolizing divine destiny and our national renewal. At Sinai, the Israelites received the Torah, forged their covenant with God, and united the people through a shared faith and moral code. In contrast, Zionism and the founding of the State were political and nationalist movements that aimed to restore Jewish sovereignty in our people’s ancestral Homeland after centuries of exile. While Sinai emphasized divine intervention and required the people’s obedience to God’s commandments, Zionism was driven by human initiative, political activism, and a response to persecution. However, Sinai and Israel share the theme of redemption—Sinai through spiritual enlightenment and the clarification of our people’s moral values and Israel’s establishment through national self-determination—highlighting our enduring Jewish aspiration for unity, security, and purpose. Despite their differences, both Mount Sinai and Zionism/Israel reflect the deep connection between the Jewish people, our faith, and our land. Religious Zionists (including Reform Zionists) regard the modern State of Israel as a continuation of the covenant made at Sinai and the continuation of the biblical kingdom. Others, particularly secular Zionists, view Israel’s creation as a historical necessity, ensuring Jewish survival in a world that had repeatedly persecuted them. Yet, even among secular Zionists, the biblical promise of the Land of Israel served as an essential cultural and historical justification for Jewish statehood. Ultimately, Sinai and Zionism/Israel represent transformative moments in Jewish history—one defining our spiritual and moral mission and the other fulfilling our long-held aspiration for national restoration and return to our ancestral Homeland. Just as we Reform Jews continuously reinvent and re-interpret Torah for today’s world, the World Zionist Congress election can be the moment when together we can reinvent Zionism, take it back, and make it relevant as the national project of the Jewish people. Sinai’s and Zionism/Israel’s interplay continue to shape Jewish identity, politics, and religious thought as debates persist over the role of Jewish law, nationalism, and divine purpose in the modern State of Israel.