Seven months ago, I had the extraordinary privilege of taking our upper school students at the Jewish Leadership Academy on an eight day Jewish History trip to Italy.  While there were many highlights and moments of inspiration, few were as meaningful to me as the opportunity to challenge our students to hold their heads high and publicly demonstrate their Jewish pride as we stood by the Arch of Titus and recounted what had happened there. 

Unfortunately, over these past seven months antisemitism across the globe has only gone from bad to worse.  Hopefully, the memory of singing HaTikvah at Europe's oldest memorial to Jewish subjugation and oppression will serve as a lifelong reminder that times have been tough before and yet we, as a Jewish people - when we're proud and when we're strong - manage not only to survive but to thrive.