Celebrating Imperfect Freedom
The Fourth of July is one of my favorite American holidays and holds a special place in my heart. Each year, we would travel to my grandparents’ home in southern Indiana to be with family, enjoy swimming, and watch the incredible fireworks display put on by their town. We didn’t live nearby, so this annual trip was always something I deeply cherished.
Throughout her history, the United States has been known as a land of opportunity – and that is certainly something worth celebrating on Independence Day. The Founding Fathers envisioned a nation built on liberty and justice, and for many immigrants, that dream has become a reality.
As a Jewish American, though, I also recognize the tension in our history. While America has often been a place of refuge and hope, it has also seen moments of both righteousness and failure – of justice upheld and justice denied.
For many Jewish people, America has offered remarkable opportunity and freedom. Sephardic Jews (from Spain and Portugal) began arriving as early as the 1600s, and large waves of European Jewish immigration followed in the 1800s. Here, they could live openly as Jews, build businesses, establish synagogues, and create thriving communities.
Yet we must also be honest about the darker parts of our story. During World War II, the United States – like many other nations – refused to expand preexisting immigration quotas, closing its doors to numbers of European Jews fleeing the horrors of the Nazi regime. Ships were turned away, countless lives were lost.[1] And yet, by God’s grace, the State of Israel was born in 1948, rising from the ashes of that devastation.
Though not perfectly, the United States has often stood beside Israel in her most critical moments. America has recognized Israel’s right to exist, supported her in international forums, and provided aid in times of war and crisis, most recently in response to Iran’s nuclear threat. This alliance is not just political; it reflects, in part, an understanding that the Jewish people and the story of Israel are central to God’s redemptive plan.
Still, we know this nation is far from perfect. Antisemitism continues to surface – in universities, workplaces, and neighborhoods. The tragic rise in hate crimes (attacks on synagogues; the young Jewish couple murdered in Washington, DC; the flaming Molotov cocktails thrown on Jewish demonstrators in Denver) remind us that the promise of “liberty and justice for all” remains, in many ways, an unfinished dream.
But as believers, we are never without hope. We know no earthly nation will ever be perfect. We long for the coming Millennial Kingdom, when our Messiah will reign in righteousness and peace. That day will come.
As Americans gather to celebrate freedom on this Fourth of July, may we do so with both gratitude and humility. We give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy. We remember the past with honesty. We stay vigilant against injustice. And we pray and work toward a future where antisemitism and racism of every kind have no home.
Above all, we await the coming Kingdom – when Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) will reign from Jerusalem, and every nation will walk in the light of the Lord. Until then, we celebrate imperfect freedoms, give thanks for imperfect nations, continue to pray for imperfect leaders, and long for perfect peace.
Happy Independence Day, America!
Written by Hannah, Life in Messiah staff
This Fourth of July, what are some freedoms you enjoy that you are most thankful for?
Whether you live in the U.S. or a different nation, what parts of your nation’s history do you find people struggle to be honest about – or simply don’t know enough?
As believers, our greatest hope and consolation is in Messiah Jesus and His imminent return. Is there someone you can encourage today with the Good News of the true freedom made possible in Messiah?
Endnotes:
[1] For more information on how the United States responded to the Jewish refugee crisis during WWII, see https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-united-states-and-the-refugee-crisis-1938-41.