Today is the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, and we mourn one of the darkest chapters in Israel’s history: the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people from their homeland.

For centuries, we mourned for Jerusalem, we prayed for return, and we kept the land of Israel at the heart of our identity, wherever we lived.

Our roots are here. Our story continues here. The people of Israel will always remain in the land of Israel.