Dear friend,

The United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary is a moment worth celebrating, and perhaps a moment worth complicating.

This anniversary arrives at a time when the ideals that launched this country, such as liberty, equality, and the rule of law, are being debated and tested. Many of us are holding real questions alongside real pride. 

That tension is not new, and it is certainly not unfamiliar to the Jewish people.

The Independence Values Spark, an M² resource, invites you to sit with that tension. Through text, reflection, and questions worth asking, it explores what independence means, what it costs, and what it asks of us as Americans and as Jews.

The journey begins close to home: Who were the people who shaped your independence, and what did they teach you?

It moves into a story we know well. On the eve of leaving Egypt, the Israelites received something unexpected: a calendar. The freedom to control their own time. And with it, the weight of responsibility for how that time would be used.

Next, we're invited to ask tough questions. The fireworks of July 4th seem to sparkle above us equally, but have the freedoms this country promised been equally shared? On this 250th anniversary, that question feels especially worth holding.

We can hold pride in how far we have come alongside honest reflection on how far we still need to go. That, too, is part of the tradition.

Looking for more resources like this one? Explore our newly refreshed Resource Spotlight page.

Wishing you a meaningful Independence Day!

The M² Team

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