"The alliance between our governments is unbreakable, yet the source of our friendship runs deeper than any treaty.” former President George Bush
Jews living in the land of Israel have long relied on allies beyond its borders. In 141 BCE, Judah Maccabee secured the Brass Treaty, a defensive alliance with the rising Roman Republic against the Seleucid forces occupying Israel. The agreement helped solidify Judean autonomy and demonstrated how diplomacy, alongside military strength, could advance Jewish security.
Today, the United States is Israel’s most important ally, and that partnership carries growing strategic significance for both nations and for broader Western stability. For 50 years, the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) has worked to strengthen that bond.
JINSA is dedicated to advancing U.S. national security interests in the Middle East, of which a critical pillar is a robust U.S.-Israel security relationship. It views Israel as one of America's most capable and strategically important security partners in the 21st century. Their mission is advanced through educational programs that build relationships among American, Israeli and other Middle Eastern military leaders. A nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization, JINSA combines in-depth research and actionable recommendations to influence U.S. policy. It forges strong relationships between military persons, program participants, alumni, and supporters to increase its breadth and impact.
On Aug. 26, Congregation Micah will co-host a JINSA event as its President and CEO Mike Makovsky, Ph.D., will interview retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Scott Howell, who served as the 15th Commander of Joint Special Operations Command and participated on JINSA’s 2025 Generals and Admirals Program trip to Israel.
Through that flagship program, JINSA educates active and retired U.S. military leaders, as well as officials from U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command, about Israel’s security challenges and the strategic value of the U.S.-Israel partnership. Participants meet top Israeli military, intelligence, and government officials, including the prime minister, defense minister, IDF chief of staff, and Mossad director, while visiting key defense and security sites throughout Israel.
JINSA also offers fellowships for mid-career professionals like experienced congressional staffers, active-duty military officers, and Washington-based professionals who are seeking deeper engagement with national security issues and the organization’s network of experts.
Its Homeland Security Program (HSP), created after Sept. 11, 2001, brings groups of active senior American law enforcement officers to Israel to study methods and observe techniques used in preventing and responding to terrorism. These delegations are comprised of representatives from the FBI, DEA, and other federal agencies, as well as various police chiefs, sheriffs, state Homeland Security directors, and state police commissioners. HSP is carried out in cooperation with the Israel National Police, the Ministry of Internal Security and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).
People tend to forget the terrible losses and injuries our military has endured when they are no longer covered in the media. JINSA works directly with these individuals to ease challenges they face, distributing more than $1.5 million to support American troops.
The Brass Treaty shows how Jewish leaders used diplomacy, not only revolt, to turn a rising foreign power into a shield against imperial domination. Negotiated to protect Jews from the Seleucid Empire, it created a precedent-setting defense pact between Jewish leadership and a foreign republic Rome and Judea pledged mutual aid by land and sea if either faced war, and Rome warned the Seleucid ruler Demetrius to stop oppressing its new allies. 1 Maccabees 8 records the agreement and its inscription on brass tablets, giving the pact historical weight and symbolic force. Mutual aid and shared security interests do not preserve themselves, and the modern U.S.-Israel alliance depends on people willing to strengthen them.
Join JINSA on Aug. 26 to hear retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Scott Howell discuss how the U.S.-Israel security relationship supports both countries and why it requires sustained public engagement and support.
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