(JNS) — The tough stuff is what makes the news right now: Israel is in the midst of an exceedingly distressing situation. But we are so much more than this. We are more than angry demonstrations, communication failures and even the occasional shocking call for violence.

In order to provide a heartening balance, I share a story:

At the beginning of February, I received an urgent phone call from my 15-year-old grandson who attends a yeshiva high school. It is a small and modest yeshiva, built on the heights of a tiny yishuv (settlement) in the western Binyamin region. But it is one with eno...