Through these adversities, Israel has endured with continued

Hear the words of Jerry Costello, who, reflecting upon the journey of a people, declared: “Through these adversities, Israel has endured with continued strength, conviction, and faith.” These words, though spoken in the modern age, ring with the cadence of ancient prophecy. For they echo the long history of Israel, a nation tested by trials unnumbered, yet never extinguished, always rising again through the hidden reserves of the spirit.

When Costello speaks of adversities, he names the hardships that have beset Israel across centuries—wars, exile, persecution, and the longing for homeland. Few nations have borne such weight and yet survived with their identity intact. Empires that once towered—Egypt, Babylon, Rome—have crumbled into dust, but Israel endures. This endurance is not of stone or sword alone, but of the invisible treasures of the soul: strength, conviction, and faith.

The first pillar is strength—not only the strength of armies, but of resilience. The Jewish people, scattered across continents, never allowed their heritage to perish. Even when stripped of land, they carried their homeland within. In the ghettos of Europe, in the camps of despair, and in the deserts of exile, they preserved their prayers, their songs, their identity. Strength, here, is not brute force, but the unbreakable will to continue.

The second pillar is conviction—the steadfastness of purpose that refuses to yield to despair. Conviction kept alive the dream of return, the promise of restoration, the belief that Israel was more than memory. It is conviction that turned barren soil into fertile land, that built cities where there had been ruin, that defended freedom against overwhelming odds. Without conviction, strength is fleeting; with conviction, even the smallest people can withstand the greatest trials.

The third pillar is faith—that deep trust in the divine, the certainty that history is not blind chaos but a story written with meaning. Faith carried Israel through its darkest nights, sustaining hearts when reason failed. From the cries of the prophets to the songs of survivors, faith has been the unbroken thread binding past to future, despair to hope. Without faith, the adversities would have shattered spirit; with faith, they became the furnace in which endurance was forged.

History offers countless examples of this truth. Consider the founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948. Surrounded by hostile powers, with little more than determination, a people scarred by the Holocaust stood firm. They faced war immediately, yet through strength, conviction, and faith, they prevailed. This was no accident, but the continuation of a pattern centuries old: adversity met not with surrender, but with resilience that astonished the world.

The lesson for us is universal: adversity need not destroy—it can refine. Every person, every community, faces trials that seem insurmountable. Yet if we meet them with strength to endure, conviction to hold steady, and faith to believe in purpose, we too may rise where others fall. The story of Israel is not only the story of one people; it is the mirror of humanity’s greater truth: that endurance is born not of ease, but of struggle.

Practical actions are these: when you face hardship, remember that adversity is not the end, but the proving ground. Nurture strength by refusing to surrender, conviction by holding firm to your values, and faith by trusting that the journey has meaning, even when unseen. Encourage others to do the same, for in unity of spirit lies resilience.

So let Costello’s words be remembered: “Through these adversities, Israel has endured with continued strength, conviction, and faith.” Take this not only as a tribute to a nation, but as a timeless teaching for all: adversity is inevitable, but defeat is not. Those who endure with courage, purpose, and belief shall not only survive, but triumph, leaving behind a legacy that will inspire generations yet unborn.