On the 25th anniversary of September 11 and as America has recently celebrated its 250th birthday, a reflection on the unity that followed 9/11, the divisions that have grown since, and the question of what America has learned.

Brad Lander got what he wished for. In June, the former New York City comptroller defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 10th Congressional District. It was a rout, roughly two-to-one. Two Jewish Democrats. Two self-described Zionists. One of the most Jewish congressional districts in America. But by 2026, what each meant by “Zionist” had come to look very different.