The Third Strike
“A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand”
Jonathan S. Greenwald is Founder and Executive Director of The Greenwald Family Impact Foundation (TGFIF) a nonprofit focused on strengthening Jewish communities, supporting Israel and confronting antisemitism through high-impact philanthropic and educational initiatives.
In this article, written in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and third assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, he examines political violence in America and argues that the nation must choose unity over partisan division before a house divided against itself can no longer stand.
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The Third Strike
“A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand”
There is a reason the number three carries weight.
Beginning, middle, and end.
Third time’s the charm.
Three strikes, and you’re out.
Last night, in a setting meant for words, not violence, we were reminded how quickly lines can be crossed.
It was not random. Not isolated. It was part of a pattern.
Strike one, we debated.
Strike two, we divided.
Strike three, now we decide.
Not as factions. Not as parties. As one nation.
The truth is simple: we do not face multiple enemies. We face one.
Hate, expressed through violence, and amplified by division.
And against it, a standard we have always known:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Not as sentiment, but as discipline. Not as permission for harm, but as a rejection of it.
It thrives when we fracture, when we turn on one another instead of standing together.
Three choices lie before us: ignore, divide, or unite.
Only one preserves what remains.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
That is not history. It is a warning.
Stand together, or fall alone.
Under one flag.
With one purpose.
Against one enemy.
Stand together, or we do not stand at all.
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