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The 1620 Project
(Commentary) Meir Soloveichik - Four hundred years ago, the Mayflower set sail for the New World. On board was William Bradford, who would serve for decades as governor of Plymouth Colony. His grave in Plymouth is engraved with the Hebrew words: Adonai ezer hayai, the Lord is the help of my life. As President George W. Bush told Israel's Knesset: "The source of our friendship runs deeper than any treaty. It is grounded in the shared spirit of our people, the bonds of the Book, the ties of the soul. When William Bradford stepped off the Mayflower in 1620, he quoted the words of Jeremiah: 'Come let us declare in Zion the word of God.' The founders of my country saw a new promised land and bestowed upon their towns names like Bethlehem and New Canaan. And in time, many Americans became passionate advocates for a Jewish state." The writer, the rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York, is director of the Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University.