Championing The Liberty That Defines Us
July 4, 2025
As we mark 249 years since the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate America’s uniqueness as a nation that defines “belonging” by shared ideals rather than by blood, language, or creed.
In 1906, arriving with nothing but faith in America’s promise, a unique Jewish congregation was established in New York City. These Jews were Greek-speaking Romaniote Jews—culturally distinct from the Spanish-speaking Sephardic and Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews already present in New York and around the United States (Rhōmanía was the Greeks’ term for the Eastern Roman Empire). The synagogue that they built at 280 Broome Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan still serves the only Romaniote community in the Western Hemisphere.
The story of this community, which is now seamlessly American yet still distinct, even from other Jewish communities, is just one of thousands embodied in our families and neighbors.
My family tree reaches back to the original colonists, yet I’m no more nor less American than the Romaniote Jewish families whose time here began generations later. America’s pluralist embrace allowed the Romaniotes to settle, survive, and ultimately thrive in a city that was, at the time, dominated in different ways by Anglo-American Episcopalians and Irish and Italian Roman Catholics. Since their arrival, millions of immigrants like them have woven themselves into the fabric of our national identity.
The most remarkable aspect of the American experience is that our shared values enable such disparate groups to flourish. For 249 years, the Declaration of Independence has defined the American promise—asserting, enduringly, that all are endowed with unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These ideals are not just aspirational—they are our precious heritage. At times, we have valiantly defended them; at others, we’ve shamefully abandoned them.
As we embark on our 250th year we find ourselves at a critical juncture, our values under siege. In Europe, Islamic extremism fans fear and division; here at home, illiberal movements—from rising antisemitism to the stifling grip of cancel culture—test our resolve.
When any group’s right to speak, worship, or live freely is threatened, the liberties of all are imperiled.
Ours is a time of decision. Will we rally to defend the liberal values that have defined our nation? Or will we surrender, leaving to future generations a legacy of declining freedoms? Will future migrants looking to America from across the globe find here the liberty enjoyed by millions of their forerunners, including Manhattan’s small but resolute Romaniote community?
Ayaan Hirsi Ali—an immigrant who fled oppression and found refuge in the West—launched AHA Foundation to defend these very values. On behalf of the AHA Foundation and Ayaan, we thank you for your support and encourage you to invite others to join us as we champion the liberal values that have defined us. And we wish you and your families a happy and safe Independence Day.
Trey Dimsdale
President
AHA Foundation
P.S. The Romaniote Jews built more than a synagogue—they built a home in a country that promised freedom. As we reflect on their story, let it remind us that the strength of America lies in those who choose to defend its ideals.