I can say without a doubt that I would not be where I am today if not for Ida Crown.

It was nearing the end of our junior year when one of the Academy’s finest English teachers – Mrs. Rosenwald, z”l – walked up to me and asked, “Richard, what are you planning to do for college?”

I told her that I was very excited about the computer science program at the University of Illinois – they were on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence and I knew that was the path for me.

“Richard,” she responded, “if you don’t go into politics, you will have wasted your life. Why don’t you try volunteering for a campaign?” A powerful statement – and as it turned out, a transformational moment.

Overnight, as I crossed the Atlantic returning from Israel, I thought about the gravity of this day – both for you and for the Jewish people.

On Erev Shabbat, as I stood before the Kotel, I was overcome with emotion as young, energetic IDF soldiers, no older than 18, started down the slope – singing and dancing in formation – their arms locked in one another’s – their M16s draping their shoulders – their hopes and dreams heading toward Sha’arei Shamaim. I thought of the poem we used to read every Yom HaZikaron --

“This Kotel has heard many prayers. This Kotel has seen many walls fall. This Kotel has felt wailing women’s hands and notes pressed between its stones. This Kotel has seen Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi trampled in front of it. This Kotel has seen Ceasers rising and falling. But this Kotel has never before seen paratroopers cry.”

Today, on the English calendar, marks 44 years since the start of the Six Day war.

The fledgling state of Israel – still a teenager – under attack on every border – faced the greatest test of its young existence.

When it began, no Jew around the world knew how it would end.

Many – some even from the Ida Crown family – made their way to Israel to join what they perceived to be the ultimate struggle for the very survival of the Jewish State.

And after six short days of unprecedented courage, sacrifice and strategic dominance – with the blood of young Jews spilled in the streets of Yerushalaim – the City of David – the eternal capital of the land of Israel – stood reunited.

Class of 2011 – your generation’s test is coming – and my charge to you is to do all you can to make sure the sacrifices made by generations before us were not made in vein.

Today, 44 years later, the State of Israel finds itself in the most precarious situation we have seen in over a generation.

In the south, Hamas terrorists in Gaza and uncertainty in Egypt. In the north, Hezbollah terrorists and a brutal Syrian dictator. To the not-so-distant east – the existential threat – an Iranian regime pursing nuclear weapons and promising to wipe Israel off the map. And to the very near east – in the West Bank – what armies could not accomplish by military means, propagandists will try to achieve through political theatre.

Graduates, when I think about how much has changed in the last 10 years, I am struck more by what has stayed the same.

In June 2001, we sat where you sit now. For us, our childhood memories were of a wall coming down, Scud missiles falling on Israel and a decade of peace and economic boon. On graduation day, as I stood here to deliver the Senior Class address, none of us could have imagined how our world would change in just three short months.

But for you, September 11th defined your childhood – your adolescence spent knowing only an America at war.

At the same time, when it comes to Israel, it’s amazing to think how much has remained the same.

Ten years ago, we watched the explosion of the second Intifida – we prayed for the safety of three Israeli soldiers kidnapped on the Lebanese border – and our parents trembled as we prepared to set out for Israel or college campuses to face unknown danger and persecution.

Today, we prepare for a political tsunami in September with the potential to spur a third Intifada – we pray for the safety of an Israeli soldier kidnapped in Gaza – and I’m certain your parents are feeling the same trepidation that ours felt before them.

This morning, I returned from a week-long Jewish Federation mission to Israel led by one of the greatest champions of the U.S.-Israel relationship in Washington, Senator Mark Kirk.

Our focus was on the strategic relationship between the United States and Israel – and the range of threats now facing the Jewish state.

After meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak, IDF Chief of Staff Gantz and many others, I can tell you one thing for certain – Israel needs you now more than ever.

Each of you leaves Ida Crown with a unique set of values and skills that make you indispensable to the future of the Jewish people and security of the State of Israel.

The Academy inspires in each of us a great love for Judaism – and for our fellow Jews. Our teachers instill in us a deep commitment to the Zionist vision of a Jewish state in our ancient homeland – and a dedication to the Jewish axiom, “Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh LaZeh.”

I know that each of you has the potential to make the biggest difference for our community, our country and Medinat Yisrael.

You are the future. You are the hope. Your generation will be tested – and you will be called to meet the challenge.

Whether you find yourself studying in Israel, serving in the U.S. or Israeli military, or starting freshman year of college, you will be an Ambassador for our community—an advocate for our basic values – with the power to change the course of history.

Al tikra banaich ela bonaich. Do not call them your children, call them your builders. Take with you what you learned at the Academy – and together, build a life filled with Torah, chesed, yiddishkeit and an undying commitment to the safety and security of the State of Israel. You are the builders now – and, together, you will succeed.

Mazal tov, yashar kochachem and b’hatzlacha.