When two prominent voices – a Conservative voice often heard on Fox News and on the Sean Hannity Show and a Liberal voice that is often a guest on CNN and MSNBC – join together to pen an important article together calling for dialogue with “civility and empathy”, you know that something unique is brewing. When they admit that an impetus behind their decision to put aside their differences and make this call for unity was inspired by the ‘Day of Jewish Unity’ organized by Acheinu, the outreach arm of Dirshu, that encourages “Jews around the world to unite in prayer for peace and to pledge a cessation of all gossip and slander,” you realize what an impact Acheinu’s Day of Jewish Unity has had – even beyond the confines of the Jewish community.

The article, penned jointly in the Jerusalem Post by Danielle McLaughlin, a prominent member of the Conservative Federalist Society and important Conservative media voice and Lee Carter, a prominent Liberal commentator, has made waves because it shows that differences can be aired with civility and without the acrimony so prevalent in conversation today. They write, “We come together today as a conservative strategist and a liberal commentator, from opposite sides of the aisle with the utmost respect for each other. And we can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that we have learned from each other and are better for our debates.”

Indeed, the ‘Day of Jewish Unity’ has had a far-reaching impact above and beyond the greatest expectations of the organizers and has shown how starving people are for an end to the strife that has become so common among people with different points of view.

Whether it was the thousands of Jews with all kinds of hats and kipas who gathered at the Kotel Haamaravi, to daven and recite Tehillim on behalf of the Jewish People; Whether it was the tens of thousands of children who gathered to learn about the Chofetz Chaim and his effort to promote brotherhood and stop harmful gossip; Whether it was the executives and their employees in skyscrapers in Manhattan, or workers at a New Jersey retail store; on September 7, all of them, joined more than one million people to promote brotherhood and end strife, slander and gossip, by gathering together to pray and learn.

In a two-pronged effort Dirshu promoted, ‘The International Yom Limud and Tefillah’, designed for Torah observant Jews across the world and Acheinu, the kiruv Arm of Dirshu, simultaneously promoted the ‘Day of Jewish Unity’, a similar undertaking appealing to Jews from across the entire world to come together in tefillah and achdus. Estimates show that more than a million people participated worldwide. “This was a sweeping, worldwide kiddush Hashem that undoubtedly served as a tremendous zechus before Rosh Hashanah,” said Rabbi Shlomo Rozenstein, Dirshu’s Director of Public Relations.

The idea to promote Jewish unity resonated in such a profound way that it was even picked up by a number of important opinion makers both from within and without the Jewish Community. Articles about the importance of the Day of Jewish Unity appeared in numerous general publications, most notably a seminal article in Fox News, penned by Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas and Presidential Candidate, and an article in The Hill, by entrepreneur and former Press Secretary for President Trump, Anthony Scaramucci.

In the Times of Israel, Zachary Silver summed up the power of the Day of Jewish Unity, “Our greatest weapon against… bigots and ignorant haters is our unity. We must remain strong and unified in the face of the hatred persistently growing against us. In order to be a strong, singular people, we must look at what unites us, not what divides us. At the end of the day, we all come from a strong heritage that is millennia old and filled with brave and outspoken people. And, according to the rabbis, we were all together — as one people — at Mount Sinai when G-d gave us the Torah. If G-d saw fit to put us all together, who are we to split us apart now?”