Hi,
As I watch the news and see Israel under attack—again—I’m reminded of why I made a promise to myself: to spend my life supporting the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the country that gave my family freedom—the United States of America. That promise wasn’t made lightly, and it’s not something I ever plan to break.
I’m only a high school junior. But in the past year, I’ve had the extraordinary opportunity to become the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in America. I write weekly for Newsmax and Townhall Media and regularly contribute to publications like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, The Times of Israel, and the Jerusalem Post. I’ve interviewed members of Congress, met scholars I once admired from afar, and now run the editorial side of a pro-Israel nonprofit with over 200,000 members.
But I didn’t come from a family of journalists. I had no connections. I didn’t find my way into politics through wealth, privilege, or legacy.
For the first sixteen years of my life, I had undiagnosed ADHD and OCD. I couldn’t read or focus. I was failing in school and couldn’t complete basic homework assignments, no matter how hard I tried. Teachers thought I was lazy. I thought something was wrong with me. I remember staring at pages for hours, desperate to understand just one paragraph.
Then, last year, I was finally diagnosed. I began treatment—and with it came something that changed my life forever: clarity. A few weeks after starting treatment, I picked up a book for the first time. That book was The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz.
I finished it in days.
I discovered a passion for politics, for justice, and for the survival of the Jewish people—something deeply personal to me. My ancestors died in the Holocaust. My parents fled the Soviet Union, where they weren’t allowed to practice their Judaism freely. The freedom to live as proud Jews is something I was born into—but something they had to fight for.
And suddenly, I understood what I was meant to do.
I started writing. Not because I had a large vocabulary or perfect grammar—I didn’t. In fact, I still don’t know many words longer than seven letters. But I knew how to take my thoughts and make them make sense. I wrote about politics, faith, resilience, and freedom. I wrote about the connection between Israel and America. And to my surprise, people started listening.
Now, I use every word I write to make a difference. I fight for truth, for my people, and for the future. Watching Israel be bombarded by missiles launched from Iran feels personal. I see my people suffering. I see a nation I love being vilified and attacked. And I ask myself the same question every day: What more can I do?
The answer is often: not enough. But still, I do everything I can.
I know I’m not alone. I know millions of Jews around the world are feeling the same way—helpless, hurt, and tired. But we cannot afford to give up. This is our shared struggle. And through unity, advocacy, and truth, we can still fight. We may not be soldiers on the front lines, but we are warriors in the arena of ideas.
A few months ago, my goal was to appear on national television. I achieved it within weeks. Then, my goal was to become a nationally syndicated columnist. Again, it happened—because I refused to stop pushing. Today, I have a new goal: to meet the President or Vice President of the United States. I want to look them in the eye and share my story—not for attention, but to represent the resilience of my generation. I want them to know that there are young people in this country who care deeply about freedom, security, and truth.
So if you’re reading this, and you have any way to help—if you have connections, ideas, or support—I ask you to send them my way. Not for fame, not for power, but for impact. I want to be part of something greater than myself. I want to help lead the next generation of Jewish and American advocacy.
I don’t want to just “exist”. I want to matter.
And I will never stop fighting for the people I love, the causes I believe in, and the values that shaped me.
Thank you,
Gregory Lyakhov
