The terrible fires that raged across Israel this weekend have shown just how much Israelis can come together in the face of a national emergency.

As both Israel and America grapple with real and perceived threats, and when xenophobia, racism, and fear seem to saturate both the political discourse in Israel and the 2016 race for the White House, the calm confidence and basic human decency that Rivlin and Obama project are, at least to me, a relief.