by Isi Leibler
As we launch into our
65th Independence Day celebrations it is timely to review and rationally
assess the extent to which our Zionist objectives have been achieved.
When the Jewish state
was proclaimed in 1948, the 650,000 Jews who constituted the Yishuv —
the Jewish community in Palestine — were totally engaged in a desperate
battle to repel the combined military forces of our Arab neighbors who,
from the outset, were determined to deny Jewish sovereignty. In their
wildest dreams, the founders of our state fighting a war of survival
could never have envisioned the dynamic and thriving nation of eight
million citizens that would emerge from that maelstrom.
Indeed by any
benchmark, taking into account numerous wars, failures and
disappointments, this extraordinary Jewish nation state will
indisputably be recorded in the annals of history, as one of the
greatest successes of the past millennium.
There is no historical
situation that remotely compares to the Jewish people's renaissance and
transformation into a Jewish nation. After being exiled for 2000 years
to all parts of the globe and having suffered endless cycles of
discrimination, persecution, exile and mass murder culminating in the
genocidal horror of the Shoah, we reconstituted ourselves into a nation
state.
Like a phoenix rising
from the ashes, an ingathering of the exiles took place with Jews from
all over the globe flocking to find haven in the newly established
Jewish state. There, against all odds, they bonded together — into a
melting pot of Shoah survivors, refugees fleeing persecution in Arab
countries, Jews escaping from the underdeveloped societies of Ethiopia,
discriminated Jews from the former Soviet Union, and others undergoing
oppression — and succeeded in creating one of the most vibrant and
resilient societies in the world.
The ancient and sacred
Hebrew language has been revived as a living and pulsating cultural
force and lingua franca for Jews uniting those from totally different
cultures. There has been a renaissance of Torah studies with greater
numbers of Jews familiar with the traditional texts and teachings of
Judaism than at any period in our history.
Who could possibly have
imagined that a people, subjugated and powerless for 2000 years, would
emerge in a very short space of time, as a dominant regional military
superpower able to deter and defend itself against the vastly numerical
military forces of its combined regional adversaries?
Who could have dreamt
that this tiny arid strip of land would become the fulcrum for a dynamic
economy and emerge as the second-largest high-tech startup nation in
the world, exceeded only by the United States?
And as a special gift,
on the eve of our 65th anniversary, this country, devoid of the oil
reservoirs which have empowered some of our adversaries, virtually
overnight became energy self-sufficient and is now even exploring
markets to export its surplus gas resources.
Our spectacular success
has far exceeded the expectations of our idealistic founders. By any
rational benchmark it would be deemed a modern day miracle.
And yet despite this,
there are those in our midst who constantly whine about our failings and
transform self-criticism into masochism. Instead of celebrating they
predict doom and gloom.
There is also a tiny,
but highly vocal minority who disparages our achievements and complains
about the sacrifices required to ensure our security and existence, some
of whom even mock Zionism and challenge the merits of Jewish statehood.
Also there are some
young Jews, never having experienced the dehumanizing impact of
powerlessness on the Jewish psyche, who take the State of Israel for
granted. They never underwent the chilling experience of their European
antecedents in Europe who in the 1930s desperately sought — mostly
unsuccessfully — to obtain entry visas to countries to escape the
impending Nazi genocidal onslaught. And nor do they appreciate the soul
destroying impact of living in an environment of anti-Semitic incitement
where Jews are considered pariahs and the mainstream media shamelessly
promotes frenzied anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic stereotypes.
However, despite the
prevailing belief that after the revelation of the horrors of the Shoah,
anti-Semites would become an extinct species, the world's oldest hatred
has returned with full vengeance, particularly in Europe whose soil had
been drenched in Jewish blood only a few years before Israel's
independence.
The extent of the
current European malaise is exemplified by youngsters in some public
schools seeking to hide their Jewishness to avert torment or face social
exclusion. In many European cities there is also a growing reluctance
to outwardly wear Jewish symbols, like a kippah, to avoid random
violence from hooligans in the street.
In Europe, especially
in France, the U.K., Scandinavia, Hungary, Greece, Ukraine, and
throughout South America there are daily reports of increasing
anti-Semitic violence, of incitement and even murder. Whereas, in North
America, though public opinion is strongly pro-Israel, the campuses have
been transformed into launching pads for visceral anti-Israelism and
anti-Semitism.
But even in these dark
areas, Jews are comforted in the knowledge that today there is a State
of Israel that will defend the Jewish people. A Jewish state that will
always provide a haven for them if their world collapses.
Of course we face
challenges and genuine threats. The dream of peace for which we all
yearn remains a distant vision and future generations of youngsters will
continue to carry the burden of defending the nation against its
adversaries.
And yes, there are
still many problems in Israeli society that must be overcome. There are
too many poor people and we suffer internal divisions between religious
and secular and between Ashkenazim and Sephardim. We all agree that we
must continue striving for a better society to achieve the ultimate goal
of becoming "a light unto the nations."
But today, almost half
the Jewish people are happily domiciled in Israel. The word happily
should be stressed because despite our masochistic self-criticism and
endless complaints, all polls show that Israelis are numbered amongst
the happiest and most satisfied people in the world.
Our numbers will
increase and an ever-growing proportion of global Jewry will return to
live in its homeland, increasingly out of choice rather seeking a haven.
Thus, as we celebrate
Israel's 65th anniversary, notwithstanding all the challenges and
threats confronting us, we should remind ourselves of our humble origins
and give thanks to the Almighty for having enabled us to be the blessed
generation that is privileged to live in freedom in this extraordinary
country, our ancient homeland.
Chag sameach!
Isi Leibler's website can be viewed at www.wordfromjerusalem.com. He may be contacted at ileibler@leibler.com
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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