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On the Threshold of Israel's 59th Anniversary
by Zeev Bielski
- Israel has grown used to defending itself, whether from attacks on civilians by suicide bombers or military attacks by neighboring armies and militants. It is also used to defending itself from verbal and political attacks.
- Over the past year, those attacks have come from places uncomfortably close to, and sometimes well inside, what was once known as the mainstream.
- Close behind these arguments were those questioning Israel's very legitimacy, not the legitimacy of its hold on the West Bank, but the justification for the thriving society Jews have built in Tel Aviv and Beersheba, Haifa and Eilat.
- A discussion about facts and tactics was constantly diverted and hijacked by those who would demonize Israel or deny its opponents any responsibility for the continuing violence or grinding stalemate.
- And yet out of frustration, there also grew a renewed commitment by many to defend Israel, to revel in its successes, bask in its normalcy, and admire the way the country learns from its mistakes. (New Jersey Jewish News)
Israel at Age 59: Stand by Our State!
Editorial
- While much of the world and many American Jews were seeking to distance themselves from Israel's fight for security last summer, a 22-year-old native of Bucks County gave his life so that the Jewish people may live.
- Michael Levin, a young man who made aliyah, was killed in battle during Israel's war with Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon. His sacrifice was a tragedy for his family and all who knew him, but it also demonstrated that the power of Zionism to inspire remains very much alive.
- So as we pause this week to mark the 59th anniversary of the rebirth of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel, it's important to try and grasp the historical significance of this achievement.
- While support for Israel among Americans as a whole remains solid, this barrage of criticism has led some Jews to keep their distance. Many American Jews seem less interested in Israel and ever more reluctant to engage in activism on its behalf.
- Let us specify that caring about the country in no way requires us to ignore its shortcomings. Nor does it mean that we must blindly cheer the policies of any or all of its politicians.
- It must be emphasized that attacks on Israel have little to do with the merits of its current government or the wisdom of any particular policy it has employed.
- Michael Levin understood that. His example should move our entire community on this Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, to never forget their obligation to stand in solidarity with the Jewish state. (Jewish Exponent)
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