Rabbi's Weekly Message
"Happy Birthday Israel!"
As you read in my Scroll article this month and as you are no doubt aware, Israel is celebrating its 60th birthday today! It is thus appropriate for us to take a few minutes to pause and reflect on this monumental milestone. Imagine for just a moment what our world would be like without the Jewish state. Forget all the incredible agricultural, technological, scientific, cultural, educational, and military contributions Israel has made to our world. Put aside the fact that Israelis publish and read more books per capita than any other nation on earth. Ignore the fact that Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East. For Jews around the world, Israel is an incredible source of pride and remains the spiritual homeland for all Jewish people wherever they happen to live.
All these accomplishments, of course, have come at an enormous cost. In Israel, the day before Israeli Independence Day is known as Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day. Despite the many local and national observances of Memorial Day, for some it is another excuse to have a backyard barbecue and go shopping. In Israel, by contrast, it is a very serous day for virtually the entire nation. We, too, should, pause for a moment and remember the over 22,000 Israeli soldiers who have given their lives for Israel to become, exist, and continue to defend herself.
It is truly hard to imagine a world without the State of Israel, yet for most of Jewish history that was not the case. Israel was just a dream, just a hope, just a yearning. Sixty years ago (on the Hebrew calendar, next Wednesday on the Gregorian calendar) that dream became a reality. Indeed, we have much to celebrate!
Unfortunately, in recent years, the status of the Jewish State has diminished in the hearts and minds of some American Jews. For some, Israel has become not a source of pride but a source of embarrassment. Several scholars have written books in defense of Israel’s existence, and discussion and arguing over Middle East politics dominate the airwaves and Internet. Clearly, in the last twenty years, our relationship with the Jewish State has transformed and changed. Defining that relationship today, I do believe, is more difficult than ever before for many American Jews.
Some simply don’t want to bother thinking about this difficult issue. Others are challenged by relatives, co-workers, or friends and find themselves in the position of having to defend Israel. Not wanting to be in that position, some find it easier to put Israel out of their minds and out of their hearts. I believe this is the wrong approach.
First of all, Israel’s right to exist does not need to be defended nor established any more than any other country. No one questions whether or not Canada or Bangladesh or Japan has a right to exist. Those who ask such questions simply do not know or understand history, and unfortunately today anti-Semitism is being veiled in terms of anti-Israel rhetoric.
As Jews, we have much to be proud of. We should celebrate Israel’s accomplishments and remember that statement from the Talmud: kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh / all Jews are connected one to the other. So happy birthday, Israel. May you live to 120 and beyond!
Tonight is our early service at 6:00 PM followed by dinner (reservations required) and a program on “Israel and the Sacred Identity of American Jews,” led by me. Tomorrow, we have Torah Study and Shabbat morning services as usual. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone as well.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Kenneth Milhander