Israel after 74 years of independence

Jews all over the world celebrate Israel’s Independence Day – even those who have no intention of ever going to aliyah, and many of whom have never even visited Israel.

They term Israel a kind of insurance policy. They support Israel financially and emotionally. They consider Israel a sanctuary that is available to their children and grandchildren, should the need ever arise.

However, some find this kind of thinking very sad, because Israel is so much more than a refuge for persecuted Jews.

Not every immigrant who has built a life in Israel was escaping from the horror of the Holocaust, the tyranny behind the Iron Curtain or the cruelty of life in an Arab country.

Many of these Israelis referred to as “Anglo-Saxim” lowered their standard of living significantly when they settled in Israel, yet found something that enhanced the quality of life even as they struggled with inflation, mortgages and trying to make minuscule salaries stretch to the end of the month.

They have found a family – their own people. Of course, just like any family, they fight... about religion, politics and settlements – the fights can be very bitter. Yet they care about each other and band together when they face a common enemy. They celebrate together and sometimes even have to grieve together.

Basically, when the going gets rough, they are on the same side. They express their identity as Jews in different ways, but it is the same identity.

They found Israel a beautiful country, unique in the variety of its scenery and climate. Mediterranean beaches banded by azure and indigo water and pure white sand; coral reefs; dense forests; wooded mountains; deserts and rivers and waterfalls; the shimmering mirrored glass of the Dead Sea; fields carpeted with wildflowers – and Jerusalem, the priceless jewel.

Some of them found Israel a spirituality that they had never been able to achieve abroad. Anyone who has been in Israel on Yom Kippur, when the whole country comes to a standstill for one day, cannot doubt the kedusha, the holiness, of the Land of Israel. It is intangible, yet it is an undeniable presence.

They take pride in the remarkable achievements of this tiny country. They can match, and surpass, the hi-tech of much bigger, richer and better developed nations. They teach agriculture to the world. They are rich in poets, writers, musicians, actors and artists. They can boast of industrial entrepreneurs and brilliant scientists. When any new Israeli invention captures the world’s imagination, somehow they all bask in the reflected glory.

Israelis have always been compared to the Sabra – the cactus with the thorny exterior but the soft heart. They celebrate Independence Day in many ways – campfires and singing, picnics, Bible Quiz, concerts, music and dancing in the streets. They spend the day with family and friends and relish every moment of it.

But it is more than just enjoyment. On every building, the Israeli flag flies. Almost every balcony in every city flies the white flag with the blue Magen David, the Shield of David. And for days beforehand and a week afterward, the flag flies from every car on the road. Every ceremony opens with the singing of “Hatikvah” – the Hope – Israel’s national anthem.

They sing it standing straight and proud, and usually with tears in their eyes as they remember the broken people who found a safe haven in Israel, and those who never managed to reach its shores and died with the dream of Zion in their hearts. And they also remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in all of Israel’s wars, and in the pre-state days, the fighters and pioneers who fashioned this wonderful land that they have inherited.