As Israel prepares to celebrate seventy years did you know:
- Israelis, per capita, are the world’s biggest consumers of fruit and vegetables?
- Israeli cows produce more milk per cow than almost any country in the world?
- Cherry tomatoes were originally developed in Israel, 1973? (amazingisrael.com)
A crossroads of ancient and modern civilizations Israel is captivating and inspiring.
When we lived in Jerusalem, we marveled at the ancient walls, the pebbled streets and the cars and camels sharing transport duties in the Old City.
Every nook and cranny of the land has a Bible story. The Biblical feasts arrive at their appointed time. Every week we enjoyed stopping for Shabbat and from the rest and renewal, strength was restored for the energy of life. Now comes Independence Day (Heb. Yom Ha’atzma’ut) on 5th of Iyar (May 14, 1948) According to the variations in the Hebrew calendar celebrations will begin in April (2018) with seventy hours of celebrations. Miri Regev, the Culture and Sports Minister announced, “70 hours of Israel festivity will bring citizens across the country in varied and joyous events.” The frenetic activity will be launched by the biggest fireworks display in the history of Israel. Then comes ‘Israel and the World Sing Together’. A ’70 km Party’ will dance and feast along the majestic beaches of Israel. Jerusalem hosts ‘Parades of Lights’ which will be a mouth dropping display. The Friday night Shabbat features ‘the 70th Hora” a celebration of dance with music written exclusively for this party. The opening marathon culminates with the ‘Soundtrack Event for Israeli Society.’ Artists who have contributed to the Israeli culture will be onstage for a once in a lifetime event.
This is a $30 million, three-day extravaganza! Say what you like, Israel knows how to party!
The US Embassy will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, May 19. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington in March. He was enthused by the decision by US President Trump. Netanyahu said, in the annals of Jewish history he (Trump) will be remembered along with those such as Persia King Cyrus the Great, Lord Balfour from the Balfour declaration and US President Harry Truman who was the first US President to recognize the state of Israel.
Turkey did not approve. They reasoned the decision will damage the Middle East peace deal. The Palestinians called the move a ‘blatant provocation’ and ‘an attack on the Palestinian people.’
Guatemala announced their embassy will move to Jerusalem two days after the Americans. Greece is also considering a move to Jerusalem. Others will follow. All this will make the 70th anniversary, very memorable and historic.
Israeli journalist Caroline Glick said:
“Why do I live in Israel? Because Israel lives in me, as it lives in all Jews. It is who we are. And those of us lucky enough to recognize this truth and embrace it in all its fullness and depth are the luckiest Jews in the world.”
The excitement is not without reason. Remember this?
“Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” – Ezekiel 37: 11,12
Appropriately the Bible Quiz for Jewish youth is scheduled during these festivities. It is an annual event.
The 70th anniversary refers to Israel of the modern era but the heritage is much richer. Pulitzer prize winner Charles Krauthammer wrote:
“Israel is the very embodiment of Jewish continuity: It is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago. You dig the soil and you find pottery from Davidic times, coins from Bar Kokhba, and 2,000-year-old scrolls written in a script remarkably like the one that today advertises ice cream at the corner candy store.” (Charles Krauthammer, The Weekly Standard, May 11, 1998)
Polish born David Ben-Gurion, moved to ‘Palestine’ in 1906. On 5 Iyar 5708 (14th May, 1948) he proclaimed the creation of the State of Israel. Significantly he said: “In order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” He was premier and defense minister, 1948-53
Ben-Gurion founded Mossad, whose name in English means, ‘Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations’, and the Israel Defence Forces. Nevertheless the pioneering premier said, “The State of Israel will prove itself not by material wealth, not by military might or technical achievement, but by its moral character and human values.”
Ben Gurion declared, “I am not religious, nor were the majority of the early builders of Israel believers. Yet their passion for this land stemmed from the Book of Books. The Bible is the single most important book in my life.” So it has been for Israel through all these seventy tumultuous, triumphant years.
In 1948 resistance to the fledgling State was swift and potentially lethal. Within days of signing the Declaration of Independence, distant gunfire became armies from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. The War of Independence ended in 1949. Israel gained territory formerly granted to Palestinian Arabs under the United Nations resolution in 1947.
“The first decade of the State of Israel was dominated by the values of ‘togetherness’. Those were the years of collective being, of absorbing immigrants and settling the land, of making the desert flourish and of building the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). We were friends and brothers-in-arms, we settled for less and remained humble. That was a time when individual hardships were suppressed in favor of the overall feeling of being under siege and the constant need for individual sacrifice,” wrote Nissim Mishal. (Israel 60, Nishim Mishal, Gefen Publishing House)
From the beginning Israel had to aggressively defend the right to exist. Prolific author Joel C. Rosenberg wrote:
“In the first three decades of the new Jewish state’s existence, total Israeli agricultural exports increased a whopping 4,000 per cent. What’s more, a remarkable 40 percent of Israel’s vegetables and field crops were grown in sparsely populated desert regions, and by the year 2000 some 90 percent of Israeli melon exports were coming from the desert regions known as the Arava.” (Epicenter, Joel C. Rosenberg, Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois)
Through the years Israelis had to adapt.
“The fifties were the years of the mass immigration of Jews from Arab lands: from Morocco, from the Yemen, from Iraq; and of tens of thousands of Jews from some 70 countries worldwide, all of whom had brought with them their own language, national heritage and cultural baggage. The sixties were, above all, marked by the military victory in the Six-Day War of 1967, when a whole new national mythos and sense of euphoria engulfed not only the Jewish population of Israel, but indeed the entire Jewish Diaspora – only to be shattered to a large extent by the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and its aftermath…. The seventies and the eighties saw the first tentative bridges to peace with the Arab world, beginning with the historic visit to Israel of President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt in 1977.” (Asher Weill, Israeli Arts, Culture & Literature: Cuture in Israel, Jewish Virtual Library)
David Brinn wrote a piece for the Jerusalem Post 70th anniversary tribute series –
“Through more wars than any country deserves, complex challenges of absorbing millions of immigrants from around the world, and continued efforts to question and fight for its legitimacy, Israel has become the most astounding success story of the last 70 years,”
he wrote. (‘At 70 – Where We’ve Been, and Where We’re Going.’ JPost, March 18, 2018)
All of us who ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ have been amazed how our prayers are answered in the most practical, productive and often mountain moving ways. Israel‘s success confirms the divine promises.
“I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted, from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God.” – Amos 9:15
The Israel Hall of Fame (1948-2018) reads like an extension of Hebrews Chapter 11. A major contributor was Eliazer Ben Yehuda who revived Hebrew as a language. He died in 1922 but his contribution was the key to the rich culture of Israel.
The list of heroes is impressive. Benjamin Theodore Herzl, Albert Einstein, Menahem Begin, Moshe Dayan, Nathan Sharansky, Shimon Peres, Teddy Kollek, Ariel Sharon, Golda Meir, Yoni Netanyahu and his brother Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu. Truly giants and there are so many more.
The enemies of Israel were violent and aggressive. Adolph Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany, January 30, 1933. He was Haman in the modern history of Israel. Max I. Dimont wrote:
“From that first day in power to that April day in 1945 when, with Berlin ablaze, Hitler shot himself through the mouth, the Germans exterminated with systemized murder 12 million men, women and children, in concentration camps, by firing squads, and in gas chambers. Of these 12 million victims, 7 million were Christians, and 5 million were Jews – 1.4 Christians for every Jew! But because the Nazis shouted ‘Kill the Jews!’, the world blinded itself to the murder of Christians. The irony is that, in spite of all the murder and the bloodshed, it did not impede the march of Jewish history. The Third Reich, which Hitler boasted would endure for a thousand years, perished after twelve.” (Jews, God and History, Max I. Dimont, A Mentor Book)
During the 1948 Arab-Israel war, university student Yasser Arafat sought to enlist. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood and served as president of the Union of Palestinian Students (1952-56). The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was created in 1964. Arafat gradually gained control and for ten years initiated massive terror campaigns against Israel.
This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad served as Iranian political leader, 2005-13. He frequently threatened to ‘wipe Israel off the map.’
After the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, the Australian Olympic Committee reported:
“The Munich 1972 Olympics, for all its sporting magnificence, will always be remembered for the blackest day in Olympic history: the deaths of 17 people, including 11 Israeli athletes and officials, after a kidnapping and hostage crisis in the Olympic Village. Palestinian guerrillas had stormed the Israeli team headquarters on September 5. They killed two Israelis and took another nine hostage. Later, as they tried to make good their escape at the airport, a botched rescue attempt resulted in the deaths of five terrorists, a policeman and the nine Israelis. The Games were suspended for 34 hours, but IOC President Avery Brundage, determined not to let terrorism destroy the peaceful spirit of the Olympics, declared ‘The Games must go on.’ While competition recommenced, the Games had been forever dealt an evil blow.”
Even now as Israel prepares to rejoice others seethe with anger. The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronot report Hamas has thousands of ‘Palestinians’, ready to cross the border to inflict pain and horror. The number includes the elderly, women and children as the raids intend to provoke media propaganda. Israel is taking the situation very seriously.
An Istanbul-based newspaper, affiliated with Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogan, spoke of an ‘Army of Islam’ to fight Israel. The proposed force would be drawn from the 57 member states of the OIC (the Organization of Islamic Cooperation), and seek to defeat Israel ‘within 10 days.’
While each threat is treated with typical Israeli efficiency, the hostile climate is not new as shown in Ezekiel 37 and many others scriptures.
Evil hounds Israel but the trials and tests have produced a stubborn destiny of survival. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill summed up their curious, unique identity:
“Some people like the Jews and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world.”
It must be very difficult for atheists to explain the tenacity and triumph enjoyed by Israel and the Jewish people. The Bible proclaims their amazing story. “I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel.” (Jeremiah 15:21)
The world will celebrate with Israel to acknowledge their disproportionate contributions made to the international lifestyle.
In a prolific gallery of items and contributions are Google, Polio Vaccine, Pacemaker and Defibrillator, and Lasers (Just four in a very impressive list)
Google. Jewish friends Larry Page and Sergey Brin launched Google while they were still at Stanford University.
Polio Vaccine. Polio was once the most dreaded disease of the 20th century. Jonas Salk, the Jewish medical researcher developed the first successful inactive polio vaccine.
Pacemaker and Defribrillator. Countless lives have been saved with this innovation. Paul Zoll, a Jewish American cardiologist was one of the pioneers in developing the precious asset.
Lasers. From weapons to entertainment, lasers have impacted our lives. It was Jewish American physicist Theodore Maiman who fired the first working laser May 16, 1960.
Israel has produced a disproportionate number of Nobel laureates in literature, chemistry, medicine, physics, peace and economics. As a result, a formidable list of contributions, bless the quality of life worldwide.
The worlds of music and movies owe much to generous Jewish contributions. This list is far too long to publish.
Aliyah
Aliyah is the word used to describe the return of Jews to Eretz Israel. Aliyah or ‘going up’ describes the Jews returning to Israel from the nations of the world. ‘Making aliyah’ is basic to the Jewish heart. Aliyah is mentioned 19 times in the Bible. The prophet Jeremiah was very specific:
“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’“ – Jeremiah 31: 10
Isaiah also: “Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; I will say to the north, “Give them up!” And to the south, “Do not keep them back” Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth.”
– Isaiah 45: 5,6
The World Zion Organization (WZO) reports 2,910,574 made aliyah from 1948 to 2016. Most came from the former Soviet Union but there are significant numbers from Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, Ethiopia France, Argentina and Great Britain.
Israel today is proudly multi-cultural. The nation is enriched by the diverse cultural individuality and the parallel all-embracing Israel identity. The official languages of Israel are Hebrew and Arabic.
Out of the trauma of events like the holocaust, Munich and other horrific tragedies, Israel will proclaim a song of David.
“You turned my mourning into dancing! You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.” – Psalm 31:12
“Our mouths were full of laughter, and our tongues shouted for joy. Among the nations it was said, “ADONAI has done great things for them!” ADONAI did do great things with us; and we are overjoyed. – Psalm 126: 2,3
“God spoke strongly about this tiny nation. “For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.” – Psalm 132: 12,13
Against momentous odds, the tiny nation, surrounded by enemies, thrived, despite persistent and bloody violence and threats.
Chutzpah
Israel and unique chutzpah go hand in hand. Raphael Shore founded Jerusalem Online. He produced a documentary ‘Israel Inside’ to highlight the cosmopolitan modernity of the society. He spoke about ‘chutzpah’, that bold confidence regularly encountered within Israeli or Jewish conversation:
“Israeli chutzpah is absolutely necessary because we’re in a world today that is not so loving of Israel all the time. We appreciate America’s friendship but there are a lot of countries that don’t have it. We need the chutzpah to know we’re a good people, we’re doing good things, we stand for good values, and we’re going to keep going even though a lot people would like to put us down.”
Asked if Israeli chutzpah can defend Israel and the world from a nuclear Iran, Shore said;
“There’s no question in my mind that Israel has the capability to take care of itself. The question is always will it be allowed to, and will it have the chutzpah, the brazenness to do so if the world is suggesting that it should not.”
When discussing the international success of Israel start-up companies writer Gil Kerbs summed up chutzpah;
“If an Israeli hears of a medical problem that nobody’s solving – he’ll go at it, sure he can solve it – even if he has zero experience in the medical world and little to no understanding in biology – that’s Israeli chutzpah.”
Just as David grabbed a sling shot and a few stones to face the might and reputation of Goliath, so Israel has defied the prophets of doom.
Enjoy their celebrations. Israel will be around for a very long time.
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