A Tribute to Israel at 62

Tomorrow is Israel's 62nd birthday...an event which I believe has great significance for all Jews whether they live in the Land of Israel or in other parts of the world.

In many ways, the rebirth of the State of Israel on the 5th of Iyar in the year 5708 was indeed a miracle. We had been forcibly exiled from the land, yet no matter where we lived, we had remained faithful to it throughout our dispersion. We constantly prayed and hoped for our return. After watching the destruction of 6 million of our fellow Jews in Europe, our dream was finally realized on May 14, 1948.

We knew that the land of our forefathers had once been a land flowing with milk and honey, but we also knew that it would take hard work to make our ancient homeland thrive once again. The chalutzim did indeed work hard to make the desert bloom and to establish thriving communities. If you've ever been to Sde Boker, the home of David Ben Gurion, then you've seen how the desert can bloom. If you've ever been to Tel Aviv, then you know how it is possible to build a city that is now the center of commerce in a modern state.

But Israel is more than just a physical place...it is also a spiritual place. It is the place where our spiritual and cultural values were shaped. I don't believe it is possible to go to Jerusalem and not feel its power. Elie Wiesel wrote that Jerusalem is the symbol of our survival...destroyed 17 times yet never erased. If you stand at the kotel and insert a prayer into its stones, tour the City of David on the edge of the Old City, or chant eicha on a rooftop in the Old City on Tisha B'Av, it is hard to go away unchanged. Yet Israel is not just a spiritual place for Jews, its Declaration of Independence guarantees "freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture for all of its inhabitants." Whenever the land was controlled by others there was no such guarantee.

When Israel was established as a modern state 62 years ago, it issued the following statement in its Declaration of Independence: "We extend our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East."

Obviously those words were not accepted 62 years ago...but we do not give up home that one day they will become a reality. We had a hope for two thousand years that we would one day be a free people in our own land...and that prayer in our hearts was answered. May our prayer for peace and the fullness of joy for all who dwell there also be answered.

We were asked by the signers of Israel's Declaration of Independence to rally around the Jews of Eretz Yisrael in the task of immigration and upbuilding and to stand by them in the great struggle for the realization of the age old dream- the redemption of Israel. World Jewry responded in 1948 with a positive response to that appeal. We need to reaffirm our ties to the people of Israel and recognize that it is still involved in providing a safe haven for Jews. We need to cherish the contributions that Israel has made for the advancement of civilization and be concerned when we hear words that threaten her existence. We cannot merely utter the words, "Never Again," at our Holocaust commemoration ceremonies and ignore the danger Iran currently poses to Israel should it possess nuclear weapons. We must let our elected officials know that Israel's existence must be secured.

Please join the members of Tifereth Israel and B'nai Jeshurun for an evening of reflection and celebration tomorrow evening as we honor Israel's 62nd birthday as a community.