Reader's letter

The State of Israel will celebrate 70 years of existence this year in Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Independence Day. On the one hand, the Jewish State is a very young country.

On the other hand, the link between the Jewish People and the Land of Israel is very old: Jews have lived uninterruptedly in the Land of Israel for more than 4000 years. From the fall of ancient Israel to the founding of the reborn state, the Holy Land never became an independent state and Jerusalem was never considered the capital of any other country. Just as our people have always dreamed of returning to their ancient homeland and capital, the Land of Israel and Jerusalem have eagerly awaited the return of their children. That dream came true 70 years ago.

The generation that suffered the greatest catastrophe in Jewish history – the murder of seven million Jews, was also the one that witnessed the realization of a dream
2000 years: the return of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem.

The brief history of the State of Israel is extraordinary – almost unbelievable. We are a people who rose from the ashes of Auschwitz to return to their ancient homeland and build a modern, strong and vibrant country there.

David Ben-Gurion, founder of the State of Israel, stated that “In Israel, to be realistic, it is necessary to believe in miracles”. It is a miracle that a country devoid of natural resources and which had to fight so many wars and conflicts managed to absorb millions of immigrants – most of them refugees – while building a prosperous and democratic state.

But the State of Israel is much more than a military superpower and an innovative and vibrant country. It is also the eternal home and collective dream of an entire people.

In addition to being the eternal homeland of the Jewish People, the Land of Israel is intertwined with the collective soul of its children. For two thousand years, every day, without exception, we have prayed for the return of our people to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem. For two thousand years we have concluded every Passover Seder with the words, “Next year, in Jerusalem.” Our conviction that we would return to our eternal home and “the most beautiful of cities” kept us alive during a long and painful diaspora. It was also this yearning that gave the Jews the courage to fight and persevere despite all the suffering to which we were subjected, keeping our people standing even in the extermination camps.

The prophet Zechariah declared: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: old men and women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem... and the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing” (Zechariah 8:4-5).

With the founding of the State of Israel, this prophecy was fulfilled. Today, Jews of all ages live in Jerusalem and speak the same language as the Prophets. The return of the Jewish People to their ancestral Land is proof that biblical prophecies, sooner or later, come true.

The founding of the State of Israel is, therefore, significant not only for the Jewish People, but for all humanity, as it constitutes the beginning of a process that will lead to the Messianic Era – the long-awaited utopia – the day when there will be peace not only in Jerusalem, but throughout the world. When that day comes, humanity will no longer know wars or conflicts: there will be no suffering or poverty of any kind, and death will be erased from the world.

In a few weeks, the young State of Israel will celebrate its 70th anniversary. In Judaism, the number seven and all its multiples are highly significant.
The number seven indicates the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. It also symbolizes peace. Our hope is that a new cycle begins in Israel and spreads throughout the world: an era of peace and security for all its inhabitants.

Chag Pesach Sameach!