Does Israel have a right to exist as a Jewish State?
Silly question, no? But one that we, as the Jewish people, need to understand. We are a people. We are a religion. We are a nation. We are not one without the other two. As such, we are needed, nay, commanded, to show the rest of the world the necessity of Israel functioning as a Jewish state. We can approach this ideology in a multitude of ways....
Religious connection...From biblical times the land of Israel, promised by Hashem, has been inhabited by Jews. The torah mentions Jerusalem, Hebron, Shechem, etc...and that is proof enough that our claim to the land (or at least PART of the land) is not only justified, but factually responsible.
Historical connection...Beginning with the founder of modern Zionism Theodor Herzl. After the first World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate of Palestine began. 3 years later in 1917, the Balfour Declaration gave the Jews Palestine as a national homeland, sanctioned by the League of Nations, the precursor to todays United Nations. Even though the British decided to partition Palestine into 2 states, one Jewish, one Arab (78% becoming Jordan, 22% designated to become the State of Israel), they once again partitioned the remaining 22% into another Arab state (45% of the remaining land) and then Israel (55% of the remaining land). It should be noted that the land given to Israel in the 1947 Partition plan was not continuous and included the Negev, which even today has not been completely mapped. To this the Jews celebrated, while our neighbours declared war on us.
Socio-cultural connection...what was the first modern city founded by the Jews in Israel? 1909-Tel Aviv. When Mark Twain visited Israel in the 19th Century, he remarked that the land was nothing more than swamp and desert, fitting for the Jewish people. Even he, an outspoken anti-Semite, realized that only us Jews could make the desert bloom and build for ourselves a land in which we would lead the world in innovations (scientific, medical, military, academic, etc...).
Present day reality....With the horrors of the Holocaust fading from our collective consciousness (for better or for worse), the nations of the world have begun the anti-Semitic diatribe that forced our grandparents into ghettos and into hiding. Have we learnt nothing from our past? While having superpowers as friends is a great thing, do not fool yourself into thinking that we can rely on these friends when push comes to shove. If history has taught us anything (and we have a lot of history), it is that only one people can help the Jewish people...the Jewish people. With assimilation and inter marriage climbing steadily, as well as us, as a people, moving away from our religion, we are setting the stage for another atrocity that can decimate the Jewish faith. Unless we wake up and realize that this is a war against our faith, times ahead will mirror those of the past. G-d blessed us many times, promising that we will number the stars in the sky and the sands in the desert, but unless we pro-actively determine to make it work, it will not happen.
Do not expect miracles, for we have to work for those as well.
This is a wake up call to the entire Jewish people. Do not let our destiny fall into the hands of our enemies again. Do not allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security. Do not stand idly by as our brothers and sisters lose their lives defending what belongs to us.
Support Israel. Support Judaism. Because if you don't, who will?
