Slightly more than 90 years ago two seminal events occurred that changed the world. The first was the Russian revolution, which ushered in the era of the Soviet empire. The second was the Balfour Declaration, which heralded the reestablishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel.
Today, the Soviet Union is part of the dustbin of history while the state of Israel is celebrating its 60th birthday.
Who would have predicted that outcome?
What are the odds that a nation composed largely of people who came from nondemocratic countries to a region where human rights and freedom are alien concepts would emerge as one of the world’s most vibrant democracies?
Who would expect that a country with no natural resources to speak of, one that is boycotted by its natural trading partners and forced to spend a disproportionate amount of its budget on defense, could emerge as a high-tech powerhouse whose economy has grown faster than some of the most advanced Western nations?
Many critics would like Israel to have achieved perfection, and to have solved all the social ills that continue to bedevil far older nations, but even though it falls short of such impossible standards, Israel has done a remarkable job of building a just society in a very short time.
Israel’s accomplishments are all the more amazing when you consider they have occurred against the backdrop of a conflict that has denied the citizens of Israel a day of peace.
It is truly remarkable that Israel has not only survived, but thrived.
Even as they have beaten the odds for the last 60 years, Israelis continue to fear for the future. The Anti-Defamation League just released a poll that found 77 percent of Israelis believe their nation is under a certain or serious threat of destruction. Young Israelis are even more pessimistic, with 82 percent of teens expressing concerns about the future; more than half (52 percent) said it faced a certain threat of destruction.
It would be easy enough for Israelis to escape the perceived threats; many have moved to the United States and other countries. Most Israelis are determined, however, to continue to beat the odds. While a handful of refuseniks got headlines for objecting to serve in the territories, others showed up for service even when they were not required to do so. During the war with Hezbollah, more soldiers reported than were called up from the reserves. Even while teens are expressing skepticism about the future, large numbers continue to sign up for combat units rather than choose potentially safer assignments.
You can be sure that all of those teens would prefer to be where their American peers are today, enjoying sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll in college — and you can be sure their parents would prefer that they were sitting in classrooms rather than foxholes, hoisting beers rather than rifles and spending spring break at the beach rather than chasing terrorists in Gaza.
I just completed a book on Kristallnacht, which documents how powerless the Jews of Germany were in 1938 and how little the world cared. We know what happened afterward. Today, Jews are not helpless and do not depend on the goodwill of others. The sovereign nation of Israel is their homeland, and it is prepared to exercise all the power at its disposal to keep the people safe.
With power comes responsibility, and Israeli leaders must balance sometimes impossible choices between security and morality. At times the balance tips too far in one direction or the other, but for the last 60 years a democratically elected government has determined the fate of the Jewish and non-Jewish citizens of the state. The decisions in coming months will be even more challenging as the government grapples with the growing threats from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.
These are perilous times indeed, but the lesson of not just the last 60 years, but the last 90, is that the Jewish people will survive and the nation of Israel will grow from strength to strength. Am Yisrael chai.
expressing concerns about the future; more than half (52 percent) said it faced a certain threat of destruction.
It would be easy enough for Israelis to escape the perceived threats; many have moved to the United States and other countries. Most Israelis are determined, however, to continue to beat the odds. While a handful of refuseniks got headlines for objecting to serve in the territories, others showed up for service even when they were not required to do so. During the war with Hezbollah, more soldiers reported than were called up from the reserves. Even while teens are expressing skepticism about the future, large numbers continue to sign up for combat units rather than choose potentially safer assignments.
You can be sure that all of those teens would prefer to be where their American peers are today, enjoying sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll in college — and you can be sure their parents would prefer that they were sitting in classrooms rather than foxholes, hoisting beers rather than rifles and spending spring break at the beach rather than chasing terrorists in Gaza.
I recently completed a book on Kristallnacht, which documents how powerless the Jews of Germany were in 1938 and how little the world cared. We know what happened afterward. Today, Jews are not helpless and do not depend on the goodwill of others. The sovereign nation of Israel is their homeland, and it is prepared to exercise all the power at its disposal to keep the people safe.
With power comes responsibility, and Israeli leaders must balance sometimes impossible choices between security and morality. At times the balance tips too far in one direction or the other, but for the last 60 years a democratically elected government has determined the fate of the Jewish and non-Jewish citizens of the state. The decisions in coming months will be even more challenging as the government grapples with the growing threats from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.
These are perilous times indeed, but the lesson of not just the last 60 years, but the last 90, is that the Jewish people will survive and the nation of Israel will grow from strength to strength. Am Yisrael chai.
Mitchell Bard is director of the Jewish Virtual Library and author of the book “Will Israel Survive?”