I remember Israel’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
I was studying at Bar-Ilan University at the time and had a nice group of English-speaking friends who would often get together for Shabbat meals. Today, there is a large, very well-developed community of English-speaking olim studying at Bar-Ilan and living in Givat Shmuel. But 25 years ago, things were very different.
There were fewer than 50 of us, probably more like 30. As new olim, most of us were without any close family in the country, and we served as a surrogate family to one another. And while the Shabbat meals we shared were small, because our apartments were small, Independence Day meant a large barbecue on a Tel Aviv beach.
During the barbecue, held at the Dolphinarium beach, we discussed what we thought Israel would be like on its 100th anniversary. (We didn’t think about the 75th, although I am sure none of us imagined that Benjamin Netanyahu would still be prime minister.) We did the math and agreed that the statistics were on our side and that we would live to see that centennial celebration.
I do not really remember what we discussed then, but I can say that Israel at 75 is in a better position than any of us dared to imagine for Israel at 100.
Israel is better at 75 than we thought it would be at 100
The recent demonstrations across the country against the proposed judicial reforms have led to much discussion about the kera b’am, which can best be translated as the “rift in the nation.” The “talk” is that the proposed reforms exposed/created an unprecedented fissure among Israelis. As we celebrate our 75th year in a sovereign Jewish state, many wonder if there will be a 100th.
Ancient Jewish history has shown that no Jewish state has lasted whole for more than 80 years. But after living my entire adult life here, I can safely say that what we have in Israel today is so incredibly unprecedented, that to compare Israel to other experiments in Jewish statehood would be to misunderstand or at least underestimate what Israel is.
(One of my favorite scenes in the movie The Social Network, about the founding of Facebook, was when Mark Zuckerberg remarks that we don’t know what this is yet. Meaning, we not only don’t realize what we have, but we cannot even begin to fathom what this can one day be.)
Four score and seven years after American independence found that country in the middle of a terrible civil war. Yet, 87 years later, in 1950, the United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower! They were able to do that because the very ideals they bled and died for were given time to ferment and mature.
I WAS here when the 1993 Oslo Accords were announced. I was a combat soldier when prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995. I remember the fury behind the 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip. Each time, there was serious talk about a rupture in Israel; each time, we healed and moved on.
I was a yeshiva student during the protests against the Oslo Accords. Although our yeshiva discouraged us from taking part in political protests, I believed the very future of the state, and the integrity of the Land of Israel, were in danger, and I disregarded the rules. The talk against the government was raw and came from a deep sense of abandonment of the settler movement. I remember the protests and the introduction of civil disobedience to the Israeli discourse.
That talk and incitement did indeed lead to Rabin’s assassination. I believe the irresponsible statements were made, and allowed to go as far as they did, because it never entered anyone’s mind that it would lead to actual violence.
Today, we know better. We know that words can lead to murder and that we all need to be much more careful in our discourse, both in private and public. We also learned that we Jews really are like everyone else, and that we too are capable of political murder. We can no longer look at “those other countries” where they murder their leaders as if we are somehow better than them.
Ten years later, during the protests against the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, many people were very angry and felt betrayed for very good reasons. But I think that lessons learned from Rabin’s assassination were internalized, and it allowed the country to undergo the trauma of homes lost, livelihoods destroyed, and dreams killed without shedding blood.
AND NOW we are here, during a twilight between the passing of the judicial reforms and what we hope will be a compromise as we celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday. When we celebrate Independence Day on April 26, it will be the greatest day ever in Jewish history.
Never before will there be more Jews living in indescribable health, wealth and happiness. On that day, there will be more Jews learning Torah, living in the Land of Israel, and observing Shabbat than ever before. On that day, our military will reach its peak strength and continue to serve as an example to the world. Our shekel will continue to be one of the strongest currencies in the world, and our democracy will thrive.
On that day, we will be able to state unequivocally that the average Israeli lives better than 99.9% of every single human being that ever lived on the planet, and that our poorest citizens live better than the kings and queens of England did in the 19th century. (Yes, access to clean running water, toilets, antibiotics, eyeglasses, and fresh fruit and vegetables of every variety is better than having jewels in a crown, servants pouring your tea, and silk underwear on your bottom.)
If one were to truthfully describe Israel today, including all its warts and problems, to Rabbi Akiva, Rashi, Rambam, Rav Kook and/or any random Jew from the Lodz Ghetto, they would reply back that this is the messianic age. And if you were to reply to them: “No, no! There is no Temple, most Jews do not observe Shabbat or are careful about kashrut. Twenty percent of Israelis live below the poverty line!” they would tell you that you are a fool for not seeing what is right before your eyes! What we consider below the poverty line would be considered unimaginable wealth to any of them. Don’t let what is missing overshadow what you have!
The only day greater than this upcoming 75th anniversary will be the day after, and then the day after that, and the day after that.
This Independence Day should give us reason to pause and reflect on our impossible achievements. And the secret behind this achievement, beyond God’s providence, is our deep connection to each other.
We are not a race, nor a religion; we are a family. And like any family, there are deep divisions and anger. And like any family, there are fights. But there is also love and a sense of responsibility for, and to, each other. And if we build on this sense of family, there is no telling what Israel can and will be at its 100th birthday! At 75, we still don’t know what this is yet, but what we do know is that it is fantastic, beyond anyone’s dreams.
I can’t wait to see what happens next!
The writer holds a doctorate in Jewish philosophy and teaches in post-high-school yeshivot and seminaries in Jerusalem.