Today is Israel's 64th Independence Day!
The people of Israel is both intertwined into history, but also outside of history.
No other people with a small population such as ours has survived thousands of years. We were slaves, and that fact in of itself that we were unified into one people is a miracle. Most slave populations become assimilated into the host population or disappear. Take the other slave population that were in Egypt at that time, only the Hebrews maintained their own identity. We don't hear of the myriads of slaves that the Romans took. If they were not Jews, then they disappeared.
Most peoples need to live in a specific land to maintain a common identity. Each people is attached to their land, and when they are taken from that land, they assimilate into that land. We don't hear about the original Hittites, the Ugarites, or the Moabites. These peoples moved around and their identity is not known today.
The people of Israel, on the other hand, had maintained their identity throughout 2000 years of history without living on the land. We had dreams of our land, and we remembered our land in our hopes and prayers. Every Jewish house had and still has a patch of wall that is not completely finished, in commemoration of the city of Jerusalem. Every day, numerous times, each Jew remembers Jerusalem in the prayers. At a wedding, we remember Jerusalem before finalizing the marriage. In the Middle Ages, a wine glass was thrown at the synagogue wall. An act which would have been considered sacrilegious, if not for the physical remembrance of Jerusalem.
The war of Independence itself was a miracle. That Jews, came to Israel, were not complacent in their dispersion, ready to fight for the right of self-determination. Five Arab armies, invaded the tiny country. Even the CIA, which had much more information about the situation in the Middle East at the time, considered that Israel would last only a short while. . . .
Israel not only exceeded expectations, but we are still here after 64 years. Israel has taken her place in the family of nations. We are strong. We have sacrificed. We will continue to succeed.
We must be proud and give thanks to everyone who has given to the State of Israel. Just by living here Jews are making a statement. We are saying to the world: We are the light onto the Nations. We will live in peace, and we will make that peace a lasting one. We want the same for our children as you want for yours, and we will outlast you. We are here in Israel for now and forever!
Happy Independence Day!
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