This article was included in a
recently published book, A Dream of Zion, edited by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin,
published by Jewish Lights Publishing Co.
The volume includes essays by a variety of authors, on the theme:
American Jews Reflect on Why Israel Matters to Them. Rabbi Salkin is a Reform rabbi, and many of
the contributors to this volume are also Reform. There are a number of other
Orthodox contributors as well.
Nation, A Great Destiny
By Rabbi Dr. Marc D. Angel
A tiny nation, often misunderstood and maligned, changed the course
of history for the good. This tiny
nation produced the Bible and its prophets; sages and mystics; poets and
dreamers. This tiny nation, generation after generation, in many ways has been
the conscience of humanity, the litmus test of human civilization.
This tiny nation lived in a tiny land in antiquity. Its King David
established
capitol city a thousand years before the dawn of Christianity and more than
1600 years before Mohammed. It was seldom allowed to live in peace: other
nations threatened, attacked, made war. It saw its capitol city razed by
vicious enemies, its
by Babylonians and Romans, its citizens ravaged and exiled.
This tiny nation, scattered throughout the world, faced persecutions and
humiliations. Its men and women and children were confined to ghettos, deprived
of elementary human rights, subjected to pogroms and pillage. Millions of them
were murdered during the Holocaust.
Exiled from its land for nearly 2000 years, it always dreamed of
returning to its ancestral soil and re-establishing its sovereignty. It prayed daily
for the return. Many of its members made pilgrimages, and some remained living
in the land throughout the generations, in conditions of poverty and
oppression.
In spite of the persecutions it suffered and in spite of the callousness
of so many nations of the world, this tiny nation maintained faith in One God
and in the mission He assigned it to bring the lofty teachings of Torah to
humanity. In spite of all its sufferings, this tiny nation maintained faith in
humanity: it strove to make the world a better place for all human beings, with
an eternal optimism that is truly a wonder.
This tiny nation, born 3500 years ago, wove its way through history and
refused to be destroyed or silenced.
This tiny nation, scattered throughout the lands of the world, found the
will and the courage to return to its historic homeland after nearly 2000 years
of exile. The return home has been difficult. It has had to fight wars, withstand
terrorism, overcome economic boycotts, endure political isolation, and combat
hateful propaganda.
Yet, this tiny and ancient nation, against all reasonable odds, has
re-established its sovereignty in its historic homeland; it has created a
vibrant, dynamic, idealistic society, dedicated to the ideals of freedom and
democracy. With its memory spanning the millennia, it has created a modern,
progressive state.
My wife Gilda and I first visited this historic land in the summer of
1968, a year after our marriage. When we glimpsed the shoreline from the
airplane window, we both found ourselves with tears in our eyes. We were not
born in this land; we had never been there before; and yet we were returning—we
and all the generations of our families were returning through us. “When the Lord turned back the captivity of
as in a dream (Psalm 126:1).”
This tiny people is
land is
nation of dreamers and visionaries, builders and farmers, sages and scientists,
warriors and peace makers—this nation is
land is a holy land. “The tiny shall become a thousand, and the least a mighty
nation (Isaiah 60:22).”
of hope in a world filled with despair. It is a wellspring of human dignity in
a world filled with shameless hatred and strife.
To stand with
stand for the redemption of the people of
humanity. To stand with
the sheer wonder of the survival and contributions of the people of
affirm the preciousness of life over a culture of death; righteousness over
hypocrisy; idealism over despair. This tiny nation in its tiny land is a
testament to the greatness of the human spirit. It is a testimony to God’s
providence.
It is a privilege, beyond words, to dream with
its destiny.
“For Zion’s sake I shall not be
silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I shall not rest, until her righteousness go
forth as brightness and her salvation as a flaming torch (Isaiah 62:1).”