Proudest Accomplisments

Part of The Yom Haatzmaut Project
What are the 4 things which make you the proudest of the State of Israel in her short, 60 year, history?"

1)To borrow from the Rav's famous piece, "Kol Dodi Dofek," the creation of Israel has recreated the Jewish identity. While we certainly speak of the problems of Jewish assimilation today, only imagine what the Jews of Post WWII faced. Having just survived a period where they were faced extermination, its no wonder that Jews were looking to absorb themselves into the societies where they lived. Jewish identity was quickly on the decline. Then came the Jewish State and the recreation of the Jewish Homeland. Suddenly, with a safe haven to call their own, a rebirth of Jewish pride occurred. Jews across the religious spectrum have each found their portion, their niche in the land of Israel. One only needs to look at the at the success of Birthright to see how amazing the power of the Jewish Homeland is.

2) The amazing strides are young country has made in such a short period of time. Not only have we managed to make a desolate and desert land bloom once more, but we have propelled it to the top of the world in the fields of technology and computers. With a fraction of the the capital, population and resources, Israel literally leapfrogged over the "developing country" stages and became an established and competitive country overnight.

3) The position of women in the country. While Judaism is often accused of relegating women to second citizenship positions, we have found the Jewish State literally headed by some of the finest women. While the United States is featuring a first with a woman candidate for its presidency, we already have had a female PM in the 1970's! Women have been a competitive force in the government and the army and have truly made an impact on what Israel is today.

4) But I'm perhaps most proud of the agmat nefesh the country has displayed for Jews all over the world, and the sacrifices it has made to ensure we always have a safe haven, and will literally carry us there if needed. Operations such as Magic Carpet, King Solomon, the lifts of Russian Jewry. For so many years we had to wander about without a home, searching for someone to take us in. Now we have a homeland that searches us out, regardless of what corner of the world we reside in, and flies us back "al kanfai nisharim"

Bezrat Hashem, may we have many more reasons to be proud of our Homeland over the many more and happy prosperous years that it is destined and blessed to have.