The authors of this blog have contributed to a list of varied and interesting reasons why Israel makes them proud. In various forums, we have encouraged others to add their own reasons. Many bloggers from other blogs and blogging projects have joined in this initiative, as have many people in our Facebook group and on an Arutz-7 article covering the project.
Bloggers who participated in the Yom Ha'atzma'ut Project:
- Steve, Fayetteville NC:
1. A source of pride for Jews around the world.
2. An environmental leader - The only country having more trees in the 21st Century, CE than it had in th 20th.
3. Standing strong against the most xenophobic group of nations in the world.
4. Refusing to get UNfamiliar with a world club for terrorists.
2. An environmental leader - The only country having more trees in the 21st Century, CE than it had in th 20th.
3. Standing strong against the most xenophobic group of nations in the world.
4. Refusing to get UNfamiliar with a world club for terrorists.
- Yoel Nitzarim, Skokie:
- First, Israel has represented the dreams and yearning of the Jewish people for millennia, and now this dream has come to real life with millions of Jews living, working, planning, and dreaming in Israel herself.
- Secondly, as the country of the Jewish people, Israel maintains the sanctity of the covenant made by Avraham and HaShem some four thousand years ago; it is up to those Jews living in Israel to keep to the word of their ancestors and protect the Land of Israel for generations to come: this sacred covenant has been maintained and is being maintained at this very moment.
- Thirdly, incredible contributions in medical technology, agricultural technology, and water conservation have made Israel a nation to be respected the world over.
- Fourthly, Israel has made a home as well as a refuge for all those Jews who wish to dwell within its borders. Since Moshe rabbeinu, we Jews are Israel!
- Nancy, S. F. Bay Area:
Israel is such a fantastic country and I am so proud of her!
1) A tiny nation that can stand against the giants of her day;
2) A peaceful nation that, in spite of her nuclear capabilities, doesn't use them for anything but peaceful purposes -- unlike her enemies that claim to develop them for peace but only have mass murder on their minds;
3) Israel is a nation that makes everything grow big and beautiful;
4) Israel is a nation of productive, creative people who have produced geniuses/top notch scientists in every field of endeavor;
5) Israel, though constantly attacked, has shoulders big enough to bear the burden, a faith in G-d that has the potential to accomplish whatever she sets her mind to do and is wise enough from hard earned experience over the centuries to know when and when not to retaliate against her foes;
6) Has a generous heart to help others; and more..
1) A tiny nation that can stand against the giants of her day;
2) A peaceful nation that, in spite of her nuclear capabilities, doesn't use them for anything but peaceful purposes -- unlike her enemies that claim to develop them for peace but only have mass murder on their minds;
3) Israel is a nation that makes everything grow big and beautiful;
4) Israel is a nation of productive, creative people who have produced geniuses/top notch scientists in every field of endeavor;
5) Israel, though constantly attacked, has shoulders big enough to bear the burden, a faith in G-d that has the potential to accomplish whatever she sets her mind to do and is wise enough from hard earned experience over the centuries to know when and when not to retaliate against her foes;
6) Has a generous heart to help others; and more..
- Roni, The Old City:
- Her democracy, which is showing that Western democracy doesn’t fit Israel nor the Middle East and that a new order has to be developed which will be for the betterment of the whole world.
- Her leaders, who have shown that trust in them is worthless thereby directing those who have a little common sense to put their leadership trust in G-d Himself.
- Her people, who have been studying Torah more than any other time in Jewish history.
- Her land, which is open to any and all Jews without quota for the first time; yet, it is spitting out those who are not worthy to stay, to work in order to rebuild it.
- PLUS and not lastly, the sanctification of Hashem’s name by the growing number of people who recognize the value of Aliyah to Israel and are doing it despite all enticements to do otherwise.
- Brana Lobel, Israel:
Although I have a blog, not actively using it yet, so--these four are like the ones on the website, so I guess they are obvious to many:
1) Building up the Land--I am grateful to and proud of all those who have built up the land and continue to do so with their sweat--including farmers
2) Bringing in the Jewish People--I am so proud of all those who have contributed to this, Harel and all the others, big and small
3) Mandating Torah Law...I am proud of what has been done to the extent it has been done as part of the State...holidays, Shabbat closures, etc
4) Our defense forces--every time I see a kid in uniform with a rifle, I kvell; we are defended by our own and we defend ourselves--and well. May we only improve our defense.
There is a lot to be proud of and we must see our good points.
1) Building up the Land--I am grateful to and proud of all those who have built up the land and continue to do so with their sweat--including farmers
2) Bringing in the Jewish People--I am so proud of all those who have contributed to this, Harel and all the others, big and small
3) Mandating Torah Law...I am proud of what has been done to the extent it has been done as part of the State...holidays, Shabbat closures, etc
4) Our defense forces--every time I see a kid in uniform with a rifle, I kvell; we are defended by our own and we defend ourselves--and well. May we only improve our defense.
There is a lot to be proud of and we must see our good points.
- M, USA:
1.) G-D CREATED ISRAEL TO BE THE HOME OF JEWS.
2.) THE TRUE JEWS IN ISRAEL HAVE KEPT THE LAWS OF TORAH.
3.) IN THE MIDST OF A CORRUPT GOV'T THAT G-D STILL RULES IN ISRAEL.
4.) ISRAEL WILL SOON BE THE COUNTRY AND STATE THAT G-D CREATED HER TO BE-
A G-D FEARING JEWISH ISRAEL.
THIS IS THE JEWISH PRIDE ,ISRAEL !
2.) THE TRUE JEWS IN ISRAEL HAVE KEPT THE LAWS OF TORAH.
3.) IN THE MIDST OF A CORRUPT GOV'T THAT G-D STILL RULES IN ISRAEL.
4.) ISRAEL WILL SOON BE THE COUNTRY AND STATE THAT G-D CREATED HER TO BE-
A G-D FEARING JEWISH ISRAEL.
THIS IS THE JEWISH PRIDE ,ISRAEL !
- Chris, US:
God's Country:
1. Devotion to God.
2. Devotion to its people.
3. Devotion to its land.
4. Devotion to the Torah.
5. Devotion to Life.
6. Devotion to Peace.
7. Devotion to the betterment of the World.
1. Devotion to God.
2. Devotion to its people.
3. Devotion to its land.
4. Devotion to the Torah.
5. Devotion to Life.
6. Devotion to Peace.
7. Devotion to the betterment of the World.
- Ernie P., Inukjuak:
Proud of Israel for:
1. Her past leaders...
2. For giving the world a bible..
3. Her past leaders..
4. For her citizens-soldiers who defend their country against superior enemies and won.
1. Her past leaders...
2. For giving the world a bible..
3. Her past leaders..
4. For her citizens-soldiers who defend their country against superior enemies and won.
- mark, uk:
the women
the food
sense of peace i feel
reminds me of jamaica
the food
sense of peace i feel
reminds me of jamaica
- Ami Isseroff:
Accomplishments of Zionism & Israel - listed at http://zionism-israel.com in detail. Some of them:
- Brought millions of Jews to our homeland and rescued many from persecution.
- Redeemed the honor of the Jewish people and gave us pride in ourselves.
- Reforested a barren land - Israel is the only country that that has more trees than it did 100 years ago.
- Made peace with two neighboring states.
More accomplishments at our Israel Page:
http://zionism-israel.com/israel.htm
- Brought millions of Jews to our homeland and rescued many from persecution.
- Redeemed the honor of the Jewish people and gave us pride in ourselves.
- Reforested a barren land - Israel is the only country that that has more trees than it did 100 years ago.
- Made peace with two neighboring states.
More accomplishments at our Israel Page:
http://zionism-israel.com/
- Hava Yavetz:
- Wish I could put this on the video section but don't know how to. But here is a great video I just found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zSB6o4rS44 - Bringing home Jews from Yemen and Ethiopia
- The Entebbe rescue
- Giving refuge to other people in danger like the Vietnamese boat people
- Becoming a high-tech world leader.
- the destruction of the nuclear reactor in Iraq and the recent hit on the nuclear facility in Syria!
- Libby Brien:
- The Middle East has been growing date palms for centuries. The average tree is about 18-20 feet tall and yields about 38 pounds of dates a year.
- Israeli date trees are now yielding 400 pounds/year and are short enough to be harvested from the ground or a short ladder.
- Israel the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can lay claim to the following:
- The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.
- Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.
- The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel .
- Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.
- The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel.
- Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
- Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.
- The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
- Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S, Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air force has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.
- Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
- Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.
- According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.
- Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
- Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people --as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
- In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).
- With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world -- apart from the Silicon Valley, U.S.
- Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U.S.
- Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.
- Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.
- The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.
- On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.
- Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.
- Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.
- In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at Risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel
- When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.
- When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day -- and saved three victims from the rubble.
- Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship -- and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.
- Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. (Hundreds of thousands from the former Soviet Union)
- Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."
- Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.
- Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.
- Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.
- Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
- An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.
- Israel's Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders .
- Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the camera helps doctors diagnose heart's mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.
- Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.
- A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the Clear Light device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct -- all without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.
- An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave desert.
- Eric Altschuler:
Shalom Haverim!
1. The rebirth of a Jewish homeland in the historical/ethnic home of our people after the longest exile in recorded history (in which the people still retained their national identity).
2. The prevention of over thousands of terrorist attacks, weapons buildups, etc.
3. The cleanest humanitarian record in the history of any modern state in the Middle-East, and the cleanest humanitarian record in the history of any state that has ever faced such challenges.
4. Operations Solomon, Moses, Magic Carpet, etc. Saving non-Jewish Vietnamese, etc. from persecution.f
...There are MUCH MUCH more!!! AM YISRAEL CHAI!
1. The rebirth of a Jewish homeland in the historical/ethnic home of our people after the longest exile in recorded history (in which the people still retained their national identity).
2. The prevention of over thousands of terrorist attacks, weapons buildups, etc.
3. The cleanest humanitarian record in the history of any modern state in the Middle-East, and the cleanest humanitarian record in the history of any state that has ever faced such challenges.
4. Operations Solomon, Moses, Magic Carpet, etc. Saving non-Jewish Vietnamese, etc. from persecution.f
...There are MUCH MUCH more!!! AM YISRAEL CHAI!
