Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

When Theodore Herzl conceived of the idea of a Jewish State, he hoped that it would solve the “Jewish problem” — that antisemitism would be eradicated if Jews could become a normal people in a normal nation state. 

Yet here we are, 77 years after the founding of the State of Israel, and antisemitism is still very much alive. The war with Hamas has certainly exacerbated the expression of antisemitism, but hatred of the Jew has never disappeared. To borrow a word from medicine, antisemitism is “endemic” to Western Civilization. It is always there at a baseline level, flaring up now and then in times of crisis.

The endemic nature of anti-Semitism can be the only possible reason that Israel, of all nations in the world, is singled out for the harshest of criticisms, the harshest of judgements. The creation of the State of Israel is the culmination of the two-thousand-year-old dream of the Jewish people — to return to our ancestral homeland. Yet we are often maliciously described as “colonizers” displacing the “rightful owners” of the land. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and one of the great democracies of the world. Yet Israel is frequently attacked as being the worst violator of human rights. Israel was officially recognized by the UN as an independent nation in 1948. Yet it is the only nation in the world whose “right to exist” is constantly questioned. The state was founded after the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were murdered and the entire Jewish civilization in Europe was obliterated. Yet Israel is regularly accused of being worse than the Nazis. Israel has suffered thousands of casualties because of terrorism. Yet Israel is condemned whenever she defends herself.

 Nevertheless, the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 is the most important event in Jewish history in the last 2000 years. No longer would Jews have to endure the powerlessness we experienced living in the Diaspora. No longer would we live or die at the whim of a king, a queen, a dictator or an emperor. No longer would Jews suffer the torrents of humiliation, hatred and violence in silence. No longer would we be merely a tolerated minority in the lands of our dispersion. The establishment of the State of Israel meant a return to Jewish dignity and power. Jews could now determine their own fate and contribute to humanity’s well-being as citizens of their own country.  

So happy 77th birthday Israel! May you fulfill the promise made to Abraham — that your reputation would be great, and that you will be a blessing to all peoples on earth. (Genesis 12:2).