Fri Mar 30, 2018 10:34 am Happy Passover – the festival of freedom!
Dear friends,
Happy Passover – the festival of freedom!
As you celebrate the holiday with your families, remember how lucky we are to be able to live in freedom. Remember our ancestors who did not have this freedom, for thousands of years. Be grateful that we are able to live in the best of times for our people, in the course of the last 2000 years. Compare Israel's situation only a few decades ago, and her situation today. Remember that nothing should be taken for granted. That we must remain alert, prepare for threats, and at the same time, look for opportunities to improve our situation even more.
Seventy years ago, Holocaust survivors who landed in the land of Israel received a rifle, fought in the war of independence against better forces and emerged victorious. Sixty years ago, Israel received thousands of poor immigrants, refugees from war-torn Europe and Arab countries fleeing for their lives, and doubled its population in the course of 18 months. In this time, a policy of austerity was implemented, and people bought basic necessities, like eggs, on the black market. Fewer than 50 years ago, on the eve of the Yom Kippur war, Israel was attacked on two fronts, people spoke about the destruction of the Third Temple, they lived in great fear and there were blackouts all over Israel, including in the central part of the country. About 40 years ago, Israel was stuck deep in the mire of Lebanon and the Arab boycott meant giant companies did not dare to have commercial ties to Israel: no McDonalds, no Toyota, no Pepsi. Thirty years ago, buses were blowing up in Israeli cities in a series of suicide attacks, and people were afraid to leave their homes. Less than twenty years ago, the violent and bloody second intifada began, as family restaurants, discotheques and shopping centers were hit with suicide bombers and over 1000 Israelis were killed. Since then, Israel has endured military operations in Gaza, after thousands of rockets have landed on Israeli towns. The second Lebanon war included missiles landing all over the country.
Seventy years, that's it. We all know people who are older. Some of those who read this text are older. This is a blink in the eye in the lifetime of a nation that has existed for thousands of years.
And we have not yet mentioned the situation of the Jewish people in all the previous years, since the destruction of the second Temple. The persecutions, disturbances, pogroms, Inquisition, Shoah.
We are lucky. After thousands of years of diaspora and suffering that our people have suffered, we are able to live free in our own land.
When we see the objective statistics, we must be awed by the impressive strides that Israel has taken over the last two decades, in all fields of life – economics, security, diplomacy, life expectancy, and more. Read reports of the OECD, the World Bank, the Central Bureau of Statistics, and you will see: growth, among the highest in the western world, a strong currency, a rise in credit rating, rising salaries, the lowest ever unemployment figures. Research institutions report impressive indicators of military and diplomatic strength. The numbers are astonishing. Israel's situation has never been better. And it's not only the case in objective terms, but also in more subjective indicators, like the UN happiness index, which is based on per capita GDP, life expectancy, freedom, residents' happiness as measured by a Gallup poll, and more.
This week, the foreign ministers of France and Germany visited Israel, in an attempt to salvage the Iran agreement. Many countries in the world, from East to West, including Europe and Arab countries, see Israel as a significant player on the international arena. When we look at the situation in historical perspective, it is truly amazing to witness the change in Israel's position in the world, over the last 70 years.
We have many reasons to be grateful and full of appreciation regarding the place in the world which our young, tiny country has achieved.
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