What Does the Jewish State Mean to the Children of Israel?

Rabbi Gary S. Creditor  
May 9, 2003

Knowing that I wanted to speak tonight about the Medinat Yisrael and not knowing how to begin, my eye was caught by the title of an article in the Jewish Forward of April 25th entitled: What Does the Jewish State Mean to the Children of Israel? While these remarks do not follow the line of development of that article, I do present you with that question:

What does the State of Israel really mean to you?

What does it mean to your children?

Have you ever done something that shows your children that it does mean something to you?

I can answer that personally: No matter how little my parents earned they always bought a State of Israel Bond during the Yom Kippur Appeal.

How much do you know about the State of Israel?

Do you realize the critical crossroads of these days for the State of Israel, and by implication and association, for us?

Do you understand the issues?

Do you understand what is at stake?

I have raised more questions than I can answer in this short time frame. I hope I will provoke you to think about them. I even hope that I will trouble you by even asking them. I hope to shake up some of our complacency. I know that we are a most precarious time in our history. Each one of us can make a difference. Jewish history lays claim upon us.

I. Let me begin with some questions:

1. How old is the State?
2. When is its birthday?
3. Where was its Declaration of Independence Read?
4. Who is its Prime Minister?
5. What is the capitol?
6. Name three cities, excluding Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.
7. Name one lake.
8. Name one river.
9. Name two mountains.
10. Name two wars, excluding the War for Independence.

On your personal mental score card, how many did you know? Everyone should be able to answer all of them. [Do the answers.]

1. 55
2. 5 Iyar 5708
3. Tel Aviv
4. Ariel Sharon
5. Jerusalem
6. Safed, Tiberias, Kiryat Shmoneh, Acco, Rehovot, Beersheva, Eilat, Arad, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Modiin,
7. Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea
8. Jordan, Ayalon,
9. Hermon, Tabor 
   I could ask a harder question: could you find these places on a map?
10. 1956 Sinai Campaign, Six Day War (1967), Yom Kippur War (1973)

These are the easy questions. If Medinat Yisrael means something important to us, not as a fund-raising slogan, but as part of neshama, our very lives, then we must know the basics, and make sure that our children do, too.

II. It behooves American Jewry, still the strongest segment of the Jewish people, to understand that the so-called "Road Map to Peace" is fraught with gravest dangers. Discussions among ourselves, with our children, neighbors and colleagues need to be grounded on our personal knowledge of the historical truth:The chalutzim, pioneers, beginning in the 1880's came to an empty, ruined, infested, unpopulated backwater province of the Ottoman Empire.

They didn't displace anybody.

They bought every dunam - a measure of land - that they settled. As they improved the land and created jobs, both Arabs and Jews migrated to Palestine. There was hardly any original Arab population. The Turkish province of Palestine was never an independent or autonomous Arab country, state or province in history. That only the Jews have an unbroken chain of residence since Joshua - 1100 B.C.E.

That the First and Second Temples stood on the Mount before the Mosque. That today's Jordan was part of the British Palestine Mandate from the League of Nations.

That the Zionist Movement accepted the U.N. Partition Plan of 1947 giving the Jewish people such a tiny piece of land that you would never see it on a map.

That upon its vote, Arab terrorists, aided by the British and the neighboring Arab States began murdering Jews and attacking Jewish settlements and cities. Arabs had rioted and murdered Jews for several decades previous as well.

That upon the Declaration of the State, in accordance with the U.N. Resolution, among others, the following countries invaded the miniscule State of Israel: Syria; Egypt; TransJordan; Iraq.

The War for Independence ended in truce agreements because the Arab countries would not sign peace treaties. And they kept no peace, sending in terrorists to murder and blow up Israeli people and places unceasingly. The intifada is not something new.

That Israel controls the West Bank and Gaza because of the siege, blockade and aggression of Syria, Egypt and Jordan with the support of other countries in 1967, in their continuing attempt to entirely destroy the State of Israel. That hundreds of thousands of Jews in Arab countries were thrown out, kicked out and run out with nothing more than the shirts on their backs after hundreds of years of residence in these countries. The Arab governments usurped their possessions, homes, businesses, and bank accounts. They have never made restitution.

That in 1948 Israel pleaded with Arabs to stay while Arab armies told them to get out so that they could easily kill the Jews.

That Israel brought sanitation and medical services, electricity and roads to Arabs while Arab countries kept them in despicable conditions. The U.N. through every road block to Israel.

That the Land for Peace agreements signed by Rabin are only the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The creation of a new issue, an "Arab right of return", is not in accord with any U.N. resolution, and was done to undermine Israel's offer of Arab Statehood there and then, when Arafat saw that Israel was prepared to walk the gangplank for peace and he would not make peace with Israel, with Jews. That of all the countries in the entire world, only Israel, only the Jews, are expected to be invaded, not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times- 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 - connected by ceaseless terrorism and murder, and then give it all back to their invaders, and furthermore, allow those who sought to kill them back in so that they can try it again.

That is not a roadmap to peace. That is a roadmap to suicide. And we have to know the truth.

While I don't agree with every Israeli decision and policy, even disagree strongly on some, I always advocate for to the truth of the historical record, for the Jewish right to re-establish our homeland, and to live in peace and security. Unless Israel can live in peace, there is no roadmap anywhere.

III. I wonder how many realized that by the Jewish calendar, this past Wednesday was Israel's Birthday? Can anybody imagine our world without Medinat Yisrael? Where were the parades? Where were the festivals? Where was the celebration of 55 years of a real miracle?

As I began, I hope I have informed and provoked, gave vent for you and disturbed you as well. I can't imagine there not being Medinat Yisrael. And I cannot accept our detachment from it or our silence during the challenges in the days ahead.

Israel must mean more than singing Hatikvah, but tonight, in both celebration of its birthday and as a statement of our fealty and faithfulness, let us rise and join in Hatikvah together.