I remember at age 16, when my Jewish identity was awakened, learning of the rebirth of the Jewish State, of our history and heroes; reading of the plight not only of our six million lost, but also of those who survived, and of the decisions they made.

I quickly realized who the enemy of the Jewish people was; and what were the aspirations for which the Jews had
Our right to exist is still being brought into question.
 cried for far too long. I also realized that the time was right, that “Jewish destiny lay within Jewish hands,” and that it was up to those who were alive at the time to fulfill this destiny.

As far back as the first Zionist Congress in 1897, there had been dissension amongst Jewish leadership about how to approach the subject of a recognized Jewish homeland in Palestine. There were those willing to negotiate with the sultans of the Ottoman Empire, not to emerge as a strong independent Jewish nation, but to remain under Ottoman rule. There were those who wanted to negotiate with the UK’s pillar of peace, Neville Chamberlain, on the Uganda option. There were others who demanded nothing less than the maximum fulfillment of the Zionist dream - and “service to the nation” became their mantra.

While resolutions were passed and declarations were made, promises were broken. There were those who understood that while the fate of European Jewry was being decided by the action, and inaction, of many, the future of Am Yisrael could not be left up to politicians armed with two dangerous weapons: a map and a pen.

As my education progressed, questions began to arise, such as about the views of American Jewry at the time of the Holocaust. Some were silent; some actively persuaded the Roosevelt administration not to allow those escaping the hell of Europe entrance into the land of opportunity.

Then, there were those brave members of Machal, some 3,500 volunteers who came to Israel from abroad, Jews and non-Jews, to help protect and reestablish the nascent state whose right to exist was in question, whose borders were being determined by others and whose neighbors promised annihilation, not co-existence.

I ask: Why did Jews by the thousands, no, by the millions, not pour into the land, so we could finally declare, “This year in Jerusalem"? I hope this is the road I would have taken had I been around at the time, and the story I would be able to tell my grandchildren.

Sixty years on, while most of Israel has been liberated, we are still faced with the same dilemmas as we were then. Our right to exist is still being brought into question. More politicians with pens are negotiating with those who are determined to destroy or dominate us. Consecutive governments have shown in word and deed that they are unable or unwilling to defend the Jewish nation and its soul. Yet, they live for photo-ops, Nobel Peace Prizes and a continued need to give up our independence to that of the USA . So, we are once again at a crossroad - a Zionist crossroad.

Some 8,000 Jews made a paradise in the Gaza Strip. Imagine had, say, a million other Jews been inspired to partake in the growth of the Jewish nation, would we have had our national pride ripped from us for the whole world to see, as we surrendered to the terrorists, using the Jewish army to destroy those Jewish lives?

Today, add one million or more Jews to Judea and Samaria, and the Oslo Road Map to Destruction ends. Today!

We are still a young country trying to define ourselves, trying to find the balance between a Jewish State and a democratic one, while harboring a 20% minority that can not be expected to pledge alliance or embrace Hatikva. We are figuring out how to shed our socialist past without losing our social net. We are learning to hold our leaders accountable, letting them know that their primary responsibility is
Add one million or more Jews to Judea and Samaria, and the Oslo Road Map to Destruction ends.
to protect the borders and character of the state, while allowing us to pursue our inalienable right to live and prosper in a free Jewish nation.

Thus, the crossroad, the decision you must all make. If the world and our own government negotiate away our future, sixty years from today, what will you tell your children and grandchildren? What part did you take in the future of the Jewish people?

While today our leadership is full of mental midgets, I am sure that among our youth - here or from abroad - there is a giant; a Jabotinsky, a Jefferson, if you will, who will stand up and talk of Jewish rights, defend the Jewish people to the world. Unapologetic, he or she will be uncompromising on core values; someone unwilling to allow foreign powers and terrorists to determine our sovereignty. Are you that person?

So you Jew, you Zionist, it is time to stand up and declare yourself. We have allowed and given citizenship to an influx of non-Jews, non-Zionists and, believe it or not, Nazi sympathizers. What will you do? You must decide; the time is now to choose to be part of the revolution, build and maintain the Jewish nation; to add to its culture, its politics, economy and security. Once again, I ask you, as we are still defining ourselves, will it be the Jewish people that does the defining from a position of strength, or will it be thrust upon us by a world that will claim to defend us, but won’t.

Which road will you take, and just what story will your grandchildren be told?