The first great accomplishment of Israel is that it has survived. And this, when from its very inception, there has been an unrelenting effort on the part of its neighbors to destroy it. Through several major wars and at the price of over twenty-thousand lives and tens of thousands injured, it has succeeded in repelling enemies much greater in size and much more unrestrained in means and cruelty. The word accomplishment is too small to really pay tribute to those many, often publicly unknown heroes who dedicated and sacrificed so much to keep Israel alive. Their acts of courage have a special meaning and enrich the whole record of Jewish and human history.
Israel has, in the course of its struggle, succeeded in gathering in Jews from over one hundred countries, which has gone a long way toward realizing one part of the Biblical vision for a redeemed Israel. It has taken the poor and dispossessed from all corners of the world, and enabled them to build new lives. For many of them, long persecuted as Jews, it has enabled lives of full dignity, without fear of constant humiliation by their neighbors.
In the course of these years, Israel has also built a modern economy whose achievements in agriculture, medicine and many other areas have proven of benefit to mankind. Israel's share in almost all academic areas is way out of proportion to its numbers. And no country of similar size can be compared to Israel in terms of contributions to world culture.
Israel, though under constant threat, has maintained its democracy and is the only real democracy in this part of the world. It has done this under greater challenges than any other state has faced. At one point, it stood almost alone in confronting the challenge of terrorism, and at a certain point, set the standard for resistance to this kind of evil.
Often, Israeli innovativeness and initiative, as in its rescue operation at Entebbe and its destruction of the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981, have set an example in defense of human freedom for mankind as a whole. At one point, the image of Israel as a small, outnumbered, courageous and daring fighter for freedom was strong throughout the free world.
Israel has, in the course of fifty-six years, settled and built the land of Israel as it has never been built before. It has reforested the land, a land that has now far more green than it had a century ago. It has beautified the land with flowers and greenery and brought much of it back to life. Israel has also created a modern industrial society. In the course of the building of the state, Israeli has also established institutions of culture and learning that are of unique value not only for the Jewish people, but for mankind as a whole.
Israel has been the center for revitalizing Jewish historical memory and learning, as well. Again, its universities and cultural institutions have given the people as a whole a dimension they did not previously have. Israel has proven a fertile ground for traditional Jewish yeshiva learning and for dedication to Torah. It has, in a sense, enabled a whole combination of different Jewish worlds to thrive and survive - if not always in harmony - in the same Jewish state.
Israel has been tested, and is still being tested, as no other state of comparable size has been tested. It has made efforts beyond those any state ever made in generosity toward a defeated enemy for the sake of peace. And its constant efforts and internal debate around those efforts pay testimony to its dedication to that Biblical ideal of living in peace with its neighbors, and bringing peace to all peoples.
Despite persistent rejection and despite persistent attack, Israel has not given up the dream of living and helping create a new world in which all peoples will recognize and live in respect with others.
Israel has not fully realized the Biblical dream, and has not come to the ultimate realization of what has been hoped for it. But it has done much good and brought much good to the world.
Its accomplishments to this point will hopefully be a source of strength for it as it tackles, in the generations ahead, the long agenda of unfinished works, of unrealized goals, of dreams not yet accomplished.
Israel has, in the course of its struggle, succeeded in gathering in Jews from over one hundred countries, which has gone a long way toward realizing one part of the Biblical vision for a redeemed Israel. It has taken the poor and dispossessed from all corners of the world, and enabled them to build new lives. For many of them, long persecuted as Jews, it has enabled lives of full dignity, without fear of constant humiliation by their neighbors.
In the course of these years, Israel has also built a modern economy whose achievements in agriculture, medicine and many other areas have proven of benefit to mankind. Israel's share in almost all academic areas is way out of proportion to its numbers. And no country of similar size can be compared to Israel in terms of contributions to world culture.
Israel, though under constant threat, has maintained its democracy and is the only real democracy in this part of the world. It has done this under greater challenges than any other state has faced. At one point, it stood almost alone in confronting the challenge of terrorism, and at a certain point, set the standard for resistance to this kind of evil.
Often, Israeli innovativeness and initiative, as in its rescue operation at Entebbe and its destruction of the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981, have set an example in defense of human freedom for mankind as a whole. At one point, the image of Israel as a small, outnumbered, courageous and daring fighter for freedom was strong throughout the free world.
Israel has, in the course of fifty-six years, settled and built the land of Israel as it has never been built before. It has reforested the land, a land that has now far more green than it had a century ago. It has beautified the land with flowers and greenery and brought much of it back to life. Israel has also created a modern industrial society. In the course of the building of the state, Israeli has also established institutions of culture and learning that are of unique value not only for the Jewish people, but for mankind as a whole.
Israel has been the center for revitalizing Jewish historical memory and learning, as well. Again, its universities and cultural institutions have given the people as a whole a dimension they did not previously have. Israel has proven a fertile ground for traditional Jewish yeshiva learning and for dedication to Torah. It has, in a sense, enabled a whole combination of different Jewish worlds to thrive and survive - if not always in harmony - in the same Jewish state.
Israel has been tested, and is still being tested, as no other state of comparable size has been tested. It has made efforts beyond those any state ever made in generosity toward a defeated enemy for the sake of peace. And its constant efforts and internal debate around those efforts pay testimony to its dedication to that Biblical ideal of living in peace with its neighbors, and bringing peace to all peoples.
Despite persistent rejection and despite persistent attack, Israel has not given up the dream of living and helping create a new world in which all peoples will recognize and live in respect with others.
Israel has not fully realized the Biblical dream, and has not come to the ultimate realization of what has been hoped for it. But it has done much good and brought much good to the world.
Its accomplishments to this point will hopefully be a source of strength for it as it tackles, in the generations ahead, the long agenda of unfinished works, of unrealized goals, of dreams not yet accomplished.