Woody Allen once described himself as a "landlocked Jew." While I live in lovely - but, alas, landlocked - Ra'anana, I have always felt a deep love for the sea. (Feel free to join Susie and me on a great kosher cruise to Scandinavia and Russia this July 13.) I constantly hear that Siren Song which beckons me on towards the water. (The Sirens, in Greek mythology, were part-bird, part-female creatures whose enchanting song lured seamen to wreck their ships on the rocky coasts.)
Some would argue that the Jew of the Shoah and the Jew of modern Medinat Yisrael are two totally different personalities.
But about this time of the year, it is a different kind of "siren song" that we in Israel experience. The siren that marks, first, Yom HaShoa and the victims of the Holocaust, and then, one week later, ushers in Yom HaZikaron, when we honor the memory of those brave soldiers who fought and died in defense of Am Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael.
I have often thought about the contrasts and commonalities of these two sirens, and the awesome events they represent.
Some would argue that the Jew of the Shoah and the Jew of modern Medinat Yisrael are two totally different personalities. They would have you believe that European Jews were weak, helpless, defenseless sheep who went to the slaughter with a whimper, while Israeli Jews stood up for themselves and "died with dignity." Indeed, early Zionists shied away from too much emphasis on the Holocaust, almost ashamed of what they perceived as a Jewish impotence that ended when we declared our state.
But I humbly - yet forcefully - disagree. I will never blame the victims. Jews in the ghettoes and death camps had a heroism all their own; never succumbing to barbarism, maintaining their faith and adamantly refusing to abandon their Judaism or their hope in the future. The very fact that Shoah survivors built new lives and excelled in so many fields is a testament to the character and courage they silently embodied.
What separates an Israeli Jew from his galut predecessor is one thing: opportunity. HaShem, in His kindness, granted a unique opportunity to a small band of pioneers - many survivors among them - to control their own fate, take their lives in their hands and build something beautiful - without having to ask the nations of the world for permission. While we appreciate the vote of the UN, we would have forged ahead regardless of their approval.
The Jews who sailed for Palestine upon ships large and small were drawn by a mystical siren song of opportunity, challenge and destiny. That song still calls out to us. If we follow it home, the wail of the fallen martyrs ultimately will be replaced by the Shir Hama'alot B'Shuv Hashem et Shivat Tziyon - the exalted song of our Godly return to Zion.