Our Not-So-Secret Weapon

As we celebrate Israel’s birthday in this special issue, it is a perfect time to reflect on what Israel means to all of us. There is so much that we need to know to fully appreciate the miracle of modern Israel. Three generation of sabra’s have created a modern democracy from the ashes of destruction. Israel, while living in the daily shadow of lethal threats, has created an economy and workforce that leads the world in technology and innovation. Recent news coming out of Israel even tells us that Israel will soon achieve something even the United States has not done- thanks to recent oil and gas discoveries Israel will soon be energy independent. Not a bad record for a sixty-five year old work in progress!

All of these miracles have occurred for a nation that most observers wanted to wipe from the pages of history. No people could lose its land and then return to rebuild. No nation has faced genocide and returned stronger than ever. No nation but the Jews. Thanks to Israel the future of Jewish people looks brighter than ever. I believe that the future of Judaism is also looking brighter than ever thanks to Israel.

Yes, I know you might disagree- “Lots of Israelis aren’t even religious,” “Lots of Israelis are too orthodox,” “There is no middle ground in Israel, I feel out of place.” All these responses are true, I admit that. Israel is no utopia. Israeli society deal contains all the flaws of every other modern society. I also admit that sometimes Israeli and American Jews see things so differently that it is hard to even hold a conversation about religion, politics, war, and, yes, even peace.

With all these shortcomings and disagreements there is one thing that I know. For those of us who worry about the Jewish future, for those of us who want our children and grandchildren to live a full, proud Jewish life there is nothing that fills the Jewish heart with pride, hope, and self-respect like the land of Israel. We live in an age in which sociologists have predicted the disappearance of the American Jew. No not by an enemy without, but from the enemy within. The enemy of apathy. I believe those predictions are wrong but we all still wonder what we can do to insure that the coming generations will be proud to be Jewish and, more importantly, love being Jewish. We all know there are a million reasons that Jews find not to be involved in Jewish. What we need for the future is more reasons to be involved.

That’s where Israel comes in- for all her flaws Medinat Yisrael is still the catalyst that has saved Jewish souls. In an age of assimilation and apathy, at a moment in which too many young Jews are “falling between the cracks,” the experience of going to Israel is a life changing event. There are so many amazing programs for teens and college students. Each and every one of them offers a different take on Israel but what they all share is the unique experience of exposing young Jews to the concept of a Jewish nation. In a Jewish nation you are related to everyone, hopefully you can relate to everyone, and for the first time understand that being Jewish means being much more than an individual or member of a single family- it is being part of a people with a unique history and a unique future.

I think that historians will look back at the 21^st century and be amazed by what we will achieve as a people. They will also be at a loss to understand it. How could it be? What allowed the Jews to survive, to flourish, to write their own future? The answer to that question will, in no small way, be answered by our not-so-secret- weapon. We built the Jewish future based on the Jewish past and by our secret weapon- the Land of Israel.

 

Pictures to Share

While I usually reserve this blog for articles and reviews, I was asked to share some photography on the blog. I want to remind you that you are always welcome to come by my other websites for other projects. Here's a run down to help you find what you are looking for:

Podcasts are at "radioyaakov.libsyn.com."
Photography: " photobucket.com/yaakovt"
Music: "radioyaakov.com"
TV shows and gig footage: youtube.com/yaakovt

I also invite you to join me for my two weekly radio broadcasts on "weinetwork.com" The 45rpm Show airs on Tuesday at 9pm and Sundays at 10am and 5pm. The Bebop Jazz Hour can be heard on Sundays at noon and again at 7pm. "weinetwork.com" is a 24/7 internet station- check it out.

To Life L'Chaim airs on Jewish Life TV on Tuesdays at 10pm and every morning at 11am. JLTV is national and airs in Florida on Comcast 239. Also please watch for episode 2 of our documentary "Reliving the Holocaust Through Their Eyes." I will have posts up with air times.

In the meantime I thank you for coming by the blog and I hope you enjoy the pictures below (from my photobucket site. Click on the picture to make it full size.


"SHIP WRECKED"



CREATION



HOME TO NO ONE

In an Ideal World

Did Elijah show up at your Seder two weeks ago? Oh, yea, he forgot to come to mine too! Why do we open the door every year and wait for this perpetual no show? Why do we even care now that Passover is over and gone? Elijah is supposed to come to every Seder to bring good news- he comes to announce the Messiah is on his way! Hey, speaking of the Messiah, he seems to be a perpetual no show too! All of this Elijah and the Messiah talk centers around the Passover season because, according to Jewish tradition, Passover will be the time of redemption for the Jewish people and the entire world.

So here we are- we have celebrated Passover, invited Elijah, and waited for the Messiah for over 3000 years. We are still waiting and yet the coming of the Messiah is still an important part of Jewish theology. Why haven’t we abandoned all this Messiah talk after all this time? I think it is because we still believe that an ideal world is possible. We still believe that it is worth dreaming about a time in which all people can live in peace.

It seems like peace has always been a pipedream and war has been the reality. As Jews we have never given up on the possibility of peace. That is the job of the Messiah- to usher in a time of peace, a time described as a time during which “the lamb will lay down with the lion and none shall be afraid.”

The last few days have shown us just how far we still are from that ideal world- new attacks in Israel have put us on edge, North Korea’s insane saber rattling bewilders us, and war is still waged around the world. It seems like it never ends. I wonder if a study of human history could discover a single year in which there was not a war somewhere on this small planet. Probably not.

Perhaps that is the best reason of all to open the door for Elijah- maybe we should make it a daily practice. The consequence of modern technology is the possibility of modern warfare. We now have to think in global terms- a war in one place can have tragic “fallout” for the entire planet. We no longer worry about the death of individuals or even nations. Now we worry about the destruction of our entire world as we know it.

We have often been described as a stubborn people. That is often meant as an insult but I would like to think of it as a compliment. We are stubborn- despite the history of the human race we still believe an ideal world is a possibility. We have waited a long time with disappointment but have been too “stubborn” to give up the dream. Elijah still keeps forgetting to come with his announcement but we still keep opening the door and waiting.

Like many of you I often turn the news off- too much bad news, too many crazy people in the world, too many people who place no value on human life. How can we react otherwise? The Jewish reaction is to keep the door open- as long as the door is open we can still dream of an ideal world.