Those who are privileged to live in Israel should give thanks to the Almighty, appreciating the extraordinary achievements of the past year.
However, we continue to face threats from Iran and Hezbollah, peace with the Palestinians remains elusive, and anti-Semitism is escalating throughout the Diaspora.
We also live in a region that is witnessing the barbarism of the Dark Ages. Over the past five years, millions have been displaced and hundreds of thousands killed by bombing, chemical warfare and beheadings.
But Jews in Israel are blessed to be living in an age of miracles.
What Shoah survivor would have dreamed that the Jewish people would be resurrected as a nation after a 2,000-year exile in which we were discriminated against, persecuted and butchered, culminating in the Holocaust?
In 1948, 650,000 Jews with an underequipped, vastly outnumbered army, defeated the combined forces of the Arab world. Subsequent wars in 1967 and 1973 demonstrated that we are here to stay.
The prophecy of kibbutz galuyot – the ingathering of the exiles – was realized as Jews from all corners of the world returned to their ancient homeland. These immigrants from disparate cultures and with different standards of living found a haven from persecution and became proud Israelis.
Formerly a poverty-stricken backwater, Israel now has one of the most successful economies in the world. Unemployment is lower than it has been in decades; Israel is recognized as a high-tech powerhouse; desalination now provides 80% of our water needs and with the discovery of gas on its shores, Israel is now an energy exporter. Furthermore, Israel is recognized as having one of the 10 most powerful militaries in the world.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deepened relations with India, China, Japan and nations in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia – not to mention clandestine intelligence sharing with Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states and cooperation with Egypt against Islamist extremists in Sinai. Even more incredible was his development of a close relationship and liaison with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent. Furthermore, Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump issued an unprecedented joint statement pledging to support Israel's security interests. Having spent a large portion of my public life negotiating the plight of Russian Jews with Soviet leaders who reeked of vicious anti-Semitism, I can testify that this is mind-boggling and truly miraculous.
Donald Trump's assumption of the U.S. presidency after his 2016 election provided unexpected good fortune for Israel. Trump dramatically moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and recognized the city as Israel's capital. His U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, has been outstanding in excoriating the U.N.'s double standards on Israel.
Despite fierce opposition, Trump demanded that Iran amend the appalling nuclear deal and cease terrorist activities. When Iran failed to respond, he launched tough economic sanctions.
Trump has also brought an end to the fiction of moral equivalence between Israel and the Palestinians and has demanded that the Palestinians cease rewarding terrorists. He vigorously supported Israel's right to self-defense and dismissed the mantra that settlements were the source of the conflict.
The U.S. administration not only reduced funding to the PA but announced a cessation of funding to UNRWA and repudiated the demand that 5.3 million descendants of Palestinians who fled or were displaced in the 1948 war be entitled to return to Israel. There have been unconfirmed reports that the administration plans to redefine who today is considered a Palestinian refugee in such a way that only about 500,000 people would qualify.
Paradoxically, all this occurred while a substantial proportion of American Jewish liberals have turned against Israel.
Yet simultaneously, we witnessed another amazing phenomenon. Evangelicals, the fastest growing Christian denomination in the U.S., promoted support for Israel to one of their principal objectives. Today they are the largest pro-Israel lobbying group, surpassing American Jews in influence and numbers.
Israel remains a vibrant democracy, an oasis in a region dominated by tyrants and murderers. Polls indicate that the Israeli people rank among the happiest in the world.
Israel is also undergoing a Hebrew cultural renaissance; more Jewish youngsters are engaging in religious studies and their cultural heritage than at any time in our history.
In addition, despite a critical media, there is a greater consensus in Israel since the great divide over the Oslo Accords. Most Israelis wish to separate themselves from the Palestinians but fear that a Palestinian state under the current extremist leadership would be a terror state and a beachhead for Iran.
With assimilation and intermarriage having reached unprecedented levels in the Diaspora, we call on fellow Jews to join us to ensure Jewish continuity and enjoy a full Jewish life in their homeland.
Although we are an empowered people, we still face existential threats and must not become complacent. Situations are volatile and we must continue strengthening our defenses to deter our enemies.
But one would find it difficult to argue that our extraordinary good fortune since the miraculous rebirth of our state can be attributed exclusively to coincidences and our efforts.
We should thank the Almighty and pray that the momentum is sustained. We should accept that what has happened is a miracle no less significant than the Exodus.
Shanah tovah!
