Gary Cooperberg, April 18, 2005

There are, basically, two schools of thought as to just what the concept of a Jewish State represents. Most people seem to think that Israel came into being as a "nicer" solution to the Jewish question than the one Hitler had in mind. Rather than try to annihilate Jews, which is a rather messy and unwieldy sort of operation, it is much easier to simply give them a tiny piece of land in the Middle East where they would be out of the way and not bother anyone.

Another, less accepted, point of view postulates that the Bible is more than just a book of fables, rather a Divine blueprint for the betterment of Mankind whose prophesies are actually coming to pass. Being that most people do not believe in G-d, this point of view is democratically unacceptable.

What is most ironic is the fact that the very existence of a Jewish people, in spite of historic attempts to destroy them in nearly every generation for the past two thousand years, should be proof positive that there really is a Creator and He is using His People to redeem His world. As much as Jews all over the world would prefer not to accept this reality, it is an inescapable fact which cannot be denied.

While those Jews who first re-established Jewish sovereignty in the exact place where ancient Israel once stood, (another inexplicable miraculous reality), considered themselves to be freedom fighters much like those in any other independent country, and yearned to be just like all the others, they could not help but ponder the uniqueness of the Jewish experience and include Jewish religious customs in the formulation of the state. While these customs lent a nostalgic and romantic air to the country, and certainly appealed to Christian tourists and distant Jewish benefactors, they sometimes interfered with the "democratic nature" of the state.

What is even more ironic is the fact that the "backward" Arab nations who surround this tiny country are, by and large, dedicated religious fundamentalists. Albeit that they worship a different god and hold different customs, they are true to their beliefs and prepared to die for them. The non-religious leaders of this country scorn all those who hold true religious beliefs, especially those who happen to be Jewish. Arabs, whom they consider to be racially inferior, are understandably hooked on religion. But Jews who insist upon basing important political decisions upon ancient religious beliefs are a danger to the future of the democratic state of Israel. How interesting that they malign their own brothers by linking religious beliefs with racism, when it is the non religious leadership which is truly demonstrating racism by the clear contempt in which they treat our Arab "citizens".

How does one explain the need to maintain a Jewish majority if not a racist one? Why is there a Law of Return for Jews and not for Arabs? Why is the national anthem a Jewish hope and not a hope for Arabs as well? Why can Arabs run for and get elected to the Knesset, yet not be permitted to get a job as a waiter in the Knesset dining room? Why are there no Israeli Arab generals in the IDF?

If Israel were truly a democracy none of the above conditions would be necessary. The problem is that our leadership is a self deceiving one. . . much to our peril. They want to portray an image of a carbon copy of the United States, yet this country is totally different. Our "minority" is not one of underprivileged citizens seeking equality under the law. It is a very real and dangerous enemy dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish State altogether. Not only is this lethal enemy tolerated, it is treated as an obligatory member of our citizenry whom we must accept in spite of the fact that they murder our citizens and actively work with our enemies with the aim to destroy us!

Dare anyone suggest simply removing these enemies from our midst he is labeled a racist. Yet it is not racism, rather a matter of national morality and obligation to uproot whole Jewish communities from Gaza and the Shomron. If genuine peace is the goal of this dastardly program, then why cannot Jews live peacefully with their Arab neighbors in Gaza? And if the answer is because the Arabs are not willing to live peacefully with Jews, then why are we expelling Jews and not Arabs?

The holiday of Passover is nearly upon us. It is far more than the Festival of Freedom. It is the holiday of holidays as it embodies the most basic principles of Judaism. Every Shabbat is a memorial to our redemption from Egypt. Every day we hold this event as the key to our relationship with our Creator. So certainly on the anniversary of the event we take great pains to remember our redemption and our obligation to express our gratitude to our Creator. One of the key concepts which we are reminded about in the haggadah is the fact that in every generation there arise those who seek to destroy us, and every time our G-d steps in and rescues us from their hands.

It is particularly painful at this time, when we certainly should be celebrating our freedom and the miraculous return to our ancient homeland, to be faced with a Jewish government which seeks to undo the miracles. There are some religious Jews who are so disillusioned that they will not recite Hallel on our independence day since they feel we are not truly independent owing to needless acts of surrender on the part of our leadership. What these frustrated good Jews fail to remember is that the miracle of our return to our Land was a gift from G-d, and not an act of Man. Our recital of Hallel is not an ode of tribute to our government, rather a recognition of a genuine G-dly miracle. That Sharon and so many before him may seek to undo the miracle of the Six Day War of June 1967 in no way lessens the fact that it was, indeed a miracle.

When we were slaves unto Pharaoh in Egypt, it was humanly impossible to ever escape. We cried unto our Father in Heaven and He took us out of Egypt by His own Hand. How dare we lose hope today, when we have been miraculously returned to our own homeland and stand on the threshhold of the final redemption? Is Sharon so great that he can nullify the Plan of our G-d? Let us all sing Hallel loudly at our seder table and thank our Creator for the miracles he has performed for our Fathers and for us. And let us thank him even more for the miracles he is about to perform to rescue us from the hands of our own leaders.

Gary Cooperberg is a resident of the Jewish community in Hebron, Israel.

Copyright © 2005 Gary Cooperberg