As a child in late-1990s Nahariya, I remember a meeting at which I had the privilege of not only seeing with my own eyes but also shaking hands with David Levy, whom I so loved and admired.
The narrative catching fire around the world is disturbingly one-sided: maintaining the focus on Gaza’s plight only when it can be pinned on Israeli actions.
We can project that since Israel is the Exodus of our millennium, it will be at the center of the developing Jewish culture going forward. The Jewish origin story is the origin of our modern nation.
The first Israeli passport issued was in the name of Golda Meir, who at the time worked for the Jewish Agency and was soon to become Israel’s ambassador to the Soviet Union.
This year, we can look within and see the bravery and heroism in the hearts of each and every one of us.
The rot goes much deeper and has spread among the highly educated who don’t dispute that the Holocaust happened – and even commemorate it.
Who could have imagined that at leading American universities, administrators, professors, and students would stand with Hitler’s disciple – Hamas.
The State of Israel was not born because of the Holocaust, but its birth restored hope to the Jewish people then, and it guarantees us a lifeline now – power over our survival and our destiny.
These two days symbolize the greatest assault of death and evil on life and the greatest outburst of life and renewal ever, both dueling and reinforcing each other with unparalleled force.
And at this very moment, true atzmaut, real independence, means that Israel must advance in defiance of those who seek to emasculate it.