Today is a most special day. 70 years ago (the Hebrew date, which is the 5th of Iyar, is the one that counts), the State of Israel was created. A dream that had been unfulfilled for almost 2000 years.

Over the past 70 years, the population of Israel has grown- organically and via immigration. From some 800,000 in 1948 to about 8.8 million today. Of that population, some 6.5 million are Jewish and almost 1.8 million are Arab citizens. For the first time, there are actually more Jews residing within the borders of Israel than exist in America- and that population comprises some 45% of the world’s Jewish population.  (That is about the same percentage that obtained in Europe before Hitler killed 6 million Jews.)

Until recently, Tel Aviv was its largest city. But this year, the population of Jerusalem is over 880,000, just slightly more than the number that reside in Tel Aviv. The Tel Aviv to Chaifa corridor comprises the tech capital of Israel (akin to Silicon Valley, with the same startup philosophy and lifestyles). And, the Hebrew language which was considered a dead language barely 100 years ago (think of Latin) is now vibrant and spoken by almost every inhabitant of the land.

Even before it was a free state, Israel had been reclaiming the desert and the swamps within their borders. As opposed to other nations that have been squandering their resources (water, land), Israel developed and pioneered processes such as drip irrigation to maximize the benefit of the little water it has naturally. It’s also reclaimed major areas of the desert.

And, contrary to the current world situation, Israel welcomes all those Jews persecuted in Syria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan. (Note that EACH of these nations banished Jews from their midst. With nary a complaint from a soul who wasn’t Jewish.) You don’t find those folks who escaped from these Middle Eastern nations in refugee camps. But you do find the refugees who were advised by the Arab League to vacate Israel during the wars started in 1948, when the UN declared Israel’s right to exist, still clinging to life in their refugee camps, still in poor conditions, 70 years later.

(I am NOT making light of the situation that obtained for a while for the Mizrachi and Sfardi Jews who had decades of problems being accepted by the Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. But, that battle didn’t extend over centuries, as biases against Blacks still obtains in the US.)

I know as you are reading this, you are wondering when I will bring up the issue of the Palestinians who reside in the West Bank. (I’ll discuss the West Bank in a moment.) Most of us know that a two state situation is the only solution. The problem is that the Palestinians- and the current government of Israel- both feel they can obviate logical thought and overpower the other. You see how well that has worked.

And, Gaza is autocratically controlled by terrorists (Hamas), who usurp funds intended for the citizenry of Gaza to instead purchase rockets and mortars or to build tunnels– instead of desperately needed residences. The problem is that neither Gaza nor the West Bank have held elections in years and both territories are under the control of folks with no claim of government by the peoples.

Let us not forget some other salient facts.  When the state of Palestine might have been first created by the UN in 1948, why did no one (within or without the territories) clamor for such a state? Or complain that the King of Jordan appropriated the West Bank (calling his now enlarged country TransJordan) or that Egypt took over Gaza?

And, why is it that so many folks lament situations that obtain in Zambia [Robert Mugabe], Gambia [Yahya Jammeh] and a slew of other states run by autocrats who outstayed their electoral reign, but then overlook the same situation the prevails in Gaza and the West Bank?  Maybe it’s the result of anti-Semitism, even though folks claim that doesn’t exist.

(Another aside; which I bring up, because so much of the anti-Israel tirade is simply camouflaged anti-Semitism.  This is often a symptom of implicit (unconscious) bias- akin to what was just demonstrated by the Rittenhouse Square [Philadelphia] Starbucks, which had two Black patrons illegally arrested.  And, US xenophobia has been given a green light given the current US President’s claim that the Nazis were “some pretty fine people”.

Where has the government of DC – and the rest of the folks in the US been- when a DC City Council member had the temerity to proclaim that the Jews control the weather.  Or that the Rothschilds (who, by the way, are no longer Jewish- unless one still uses the rules that Hitler created) control the world’s economies.    This anti-Semite also received tons of mail and eMail congratulating him for his despicable utterances.)

After all, can you name a single country that came into existence with appropriating land? America and the Native Americans (whom we used to call Indians). India and Pakistan- who by the way are still at war with one another- each feel the other has its lands. (It might be useful to recall these countries came to be at the same time as Israel, and also from the British Empire.) What about the Latin American countries and their indigenous peoples?

And, where was any American or European outcry (or anywhere else in the world) when Kuwait- as soon as it was liberated from Iraqi control by US forces in 1991- as its very first act, banished all Palestinians from their midst?

What about the fact that the “moderate” (only to those who don’t clearly see) West Bank government rewards terrorists who kill Israelis [actually just folks who happen to be in Israel]. At least $ 570 a month for three to five years while they are incarcerated for terrorism. Or, if they manage to kill an Israeli the prize rises to up to $ 3400 a month for 30 years. Check out the Palestinian Authority Government regulations if you don’t believe me. (Decision 32 is the one you need to read.) And, you should also know that the per capita income in the West Bank is all of $ 2000!

Does that mean Israel is a perfect state? Hell, no. But, then, again, the US has TheDonald, Scott Pruitt, Ryan ZInke, and a slew of other folks in charge that make even Netanyahu look like a prince. And, that is hard to do.

Given the fact that Iran is attempting to exert hegemony over the Middle East, it should surprise no one that the Arab governments have inched (closer to miles, I might add) away from the Palestinians.  Because they know they need Israel- one of the 10 most powerful nations in the world- for their own nations to remain free of Iranian control.

Let’s consider what Israel has done over the past 70 years. It’s still a democracy- the only one that exists in the Middle East today. It’s had no coups, no schism into separate countries. It’s grown an economy, a high-tech industry (almost the envy of every other country in the world), plus a vibrant agricultural industry. It has done so despite lacking its own energy sources (until some 5 years ago) and few natural resources.

Israel adopted a poem written more than 80 years prior to its birth as its national anthem. (Naftali Herz Imber was the poet.) Hatikva- which means “The Hope”. Because it is always aspiring to be better.

Its pledge of allegiance is even older. The pledge takes back to the times of King David, and is found in Psalm 137.

If I forget you, Jerusalem,
let my right hand lose its powers,
let my tongue cleave to my palate.
If I do not remember you,
if I do not regard Jerusalem
with my utmost concern

Maybe that’s why this celebration of the founding of Israel follows the one that ended last night. Yom HaZikaron– the Day of Remembrance. A day to honor those who gave their lives to help create – and keep vital- the State of Israel. Because it’s obvious to those who live in Israel, “freedom does not come free”.