I hope that you are having a wonderful Passover and that you had meaningful Sedarim. Our community Seder was lovely, filled with reflection, conversation, joyful music, and fun for all of the more than 75 participants, ages 3 to 100! I am grateful to all who worked to make the evening so memorable, in particular Pam Cardullo, Jacob Fineran, Vickie Amron, and Cantor Siegel.
At the conclusion of our Sedarim, we sang the words: “L’Shanah Ha’ba’ah B’Yerushalayim, Next Year in Jerusalem” as a reminder of the importance that Israel must play in our daily lives. With the power of these words still echoing, I share the following article written by Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Michael Oren. As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions.
Ambassador Oren writes:
At 64, Israel is older than more than half of the democracies in the world. The Jewish state, moreover, belongs to a tiny group of countries — the United States, Britain, and Canada among them — never to have suffered intervals of non-democratic governance. Since its inception, Israel has been threatened ceaselessly with destruction. Yet it never once succumbed to the wartime pressures that often crush democracies.
On the contrary, conflict has only tempered an Israeli democracy that affords equal rights even to those Arabs and Jews who deny the state’s legitimacy. Is there another democracy that would uphold the immunity of legislators who praise the terrorists sworn to destroy it? Where else could more than 5 percent of the population — the equivalent of 15 million Americans — rally in protest without incident and be protected by the police. And which country could rival the commitment to the rule of law displayed by the Jewish state, whose former president was convicted and jailed for sexual offenses by three Supreme Court justices — two women and an Arab? Israeli democracy, according to pollster Khalil Shikaki, topped the United States as the most admired government in the world — by the Palestinians
These facts are incontestable, and yet recent media reportssuggest that democracy in Israel is endangered…..
But are the allegations justified? Is Israeli democracy truly in jeopardy? Are basic liberties and gender equality — the cornerstones of an open society — imperiled? Will Israel retain its character as both a Jewish and a democratic state — a redoubt of stability in the Middle East and of shared values with the United States?
These questions will be examined in depth, citing comparative, historical, and contemporary examples. The answers will show that, in the face of innumerable obstacles, Israeli democracy remains remarkable, resilient, and stable.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Enjoy! And may this year be one of continued democracy in Israel as well as peace and stability for Israel and her neighbors.