Today we visited the Eretz Israel (Land of Israel) Museum in Tel Aviv. We toured an exhibit of the history of the Italian Jewish community’s unusual presence throughout the area, known today as Italy. It was a vibrant dynamic history of Jews providing commercial, medical, economic, artistic and intellectual capital to a non-Jewish population that appreciated their contributions and encouraged their stay.
This is a refreshing look at what is possible when Jews are given the opportunity to flourish. We bring with us an ancient moral code of helping those that are being left behind for whatever reason and provide a variety of avenues for help and opportunity. Not only direct charity but educational opportunity so that the potential of each individual it preserved.
With the onslaught of the surrounding hostility of the Moslem countries toward Israel I often wonder what if? What if the opportunity for the acceptance of a Jewish State in the region became a reality? What if the Palestinian Authority’s need to continue the myth of eradicating Israel from the region and ultimately creating a Palestinian State from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea, were to cease and with that the real desire for peace became a reality?
What if the rest of the world stopped focusing on tiny Israel and started to deal with all the brutality and genocide taking place throughout the world by the same countries that draw attention away from themselves toward the Jews and Israel. What if all the Self-hating members of our community stopped for a second and realized how blessed they have been to be born into a family that values civil responsibility and a very young Jewish country that struggles with growth pains to mature and blossom into a beautiful garden with a healthy diverse variety of unique tribes that make up this country? What if we in Israel can meet this challenge and look within for our own strength and vision instead of at the hostility that spews terrible venom through global journalistic quarters and elements of hatred that has always reared its ugly head at the Jewish nation throughout eternity?
While there is much to improve in our society and at times Government corruption and political leadership kills us with their arrogant behavior we still manage to survive and develop. In spite of the lack of leadership and honest public servants we continue an uphill fight for better education for all and greater economic opportunity for all of our citizens. We are brutal in our public debates often at times at the expense of civility but we are vibrant and alive in our opinions. We are diverse in our religious practices and spiritual pursuits. We lose patience easily but have a passion for friendship and family.
If the acceptance of our existence ever became a reality we could share our knowledge and wisdom with our surrounding neighbors providing them with opportunity to grow and develop into a region that would be the envy of all the nations of the world. I assume that this is where I wake up from my dream. But this is the blessing of living in Israel and being part of this amazing experiment that only 60 years earlier was just a dream.
