Would You Know a Miracle?

This evening at sundown begins Yom Ha'atzmaut. Last night, began Yom Ha-Zikaron. Israel holds its Memorial Day and then its Independence Day. Fresh on the memories of those who died in the War of Independence, the 6 Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the other wars, and those who died at the hands of murdering terrorists, comes the wiping away of the vale of tears and of the joy of being here at this time.

Psalm 126 >>
Jewish Publication Society Tanakh (1917)

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1 A Song of Ascents. When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing; then said they among the nations: 'The LORD hath done great things with these.'

3 The LORD hath done great things with us; we are rejoiced.

4 Turn our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the dry land.

5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

6 Though he goeth on his way weeping that beareth the measure of seed, he shall come home with joy, bearing his sheaves.

Would people today who are so filled with the wonders of modern technology know if a miracle has occurred? We become so used to having modern conveniences around that it takes something like a hurricane to make us realize how easy our lives are. But again, would we know if a miracle has occurred and is still occurring?

What is a miracle? The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes thus:

Main Entry: mir·a·cle
Pronunciation: \ˈmir-i-kəl\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin miraculum, from Latin, a wonder, marvel, from mirari to wonder at
Date: 12th century
1: an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs
2: an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment

The birth of Israel is a miracle. From the definition above, the birth of Israel in secular and with religious overtones is miraculous.

Today, it has become very fashionable to criticize Israel and throw around terms such as apartheid when doing so. It has become fashionable to try to compare the Palestinian refugee camps to the infamous Ghettos that the Germans created to murder Jews by starvation and disease. It has been fashionable for the past 60 years to ignore the Arab nations deceit in regards to the Palestinian refugees in their midst. It has become fashionable to ignore the fact that more Jews who had lived in Arab countries were violently thrust from those countries when Israel was created. No one speaks of those Jewish refugees because Israel integrated them successfully.

After 60 years, why are their still Palestinian refugees? It has become very, very fashionable to ignore that question. Another question ignored: Why are the Palestinian refugees the only ones given their own UN department? When Pakistan was created, the number of refugees were in the millions. The Palestinian refugees by comparison numbered between 400,000 and 600,000. The Jewish refugees from Arab lands numbered close to 800,000.

If Arab countries are so concerned about the plight of the Palestinian refugees, why do those countries refuse citizenship to the Palestinians?

The miracle of Israel takes many forms. I'm going to start with its very conception in the minds of Zionists. These, for the most part, were secular Jews with strong socialist tendencies. In the late 1890's, these men and women saw the increasing danger of Jews living in Europe and sought to create a homeland in Israel. At the time, the Ottoman Empire still controlled the land and for over a thousand years, the very land itself was neglected as well as the sparse population that lived there.

After World War I, the British took over. Through Balfour, they promised the Jews a homeland. Then they turned around and promised the same thing to the Arab population. And so it went back and forth, the Brits telling the Jews yes and then saying no because the Brits were more concerned about oil in the Middle East than with the lives of Jews. Before and during World War II, the British cut down on the number of Jews allowed to immigrate to the Land. But the British were hardly alone. Country after country, including the United States, refused to open their doors wider to Jews who were desperately seeking a way out of Europe. How many lives and future generations could have been saved if those Jewish refugees would have been allowed entry?

The birth of Israel is a miracle. The United Nations vote was one miracle. The extraordinary and superb defense by the fledgling Israel Defense Force who faced the combined forces of five Arab nations and did so while facing a embargo of weapons is a miracle.

After the war, the greatest miracle began to occur. Jews had their ancient home back. They literally made the desert bloom. They took the Land, which had remained dormant for 2,000 thousand years and have created a nation which is now a leader in technological advances. Many of the components created by Israeli scientists are allowing me to type this post.

Another miracle that occurs even today, is that Israel continues to shine its light even in the face of extreme political bias against it in the United Nations, the European Union, and increasingly by the United States. And it is all based on the egregious and twisted facts about Palestinians. Even while charged with massive amounts of human rights abuses, Israel continues to provide medical care and humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

Today, in the increasing clamour to accuse Israel for all the evils of the world, why are there so few questioning the 25% of Israeli women murdered by Palestinian terrorists? The majority of Palestinians killed by the IDF were terrorists. It is sad that innocent Palestinian women and children were accidentally killed while the terrorists were using them as human shields(a human rights violation that way to many ignore).

The biggest fact that is ignored in the Israeli-Arab conflict is that the Palestinians effectively already have a homeland: Jordan. Palestinians make up 90% of the population of Jordan and this as it should be because Jordan was intended to be the Palestinian homeland.

The miracle of Israel continues to this very day. I cannot help but think of Purim. The most improbable of events saved Jews from annihilation. It is still happening. The Iranians are seeking nuclear weapons in order to 'wipe Israel off the face of the earth'. Nothing much changes after 2,500 years. Every generation of Jews faces a mortal threat. And the wonder is that each and every time, we survive, to live, to dance, to mourn, to sing, and to live our lives.