Israel at 58

A time for pride, celebration, and reflection

AS WE CELEBRATE ISRAEL'S 58TH Independence Day, we reflect on the state's growing maturity, its leadership transition, the challenges ahead and our pride in the country's achievements.

On this Yom Ha'atzmaut, Ariel Sharon, a military leader turned political leader, lies in a coma, his role as prime minister suddenly and tragically ended. He is the last of the country's leaders of whom it can be said that he fought in all of Israel's wars.

Sharon, with others of his generation and those who created, and fought for, the new state, were larger than life. Their vision, their bold actions, their determination, their commitment to the Jewish state were of heroic proportions. Their daring fired the imagination of Jews worldwide, and was the stuff of legends.

With the March election of Ehud Olmert as prime minister, the country's leadership has likely passed firmly to the next generation. At 60, Olmert was just a toddler when, on the 5th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, David Ben-Gurion, addressing a crowd in Tel Aviv, proclaimed the birth of the new State of Israel.

Today, 58 years later, the youthful exuberance of a new country has been somewhat tamed. Wars and terrorism have taken their toll. And those who remember a time when there was no State of Israel gradually grow fewer in number.

It is likely that those who fought in Israel's 1948 War of Independence never imagined that, nearly 60 years later, the state would still not be accepted as part of the region.

WITH THE ELECTION OF HAMAS BY THE Palestinians and the intent of Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, the existential threat to Israel is as serious as it has ever been.

Earlier this week, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz recently listed the four main challenges facing Israel as Iran, the Hamas government, Syria and global jihad.

There are also difficult internal challenges, including poverty, the gap between rich and poor and the integration of the Ethiopian Jewish community.

In the Diaspora, support for Israel is not a given and interest is weak among young Jews, a development that does not bode well for the future. If Jewish leaders lack a commitment to Israel, community support can only lessen.

So this year, bring your family and encourage your friends to celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut. Page 10 of this issue lists the major community events taking place. Show others that it matters not whether you agree with every decision and government policy. We can all be rightfully proud of Israel's extraordinary achievements in its first 58 years of statehood.