Yom Ha’atzmaut: Hold Fast to Dreams
Over the many trips I’ve taken to Israel throughout my lifetime—both long and short—a few experiences stand out vividly. Among the most memorable were the weeks I spent, at 16 years of age, on Kibbutz Tel Qatzir in the Galilee. We plowed fields, hacked banana flowers with machetes, and moved massive sprinklers by hand—all tasks that modern liability protections would likely prohibit today. During a free weekend, I traveled across the region with my beloved and very distant cousin (I admit to harboring a slight and unrequited crush on her). Seeing the land and its people through her eyes and those of her three sisters remains one of my most inspiring encounters with Israel and its people.
Like me, the four sisters were grandchildren of Holocaust survivors; our family lineage tracing back to the same great-grandparents. We traveled everywhere by bus, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel’s Arab and Jewish citizens. One unforgettable afternoon was spent in a bomb shelter after a terrorist infiltration was reported; afterward, we resumed our day with cheerful determination. Back then, it was easy to visit the West Bank—we explored places like Bethlehem and Hebron, visiting mosques and churches, dining at local restaurants, and browsing markets for tchotchkes. It was the summer following Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Israel, and we dreamed of a future where Israel could live peacefully alongside its Arab neighbors, even as the shadow of violence lingered. We knew the path would be long, but we believed the journey toward peace must always remain in our dreams.
What a contrast that optimistic vision is to the mood that seems so pervasive today. Despair seems to have settled into many corners of Israel and U.S. Jewry, where the spirit of hopefulness feels diminished. Rather than keep the door open for peace and coexistence, too many have come to the conclusion that we will always be on the defensive and that true peace and coexistence is a fantasy. Those who hold on to the vision found in Israel’s Scroll of Independence are accused of being naïve or self-deceptive.
I refuse to accept such cynicism. My Zionism—my belief in Israel—is grounded in the country’s founding ideal. The horrors of October 7 have shaken me deeply, but they have also reinforced my conviction: if such atrocities compel Israeli troops to rain death on Gazans to protect their citizens, then we must be steadfast in pursuing paths that end the cycle of violence and bring about peace and security for all people in the region.
My commitment to Israel and the realization of the dream of what she can yet be is expressed in so many ways. It is the reason that I vote in the WZO elections. Wise recommends that you vote for the Reform Slate here to strengthen our community in Israel.
I grew up singing Debbie Friedman’s interpretation of this famous poem and it remains my enduring inspiration for Israel’s future.
| I Believe / Rejoice, Rejoice By Shaul Tchernichovsky Rejoice, rejoice now in the dreams |
אני מאמין / שחקי שחקי שַׂחֲקִי, שַׂחֲקִי עַל הַחֲלוֹמוֹת, |
Written in Odessa in 1892. Translated from Hebrew by Vivian Eden.
—Rabbi Ron Stern