ISRAEL AT 75

By Jill Metlin Israel and Overseas Coordinator

On April 26th, the 5th of Iyar, Israel will celebrate her 75th Independence Day - the miracle that is her Diamond Jubilee. Also known as Yom Ha’atzmaut, this day recognizes the blood, sweat, and tears of our people who paved the way to the Declaration of Independence in 1948. If you lived through that time, have been to Independence Hall in Tel Aviv, or watched the video of David Ben-Gurion declaring the establishment of Israel as an independent nation, you can’t help but be in awe that this country was created and thrives today. Even just knowing anything about the founding of the State of Israel can leave you speechless.

What would the world be like if Israel were not born? Seventy-five years ago, Israel was a fledgling nation, plagued by warring neighbors, water shortages and infertile land. Providing a homeland for the Jewish people, rescuing Holocaust survivors, continually taking in immigrants from across the globe, and providing rescue to countries experiencing natural disasters and war has changed Israel and has saved lives all over the world. Supporting Jews in the diaspora, Israel and the agencies with whom we work allow our brethren to remain in their country of origin, learn workforce skills to support themselves, and help them to keep their precious Jewish traditions.

Israel has had too many agricultural, medical and technological achievements to mention in this column, but I am sure many of you are familiar with these accomplishments that have helped the world.

Much of the successes mentioned here, have been supported by youthrough your trips to Israel and to other Jewish communities here and abroad and through your donations to the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Northeast Florida. These dollars fund many of the above efforts and more via allocations to World ORT, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the Joint Distribution Committee.

You can celebrate Israel’s 75th on Sunday, April 30th at 12 (noon) at Congregation Ahavath Chesed - The Temple. This community-wide event will showcase all of our local Jewish agencies and will focus on Israel at 75. Join us!