In October of this year the Draisen family, brothers and sisters and their spouses, will be traveling to Israel.  Some of the family has already been there, and some have extended family living there. Barry and I have traveled some during the 47 years we’ve been married; however, we have never been to Israel.  I chose Israel as the topic of my letter for this time, thinking that I could get some insight into its importance for the Jewish people and, therefore, making my trip more meaningful. These are just a few highlights from some of my research.

The land of Israel is central to Judaism.  A substantial portion of Jewish law is tied to it.  Some Rabbis have declared that it is a mitzvah to take possession of Israel and to live in it.  The Talmud indicates that the land itself is so holy that merely walking in it can gain you a place in the “world to come”.  Prayers for a return to Israel and Jerusalem are included in daily prayers as well as many holiday observances and special events. 

Jews have lived in this land continuously from the time of its original conquest by Joshua more than 3200 years ago until the present day, though Jews were not always in political control of the land, and Jews were not always the majority of the land’s population.  In the late 1800s, there was a political movement dedicated to the creation of a Jewish state.  They saw a state of Israel as a necessary refuge for Jewish victims of oppression, especially in Russia, where progroms were decimating the Jewish population.  The Holocaust brought the need for a Jewish homeland into sharp focus for both Jews and for the rest of the world. 

Today, approximately five million Jews, more than a third of the world’s Jewish population, live in the land of Israel.  Jews make up more than eighty percent of the population of the land, and Jews are in political control of the land, though non-Jews who become citizens of Israel have the same legal rights as Jewish citizens of  Israel.  In fact, there are a few Arab members of the Israeli parliament.

The people of modern day Israel share the same language and culture shaped by the Jewish heritage and religion passed through generations starting with the founding father, Abraham.  Thus, Jews have had continuous presence in the land of Israel since that time, 3300 years ago.  In 1948, the Jewish Community in Israel under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion reestablished sovereignty over their ancient homeland.  Declaration of independence of the modern State of Israel was announced on the day that the last British forces left Israel on May 14, 1948.

Israel is the place where Jewish spiritual and social possibilities are endless.  Through our relationship with Israel, we are able to dream about what an ideal, Jewish based society would look like and then explore that vision.  Furthermore, to be a Jew in Israel is to bestow a sense of normalcy and calm in the hearts of the American Jewish visitor, who may not usually be aware of the sense of “otherness” to which they have become accustomed and, therefore, did not even know existed in their American lives.  We in America have generally lost the national aspect of being Jewish, of being part of a people.  We focus mostly on the religious or cultural dimensions of being Jewish.  Israel challenges us to think of ourselves as part of one people, one nation.  This national consciousness among our people has worked to create the miracle of the rescue of Jews from oppression in far-flung areas of the world.  The challenge is to wrestle and redefine the relationship of the Diaspora with Israel in each era so that it can be mutually beneficial and inspiring.  It is my hope that by visiting Israel this year, I will be inspired to celebrate Israel and what it has accomplished since its rebirth.