Shine - Happy New Year

Dr. Chaim Shine
Israel Hayom
05 October '11

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=603

Amazement, surprise, tsunami, disappointment: these words describe what a number of media sources reported after the publication, on the eve of Rosh Hashana, of the satisfaction survey of most Israeli citizens. Turns out that most Israeli citizens say things are good in the country and the great majority would never even consider the possibility of leaving. Satisfaction at this level is the kind of thing you find in countries like Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Who would have believed it? This tiny country, surrounded by enemies, fighting for its very existence for over 60 years against unending hostility, and still the citizens are proud of their country, believe in its path and are ready to sacrifice their lives for its continued existence.

Only 6 percent of the participants in the survey asserted that they had negative feelings toward the country. I would guess that some of them live in Kfar Shmaryahu, a wealthy suburb of Tel Aviv, or nearby it. It is well known that there is no connection between actual satisfaction and one's socioeconomic situation. Israel is the only country in the world, however, that has a directly opposite connection between one's personal happiness and economic satisfaction.

For more than two years, through impressive and sophisticated measures, the Israeli media has tried to breed fear and loathing into the lives of citizens by sowing despair and dread. From reading and watching media sources, many might get the impression that the state of Israel is on the verge of collapse. What haven't they told us: that Israel is an occupier, is corrupt, violent, leprous and isolated? How about the veteran television anchor who proudly decided to shatter the myth of the great Israel Defense Forces? As if we are talking about statues of Stalin or Saddam Hussein who oppressed their subjects with catapults and used shoes!

Now, following this survey, it turns out that all the efforts to depress Israeli citizens were fruitless. The public did not buy the wares from these wicked salespeople who tried to sell us oversized portions, two for the price of one, and all accessories included. There is a lack of trust between citizens and much of the media; a definitive lack of trust without a chance for mediation. The smart Jews learned how to read the newspapers and watch television with their personal white-out, erasing the necessary words of "objective" commentators that repeatedly are revealed as having little base in reality.



After two thousand years in exile, a natural sense has developed among Jewish Israelis (as it also did among citizens of Arab countries) that exists for most men with relation to their homeland. It is a feeling of a permanent home and an end to wandering. The efforts of "philosophers," writers, playwrights and commentators to damage the bond between the people of Israel to their land has turned out to be a resounding failure.

The Jewish right of return has gradually come true. The return to the land of our forefathers, not a strange land. Problematic behavior patterns that were required during our many years in exile have gradually shifted. The hope of being a free people in our own land has taken on a true and contemporary significance.

We stand on the precipice of a new year that will greatly challenge Israeli society as well as our leadership. These challenges relate to security, foreign policy, education and the economy; challenges that have been around since the declaration of the establishment of the state of Israel. The sense of satisfaction expressed by citizens, who believe in the justice of their cause, and the process and building of a better Israeli society, are a testament to Israel's resilience during tough times.

"There is no despair at all in the word," said Rabbi Nachman, and he was right. We have already shed many tears on our way to freedom, and this year, with the help of God, we will also reap the joyful benefits.

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