A special place

...By now, we have come to learn how well that sharp cross-over from mourning to celebrating reflects the essence of Jewish history and Jewish life. It’s a lesson I wish we had never had to learn. But having come to understand that process – and what it says about our people – a little better now, I am proud that we possess a response that is relevant to both the tragic and the transcendent.

This Ongoing War..
02 May '14..

The next few days are an especially tumultuous time in Israel. Life throughout the country will come to a solemn halt as we usher in Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day, on Sunday night. The day that follows will be marked by intense remembrances at ceremonies throughout the country and via radio and television, recalling thousands of lives of service personnel and ordinary citizens lost in the almost seven decades of Israel's revival as a free nation and its ongoing struggle to defend itself against determined enemies.

And then Monday night - a complete change of mood as the sadness of retrospection gives way to the joy of celebrating Israel's 66th birthday, Yom Ha'atzma'ut, Independence Day.

The Australian Jewish News invited Arnold Roth to write a contribution to its Independence Day supplement. They asked to know about our hopes and expectations in making aliyah. How has the
reality of Israeli life been for us in light of the events and changes of the past 25+ years. A not-so-small indicator of how great they have been: Israel's population in 1989 when we celebrated our first Independence Day was 4.6 million. This year it stands at 8.2 million.

Here's a version of what the AJN published in this week's edition.

Dependence and independence
Arnold Roth

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