Today we remember our fallen soldiers and tonight we celebrate our 60 years as a modern Jewish nation.

Much has been said in the international press about our 60th
anniversary, most of it quite negative and mean-spirited if not down
right anti-Semitic. The doom and gloom anti-Israel, anti-Zionists of
every persuasion seem to grab all the headlines. But in reality, we are
living in one of the most vibrant places in the world.

Our success in so many fields of interest are just too numerous to
list. However, our impact on improving the lives of people
internationally is undeniable. Be it in agriculture, technology or
simply in the way we live our lives.

Of course there is much that needs fixing in our society and our
leadership and members of the Knesset (parliament) are often
uninterested in doing the right-thing. That perhaps for me is the most
frustrating part of living here. The struggle to reduce the influence
of the ultra-orthodox in all fields of life must be a top priority.
They hold no secret or sacred truth that we all don’t possess. In fact,
quietly our young families are developing new religious /spiritual
venues within our Jewish framework that gives them new meaning and
revitalizes their interest in the sacred texts without the distortion
and threatening behavior of the religious non-Zionists and
anti-Zionists that have a grip on our country. Once we take back the
religious life from our extreme elements and return it to the people
then our nation will once again dance to the deep insights that the
Torah teaches about real life here on earth.

We struggle daily with settling our relationship with a group of
people now known as Palestinians that are constantly threatening our
existence and at the same time want us to compromise on a state for
them within viable borders. If this was only the case I would jump for
joy. But we all know that we can’t afford to bury our heads in the sand
regarding the real intent of Hamas and the other terrorist
organizations that are unwilling to compromise. As a result, they have
caused undo pain and suffering on behalf of some fanatical ideology.

So for our 60th anniversary I pray for peace for all of us in all
parts of the world. I pray that we will be more present in our dealings
with each other and ourselves. That we will continue to embrace our
heritage and take back our tradition in order to fulfill our destiny as
a “light unto the nations”. Not the only light, but our special light
that glows in all of us from this unique and amazing center of the
universe; Israel.