Four B’s

Going through the Latin alphabet in search of names connected to the State of Israel four in particular come to mind. Three who were born outside the borders of the Jewish State but who belong to it in heart, soul and mind. The letter B came to mind. Four B’s.

David Ben_Gurion, the father of the newborn State.  Menachem Begin, the father of the true Jewish State.  Binyamin Netanyahu, the husband of Sarah and longest ruling politician, and Esor Ben-Sorek, a non-political  Israeli journalist.

If I had to single out one of the truest hearts, souls and minds it would be without any doubt Menachem Begin who carried all three of the above-named  nouns. Two (Ben-Gurion and Bibi Netanyahu) were and are strong politicians who place self-made ambitions upon the heads of the public whom they were elected to serve,  and Esor Ben-Sorek, professor of Hebrew and Biblical literature and writer of thousands of articles on Israeli life, culture, politics and Jewish thought.

Putting three B’s aside for heavy breaths of fresh and refreshing air, one B remains spiritually alive although his body is buried in the soil of the land which he so dearly loved. The heart and the soul of Menachem Begin continues to live among millions of Israelis and Jews outside of Israel.  A soul of a saint blessed by Almighty God to serve and to save his people from despair and whose memories will live forever in the history, culture and writings of the Jewish State of Israel..

Begin’s election to the post of Prime Minister startled most Israelis who had been accustomed to the Mapai Labor Party and Israeli socialism. His nuances shed new and bright light upon the minds of Israelis who ran to the polling booths on election day and to hail his victories..

Ben-Gurion, father of the Jewish state as first prime minister, was deeply respected but not terribly loved, at least not the love given to future prime ministers or leaders who served the State. But given the love of many female admirers to Paula’s distress.

Bibi Netanyahu has served the longest period of time of any previous prime minister. He is widely viewed as a strong and dynamic leader in spite of his indictment as a corrupt leader and who awaits further trials for alleged corruption.

He is a puppet whose strings are pulled by his loving wife Sara and an unpopular son, Yair. In spite of his faults he has spent many years dedicated to the needs and welfare of the people of Israel whom he serves. Cigars and bubbling champagne not to be considered as gifts of the State.

The greatest of them all and the most beloved of them all is Menachem Begin who placed the State of Israel and the citizens of Israel above all else.  A newcomer to the popular Israeli national political scene and one who broke away from Israel’s previous socialist party, Mapai,

Begin was and remains one of our most popular political leaders whose ideas and ideals were based upon love of the Israeli people and his determination to make Israel stand out among the nations of the world.  In his determined and dedicated efforts Menachem Begin met with success.

An autographed photo of Prime Minister Menachem Begin hangs proudly on a wall in my home.

Little known on the political map is Esor Ben-Sorek. He arrived in Israel in 1951 and settled in a school called Havat Halimud, adjacent to the home of the earlier British mandatory headquarters in Jerusalem..  An ardent  Zionist since his early teen years, he received second prize in the Keren Kayemeth 1947 contest on an article who’s theme was Palestine. He was 14 years old at the time.

In 1956, on an Israeli passenger ship from Haifa to Naples, Italy and Marseilles, France, he met a beautiful young Israeli girl and they fell in love with one another at first sight. They were happily married in Tel-Aviv after knowing one another for only six days.

The marriage lasted for 56 years until her untimely death. She was the heart and soul and spirit of their Hebrew home in which three children grew up to great achievement as a doctor, a physical therapist and a government lawyer.

It was his beloved wife, Rahel, who encouraged him to write for Times of Israel and who persuaded him, prior to her untimely death, to continue his writing which so many readers had appreciated earlier.

Three political B’s and one writer B. Four B’s in all.  But if our readers are wise, true and  devoted they will choose one more letter B.

It gets attached to the State of Israel as the B E S T.

There are many places of historic and cultural fame to set one’s feet upon sacred soil but none are so great as our Jewish homeland,

BRAVE.  BEAUTIFUL  BEST.  BOUNTIFUL   Four B’s to enhance our lives