Why I am proud to be Israeli, especially today

As we are getting ready to commemorate the Fallen Israeli Soldiers and Victims of Terror, I remember them and bless my parents for choosing Israel as the place of my birth

Those who know me, know that I lived in several places around the globe. I have mingled with people from all walks of life. I experienced their culture, their universe and made many friends among them.  I had choices

 I chose to come back to Israel. Israelis of all creeds, beliefs and colors are human being, like the rest of the world, created in God’s image. They have the good and the bad, the caring and the indifferent and whatever other traits humans, wherever they are, possess

In the eyes of many , Israel and Israelis are special. A nation, only  sixty six years old that has achieved so much, shared and contributed to so many,  despite all the hardships it has had to face, is certainly unique

We, Israelis and Jews, could have continued to play the role of victimhood and be very successful at it. We certainly had much experience at being that. We could have chosen to remain in the ashes created by the fires of hatred and bask in the sympathy of a mad world. Instead, we defied all odds. We collected the shattered pieces of our glorious heritage and rebuilt, not only a Home, a beacon of Light, Reason and Hope, but a Tabernacle, a center of human civilization

That, however, is not why I chose to come back.  Anyone, I would hope, could reach such levels of achievements if they possess and release their hidden abilities which I know we all do

What delights me most about my people is its adaptability. It is our ability to move from the mundane to the sacred with such ease. We are so skilled at it that I am in awe every time  I witness it. Anyone who has ever been in Israel during the weeks commemorating the Victims of the Shoa and Israel’s Fallen knows what I mean. To see a buzzing, vibrant nation suddenly stop and freeze for one brief moment during those days is what I find commendable. It is our ability to move from being like all other nations to being one unique nation , unlike all others. It is our ability to forget debates, put aside disagreement, internal strife and dissention and become one cohesive unit where past, present and future are cemented into one. It is a warm wonderful feeling of belonging, of being one small part of one wonderful whole

 Tonight,will be one such moment as the sirens, which mark the commencement of Memorial Day for our Fallen Heroes, sound. Tomorrow night will give us another occasion to exercise that adaptability skill, that gift, that blessing

Tomorrow night, at eight p.m., when Memorial Day officially ends, the world will witness, yet again, a nation rising from a day of mourning to the celebration of Life. In a matter of minutes, people will enter the streets, start rejoicing, dancing and watching fireworks. Children will be laughing, young ones will be loving and parents will be wondering what is next

These are my glorious brothers and sisters, these are my children and this is my people.  Am Yisrael Chai!