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Israel Has Given Judaism a Spine after Two Millennia of Insecurity and Persecution
(Los Angeles Jewish Journal) David Suissa - Most people only see Israel through the news. This is the most toxic lens. Antisemitism and anti-Zionism are at record levels. Some claim that because Zionism has become so toxic, Judaism is better off without it. But Zionism is the fuel for modern Judaism. It's the flame we kept lit for 1900 years after the destruction of the Second Temple turned us into wandering Jews at the mercy of our hosts. Visiting Israel, as I did last month, helps one see the Israel beyond the toxic headlines. A people comprising a hundred different nationalities gathered from around the world after centuries of separation and revived the Hebrew language. That ingathering reminds us that we're more than a religion - we're a people. Israel, and everything it has accomplished, has given Judaism a spine. After two millennia of insecurity and persecution, Israel shows us a way of being Jewish that is the opposite of weakness. "The mere existence of the State of Israel reinforces our ability to assert our identity wherever we are," writes Adela Cojab in Young Zionist Voices (2024). There is news, and there is eternal truth. Those who are sticking by Israel are going with eternal truth.