From Holocaust to Homeland
Fifty-nine years ago today, on May 14, 1948, a new nation was born (or rather, an ancient kingdom was re-established)...one that, like Greece and Ireland before it, took two thousand years to finally come full-circle. The nation of which I speak is, of course, the Jewish state, the State of Israel. It is only fitting that I write a tribute to those who live in, and particularly defend, her on this day.
The Israeli does not fight for land, for money, for women, for alliances, for political gain. He does not fight for pride or lust, she does not fight for the feminist agenda or to win the approval of men. He fights for his right to live and love and work, she fights for her right to bear children and live freely. The Israeli fights for Yahweh, for Israel, for fairest Zion, for the right to exist. The Israeli, every Israeli, serves his, serves her, country as a young adult, sharing the burden of defense without question, without query, without qualms.
He and she put aside fear, worry, selfish ambition, and self-preservation to help preserve the ancient traditions of Eres Israel, indeed to please their God. The six million citizens of Israel work today to prevent what happened yesterday, to six million of their comrades, from happening yet again tomorrow at the hands of Iran or Syria or another racist regime. Never again! is the battle cry on their lips now, as it was in 1948, 1967, 1973, 1982, and indeed last summer against Hezbollah.
What naive, over-idealistic pro-Palestinian leaders like John Edwards, raving senile anti-Semites like Jimmy Carter, excessive noninterventionists like Ron Paul (as much as I like him), and indeed all non-Jews--including passionate Christian Zionists like myself--don't understand is that Israel is not an aggressor, not a bully, not an "occupying force." I hate to use the cliche of my Jewish friends, but I will: "How can you 'occupy' what belongs to you?" Two words: you cannot. It's theirs, all of it, including the West Bank and Gaza. Just look at the map of ancient Israel and Judah in the back of your Study Bible (if you have one, that is).
Yes, I love Israel and am not afraid to say it, not just because they're God's chosen people, not just because of their ability to create and inspire despite five thousand years of persecution (not only the Holocaust!), but because they remain the beautiful, tenacious, strong, democratic underdog, the "America of the Middle East," I suppose. I cheer for them now, and always will, and I hope the equally noble American people will do the same. If we don't, who will?
P.S. I don't just throw out nasty terms like "anti-Semite." I thought long and hard about giving that nomenclature to former President Carter...I didn't like doing it.
The Israeli does not fight for land, for money, for women, for alliances, for political gain. He does not fight for pride or lust, she does not fight for the feminist agenda or to win the approval of men. He fights for his right to live and love and work, she fights for her right to bear children and live freely. The Israeli fights for Yahweh, for Israel, for fairest Zion, for the right to exist. The Israeli, every Israeli, serves his, serves her, country as a young adult, sharing the burden of defense without question, without query, without qualms.
He and she put aside fear, worry, selfish ambition, and self-preservation to help preserve the ancient traditions of Eres Israel, indeed to please their God. The six million citizens of Israel work today to prevent what happened yesterday, to six million of their comrades, from happening yet again tomorrow at the hands of Iran or Syria or another racist regime. Never again! is the battle cry on their lips now, as it was in 1948, 1967, 1973, 1982, and indeed last summer against Hezbollah.
What naive, over-idealistic pro-Palestinian leaders like John Edwards, raving senile anti-Semites like Jimmy Carter, excessive noninterventionists like Ron Paul (as much as I like him), and indeed all non-Jews--including passionate Christian Zionists like myself--don't understand is that Israel is not an aggressor, not a bully, not an "occupying force." I hate to use the cliche of my Jewish friends, but I will: "How can you 'occupy' what belongs to you?" Two words: you cannot. It's theirs, all of it, including the West Bank and Gaza. Just look at the map of ancient Israel and Judah in the back of your Study Bible (if you have one, that is).
Yes, I love Israel and am not afraid to say it, not just because they're God's chosen people, not just because of their ability to create and inspire despite five thousand years of persecution (not only the Holocaust!), but because they remain the beautiful, tenacious, strong, democratic underdog, the "America of the Middle East," I suppose. I cheer for them now, and always will, and I hope the equally noble American people will do the same. If we don't, who will?
P.S. I don't just throw out nasty terms like "anti-Semite." I thought long and hard about giving that nomenclature to former President Carter...I didn't like doing it.
posted by Douglas Schrock at 7:45 PM
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