Ariel Harkman
Jerusalem Post, Apr. 30, 2025
“The pursuit of normalcy is no longer Israel’s goal. It now seeks to build a guardianship over a rebirthed Hebraic civilization that will endure.”
The Jewish state is fast approaching its 77th birthday. For Israel and its supporters, it is a day to give thanks, to joyfully salute all those who came before, who made Jewish independence and Israeli freedom a reality against impossible odds, despite the legions of enemies who have tried, and failed, to snuff this miracle out of existence.
As Israel still fights on many fronts, having survived too many genocidal foes throughout its history, it looks forward. Since October 7, 2023, Zionism breathes with new life. For the first time in nearly eight decades, the Jewish nation has shed the illusion of “normalcy.” It will never be a normal nation. It is a unique people with a special mission – far greater than survival alone. To thrive now means to fully embrace its exceptional status as the sole guardian of Hebraic civilization.
There will be many articles (as there should be) that will point out how, despite all its suffering and isolation since that black Sabbath of October 7, Israel remains among the top 10 happiest nations on earth. Others will recount the long list of gifts bequeathed to the world by this besieged state. Still others will gravitate toward the hopeful future of a people tested in the fires of an 18-month war, emerging with a new generation of warriors ready to meet the challenges ahead.
This author, however, will be more precise.
What can Israel do to be greater? …SOURCE