AS 5768 Approaches....
Next week we Jews will begin our 5768th year on this earth! Who
would have believed this possible? If anyone had told Abraham that
his people would be around this long he probably would have been astounded.
Imagine, we did this without beheading anyone on TV, without a single
suicide bomber , without kidnapping and murdering school children,
without slaughtering Olympic athletes, and without flying airplanes
into skyscrapers.
We lasted this long despite 400 years as slaves in Egypt, 40 years of
wandering in the desert, the mighty Roman army who nailed us to
ten thousand crosses; despite the best efforts of fervent Crusaders, the
Spanish Inquisition, Hitler's third Reich, Stalin's gulags, Arab wars
of annihilation and 100 years of hateful terrorism, hundreds of
hate-filled UN resolutions.
H ow did we Jews do it? We survived by concentrating our efforts on
education, love of family, faith, hard work, helping one another and a
passionate dedication to life no matter what evil befell us.
We hung in there in the hope the rest of the world would one day overcome
its hatreds, jealousies, violence and join us in a life of cooperation
and mutual respect.
We're not there yet, but we're still hopeful. And when so many of us
enter our places of worship next week, this is what we'll pray for
with all the strength in our hearts.
Best wishes for a New Year filled with health, happiness, laughter,
success, joy, and kindness and may this coming year bring peace
and security to Israel, to the Jewish communities in the Diaspora
and to our planet.
5767/8 and counting.
Happy Birthday to Israel at 60!
Miriam M., Melbourne, Australia.
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