ISRAEL REMEMBERS AND CELEBRATES ITS 55TH BIRTHDAY

Over the past two weeks, we have marked the commemoration and celebration of three modern Jewish festivals, Yom Hazikharon L’Shoa Ve G’vura (Holocaust Martyr’s and Heroes Remembrance Day), Yom Hazikharon Le Hayalei Zahal (Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers) and Yom Ha’atzma’ut (Independence Day). This year, the latter two festivals fell during the week in which we read Parshat Emor in the Torah, in which Moshe is told by God to tell the Children of Israel about “God’s appointed festivals that you are to desingate as holy convocations.”

After the creation of the State of Israel a short 55 years ago, the government created 3 modern festivals to commemorate the events of the previous half-century in Jewish and Zionist history. Chronologically, the first is Yom HaShoa which remembers the six million victims of the Holocaust. Throughout Israel, national and local ceremonies are held, everybody stops what they are doing (including driving on the Motorway) and stands for two minutes of silence as sirens ring out all over the country, and names of Holocaust victims are recited.

One week later, perhaps the most emotional topsy-turvy two-day period in the Jewish calendar begins. At sunset on the 4th of Iyar, we begin Yom Hazikharon and remember the over 21,000 men and women who have sacrificed their lives to ensure the survival of the Jewish State. The day is characterized by visiting cemeteries by thousands of bereaved families and friends, as well as national and local ceremonies. It is a very solemn day that is also marked by a siren and two-minutes’ silence. The sorrow of Yom Hazikharon ends with a ceremony at sunset at Mt. Herzl, the major military cemetery in the country, which marks the beginning of Yom Ha’atzma’ut.

As Yom Ha’atma’ut begins, the country erupts into hundreds of celebrations and parties. Most major cities have fireworks displays, public dancing in the streets, and open-air concerts. For those of you have been in Israel during this period, you know what kind of emotional rollercoaster people are on. One day, we mourn, and that evening, we go into the streets and celebrate.

Jewish communities in the Diaspora share in the sorrow and joy of these days. Schools and communities have ceremonies, and discuss the significance of these evernts which have had a serious impact on Jewish life all over the world, not merely in Israel. In many ways, the juxtaposition of these two days, to mourn and celebrate, are very symbolic of the story of the Jewish people – we are commanded to remember (“remember, that you too were slaves in Egypt,”) and to celebrate life. Our story is made up of both sadness and joy, and we must embrace both emotions to understand our story.

In addition to the modern festivals, I want to talk about 2 major issues that have been hitting the headlines recently – the “Road Map” and appointment of the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), and the Israeli economy.

The “Road Map” and Discussions with the Palestinians

Abu Mazen was confirmed as Prime Minister by the Palestinian Authority (PA) last week., and had some ‘birthing pangs’ as he had to struggle with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat to get approval for his government. Arafat refused to allow Abu Mazen to appoint Muhhamad Dahlan as the Interior Minister in charge of all the security services, and Abu Mazen was forced to accept responsibility for the job himself. Arafat retained control of at least five key Palestinian security forces in clear defiance of the “Road Map” supported by the “Quartet” of the US, UN, EU, and Russia, which calls for the combination of the Palestinian security services into 3 services that report directly to the Interior Minister.

The power struggle continues, as Arafat recently appointed many top PA officials. According to Abu Mazen, this move goes against the the Palestinian constitution which stipulates that only the Prime Minister has the ability to appoint high-level officials.

In his address to the Palestinian Legislative Council last week, Abu Mazen spoke out against corruption in the PA and also stressed that the violence of the past 31 months has not achieved anything for the Palestinians. He also spoke about establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital.

Could this mean that Abu Mazen is a partner for negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon? Sharon recently said that he saw Abu Mazen as a partner for peace and that his being voted Prime Minister of the PA was a positive step. Although Abu Mazen’s intentions are good, he may not be able to fulfill the requests of Israel – an immediate cessation of violence and terror, including breaking up the terror infrastructure; bring about real, not merely cosmetic, change in the PA leadership; and to relinquish the Palestinians’ demand for the right of return. Indeed, the power struggle between Arafat and Abu Mazen will continue to blur the answer as to whether or not the new PM will be ever to gain control, deliver the goods, and sit down and negotiate with Israel.

As for the Road Map being put forward by the “Quartet,” the pressure is mounting, as American Secretary of State Colin Powell toured the Middle East this week. Will Sharon be willing to make the ‘painful concessions’ that he has spoken about recently to ensure peace for Israelis? Will he have to reform a government with Labour (still leaderless after this week’s resignation by its leader Amram Mitzna) if the rightist parties in his government resign (Yisrael Beitenu/Yisrael B’aliyaha and the National Religious Party)?

The Israeli Economy

The government approved the annual budget last month, proposing a cut of 11 Billion Shekels from the budget. In response, the Histadrut (a collection of trade unions) called a general strike which shut down the Israeli economy for a short time, including closing schools, hospitals, and the Ben Gurion airport (not just El Al flights). The leader of the Histadrut, Amir Peretz, continues to have conversations with Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to try to achieve some sort of compromise before Netanyahu brings the budget to the Knesset for approval. Peretz is still threatening renewing the general strike if he doesn’t achieve the changes he seeks.

As I wrote in previous Updates, many in Israel view the proposed budgetary cuts as the ‘beginning of the end of the welfare state.’ Indeed, the proposed cuts affect almost everyone in Israel, and represent a serious setback from the vision of an egalitarian welfare state set out by the founding fathers and mothers in the early years of the previous century. Israel is now the country with the second largest gap between the upper and lower 10% of wage earners (after the US), and the number of Israelis living under the poverty line continues to grow. Stay tuned to see what happens with the Peretz-Netanyahu discussions to see if the general strike will continue or whether they will be able to arrive at some sort of compromise.