[An address given April 19, 1958, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the State of Israel.]
Next week the state of Israel will celebrate her tenth anniversary. This is, I think, an ideal time to stand back from the surge of events, and survey the remarkable happenings of ten years ago, and attempt to ascertain their significance.
The first thing to be noted is that the independence of Israel is something different in kind from the independence achieved by Ghana or Burma, for it has theological implications which they do not. And not among Jews only does the existence of the State of Israel give cause to think. Our Christian brethren too are much exercised by it, and it may be instructive to consider for a moment some of their reactions. The medieval Catholic view of the Jews, which still carries much weight in some circles of Catholic thought, was that their continued existence was an evidence of Christianity triumphant. An essential element of this was that the Jews should be in a state of perpetual exile and inferiority, thus displaying to the world their divine disfavor, as contrasted with the earlier events of biblical history. It was in this spirit that the papacy always opposed those who sought to destroy the Jews, since they were a living witness to the dominant religion. To a theory of this type a national resurgence is clearly uncomfortable, and it seems that theologians have not yet resolved the problem. Menwhile, the Vatican scrupulously avoids noticing that Israel exists.[Note: this has since changed.]
On the other end of the scale, many of the evangelical groups in Christianity see in Israel a clear sign of the imminence of the millenium. One reverend gentleman in Wisconsin regularly sends me letters in which every event in Israel is shown to be in fulfilment of ancient prophecies. And if we are inclined to label these people as cranks, we should perhaps remember that all cranks have to do to lose their label is to become sufficiently numerous to count.
Already we see that the Christians are not agreed as to the theological implications of Israel. What about the Jews? Let me quote from the last report from Israel published by the American Jewish Committee:
The immigration of Jews to Israel from the countries in which they cannot, or do not, wish to live is the basic reason for the creation and existence of the State.On the other hand, the Prayer for Israel which emanates from the office of the Chief Rabbi of the Holy Land declares:
Bless the State of Israel, the inaugural flowering of our redemption.
Now both of these writers are Jews living in Israel. Both are of course Zionists. But they do not agree on this issue any more than the Catholics do with the Evangelists. For the one, Israel is a social phenomenon thrown up by a world problem. For the other it is part, and a very important part, of the unfolding of the divine scheme for mankind.
Where can we stand in this turmoil? We have to resolve not to be swept along by the most dogmatic view we find. At this stage, we cannot expect everything to be clear, and we could not be blamed for withholding judgment whether Israel really is the inaugural flowering of our redemption, or nothing more than a haven for immigrants. Yet perhaps the viewpoints are not so dissimilar after all. The scientist observes what he sees, trends and movements. The theologian looks for purposes. The religious man believes that God's purposes are embodied in events, and perhaps this will yet appear here too.
There is one important point in which we in America can feel grateful for the existence of the State, whether or not we look upon it with messianic eyes. The existence of the State makes logical in this country only a religious identification with Judaism. Those who in the past have felt that their identification with Judaism could not be other than national and non-religious have the inalienable right under Israeli law to immediate residence and citizenship in Israel. They no longer have the excuse that their national aspirations are prevented by greater forces. This being so, even if we put aside inner compulsion, cold logic must bring us to the conclusion that the only connection with Judaism and Jews that makes sense for us is a religious one, which joins us together in the worship of the God of Israel and the fulfilment of his law.
This does not mean that those who wish neither to be Israelis nor religious have given up the ghost. They have erected a new idol known as Jewish culture which exempts the adherent from both the inconvenience of residing in Israel, and the inconvenience of observing Judaism. Religious Jews know well the value of Jewish culture, and the greatness of Hebrew literature. But speaking in terms of literary values solely, I could not honestly say that Hebrew literature is greater than English literature. I would hardly know how to measure the relative values, and even if I could, I suspect that there would be too much inequality between them. Accordingly, it is pointless to use the time of children to master the Hebrew language, unless it is a means of religious expression. And for this purpose, Hebrew is essential, for the signposts of Judaism are inscribed in Hebrew letters. The better one's understanding of Hebrew, the better one's understanding of Judaism. But remove the Jewish religion from the picture, and you are left with your signposts pointing to precisely nowhere.
As I walked out of my front door the other day, I noticed what I had not before, that the mezuzah [a small container for sacred texts, placed on the doorpost of the house] had written on it the word Jerusalem. As Jews, wherever we live, we cannot forget the Holy Land to which we turn in our prayers, and we must feel it our duty to help our brethren there, who have few friends save us. We are their mainstay. We cannot and must not forsake them.