70 Voices for Israel - A Countdown to Yom Ha'atzma'ut

Seventy - ע - 70 

The Mahara”l of Prague writes that the number seven represents the entirety of this natural world, which was created in seven days (six days of creation, completed on the Sabbath) and which will last for seven thousand years (six thousand years, plus a thousand-year Sabbath - see Talmud Sanhedrin 97a). And any number times ten represents its expanded full potential – so that seventy of something represents all the potential facets of that thing in the natural world.

In 70 days, the State of Israel will be celebrating it's 70th year of independence.  70 years of the Jewish people having a state of their own, a place where Judaism and democracy exist and Jews have self sovereignty.  Israel is still a young country, and it is not perfect, but its existence is a testament of the strength and faith of the Jewish people.  It is a dream realized after thousands of years.  

 As the words of Hatikvah remind us, "As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart, with eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion, then our hope - the two-thousand year old hope - will not be lost: to be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem."

For the next 70 days, as we look toward this momentous occasion, we celebrate with 70 voices, your voices, the voices of United Hebrew that continue to hope, to love, to dream, to experience Israel!

May we cherish and learn from the past 70 years and look forward with hope at the amazing potential of the next 70!  And, may this year, be the year, that Israel and her neighbors know peace!

“Welcome back” by Ethan Guller

These were the words I had heard when I first stepped foot into Jerusalem. I remember thinking, how could my tour guide be welcoming me back to a place that I have never been? Throughout my trip, I thought more about what he had said. As I further explored Jerusalem and talked to the citizens, I finally began to understand the deeper meaning. I saw the struggles that went into creating this beautiful country. I thought about the millions of lives that had been lost, many of whom were my family members. And then I thought about the people who never had the opportunity to experience our amazing homeland. I realized my trip to Israel was for more than just me, it was for all my ancestors. When my tour guide welcomed me back, he welcomed us all back to the one place that will forever be ours. Even though I live thousands of miles away, Israel will always be my home, and I am glad there will always be someone there to welcome me back.