Page 32 - HaMizrachi #9 Yom HaAtzmaut 5779

7 Reasons to Celebrate Israel 5 Challenges Facing Israel in 2019

Longevity:

I sr ael' s
Israelis live
population is an
long lives! The It’s How to Run a Jewish but Democratic State
average life expectancy Beautiful nature: never estimated 9,005,180, of
is 82.5 years of age, the 8th a long whom 74.5% are Jews. The
highest in the world! One study drive to nd remainder includes Arabs, Christians,
suggests the main reason is military a stunning site and migrant workers. Israel is a free state,
service, which forces us to be t at a critical stage – whether it's the Strengthening the Connection between... where anyone can practice their religion. Indeed, one
in our lives, thus adding an average of about three Dead Sea, the hills need not even be Jewish to retain the rights granted to
years to our life expectancy. Other theories include Israel's overlooking the Kinneret, citizens of Israel. At the same time, Israel passed the Nation State
healthy geographical location (close to the sea and not far from the crane migration in the Hula In 2017, Israeli Law, which speci es the nature of the State of Israel as
equator) and the fact that Israeli society is more religious (and hence Valley, blooming red owers in President, Reuven Rivlin, told the nation-state of the Jewish people. The
spiritually healthier, which has e ects on physical health too) than other the south, and so much more. members of the Jewish Federation of practical rami cations of this need
Western societies. America: “We will never give up on our deeper clari cation.
brothers of Diaspora Jewry. We will
never turn our backs on the members
of our family who live outside the
Land of Israel.” Aside from How to Maintain a Secure Israel?
Everyone cares about each other: encouraging our fellow Jews to General Amos
make aliyah, and providing a Yadlin recently spoke at
When southern Israel was recently Zionist education, what more Israel’s National Security Challenges
under rocket attack, many Israelis can Israeli society do to Seminar about the four volatile fronts Israel could face
opened up their homes to help Jews overseas? in the coming year: Gaza, Iran's consolidation in
families looking to get away Aside from sending Syria and Lebanon, the risk of another round
from constant sirens. People nancial assistance of con ict with Hezbollah, and the
are always sending food and coming on Iranian nuclear threat. This is of
course in addition to our closest
vacation to Israel,
Easy to be Jewish: soldiers and it's all for D iaspor a us and carry out
and care packages to
neighbors who live among
what more can
one and one for all.
terror
frequent
Jewry do for
attacks.
Israel?
Israel is
place the easiest Education:
to
be
Jewish. With an According to the OECD
abundance of kosher food (Organization for Economic Cooperation and
available, a majority of Jews, Development), 51% of Israelis aged 25-64 have
and Shabbat and Chagim as received a tertiary education. This makes
national days o , what else could you Israel the second highest-rated country in
ask for? Well, there are also over 120,000 this eld. Even more impressive is that
Torah students in Israel, studying in more than the average university education How to Change International Opinion about Israel?
1,500 yeshivot and seminaries. in Israel costs approximately According to
$3,000 a year! Israel has also the Reputation Institute,
produced 12 Nobel Prize Israel is the 14th most hated country in the
winners in our 71 world! In its rst decade (2006-2016), the UN Human
short years, which Rights Council passed a total of 68 resolutions against
Israelis are happy: is the 12th Israel, more than against the rest of the world
highest per combined! Not to mention the 225+
According to the United Nations World capita. resolutions passed against Israel by
the UN General Assembly and
Happiness Report for 2019, Israel is the 13th happiest increasing anti-Israel How to Create Unity in Diversity?
nation (out of 156 countries). The report ranks six sentiment all over 43 di erent
key variables: GDP per capita, social support, History: the globe. parties took part in last
healthy life expectancy, freedom to make month’s election! If we can't agree
life choices, generosity, and freedom Our forefathers among ourselves, how can Israel create a
from corruption. And that's even Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov strong united front against our ideological enemies?
with all our security walked across Israel from the north to the A 2016 Pew survey found deep divisions in Israeli society, not only
concerns! Am Yisrael south, the Beit HaMikdash stood here, Herod built palaces between Israeli Jews and the Arab minority, but also among the religious subgroups
Chai! Am Yisrael here, Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv and that make up Israeli Jewry. The survey even found that secular Jews in Israel are more concerned
Sameach! archeologists continue to discover treasures from days gone by. about their children marrying an ultra-Orthodox Jew than they are about them marrying out.