Page 4 - HaMizrachi #9 Yom HaAtzmaut 5779

ת ֹונ ְ ק ִ ל ֹוד ָי תי ִנ ֵ ׁש 'ה ףי ִ ס ֹוי אּוה ַ ה ם ֹוּי ַּ ב ה ָי ָ ה ְ ו scattered ones of Judah He shall gather immigration, barring Jews in one way or
םִי ַ ר ְ צ ִּ מ ִ מּו רּו ׁ ּ ש ַ א ֵ מ ר ֵ א ָ ׁ ּ שִי ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א ֹו ּ מ ַ ע ר ָ א ְ ׁש ת ֶ א from the four corners of the Earth.” another from returning to the Land of
ת ָ מ ֲ ח ֵ מּו ר ָ ע ְנ ִ ׁ ּ ש ִ מּו ם ָ לי ֵ ע ֵ מּו ׁשּו ּ כ ִ מּו ס ֹור ְ ת ַּ פ ִ מּו their ancestors.
ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי י ֵ ח ְ ד ִנ ף ַ ס ָ א ְ ו םִי ֹוּג ַ ל ס ֵנ א ָ ׂש ָנ ְ ו .ם ָּי ַ ה י ֵּי ִ א ֵ מּו Isaiah foretold that dispersed, forgotten
.ץ ֶ ר ָ א ָ ה ת ֹופ ְנ ַּ כ ע ַּ ב ְ ר ַ א ֵ מ ץ ֵּ ב ַ קְי ה ָ דּוהְי ת ֹוצ ֻ פ ְנּו and forlorn Jews all over the world But all changed in May 1948. Since
would eventually return home. Already then, over the last 71 years, without
“And it shall come to pass that on that in Megillat Esther we read of the Jews even a day’s exception, the immigration
day, the L-rd shall continue to apply scattered among the 127 countries gates have been open wide to Jews
His hand a second time to acquire the of Achashverosh’s sprawling empire. everywhere. And indeed they have
rest of His people, that will remain The Prophets knew these Jews would returned. Not in their hundreds or even
from Assyria and from Egypt and from somehow defy seemingly immutable thousands, but in their millions… over 3
Pathros and from Cush and from Elam laws of history and somehow survive, million from every corner of the globe!
and from Sumeria and from Hamat and return and thrive.
from the islands of the sea. And He shall In his book, “Israel,” Daniel Gordis
raise a banner to the nations, and He Indeed, the Prophet Jeremiah relates the following regarding the
prophesied that the return of the exiles
shall gather the lost of Israel, and the extraordinary transformation in Israel’s
and the future Redemption will be population immediately after the
greater than the Exodus from Egypt declaration of the State:
(Jeremiah 23:7-8):
“Jews began to migrate to the newly
י ַ ח ד ֹוע ּור ְ מאֹי אלֹ ְ ו 'ה ם ֻ א ְנ םי ִ א ָּ ב םי ִ מ ָי ה ֵּנ ִ ה ן ֵ כ ָ ל created State in unprecedented numbers.
.םִי ַ ר ְ צ ִ מ ץ ֶ ר ֶ א ֵ מ ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי י ֵנ ְּ ב ת ֶ א ה ָ ל ֱ ע ֶ ה ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א 'ה Between independence on May 14th,
ע ַ ר ֶז ת ֶ א אי ִ ב ֵ ה ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א ַ ו ה ָ ל ֱ ע ֶ ה ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א 'ה י ַ ח ם ִ א י ִּ כ 1948 and the end of 1951, no less than
ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א ת ֹוצ ָ ר ֲ א ָ ה לֹ ּ כ ִ מּו ה ָנ ֹופ ָ צ ץ ֶ ר ֶ א ֵ מ ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי תי ֵּ ב 686,739 Jews arrived in Israel. They
.ם ָ ת ָ מ ְ ד ַ א ל ַ ע ּוב ְ ׁש ָי ְ ו ם ָ ׁש םי ִּ ת ְ ח ַ ּ ד ִ ה
hailed from 70 different countries and
“Therefore, behold days are coming, constituted, relative to the size of the
says the L-rd, when they shall no longer population they were joining, the largest
say, ‘As the L-rd lives, Who brought up single migration of the 20th century.
the Children of Israel from the land of It was, by any measure, one of most
Egypt,’ but rather, ‘As the L-rd lives, extraordinary absorptions of immigrants
Who brought up and Who brought the in modern history” (p. 198).
seed of the House of Israel from the
northland and from all the lands where I Indeed, millions have returned and tens
have driven them, and they shall dwell of thousands continue to return every
on their Land.” year. Today, Israel amazingly has the
largest Jewish community in the world,
The Watershed Moment with almost half of all Jews living in the
What was the tipping point in time Holy Land. This is particularly striking
which opened the gates of a mass when one compares the change in
return of Jews to the land as foretold Israel’s population to that of Diaspora
by the prophets? Without a doubt, the Jewry. Whereas Israel’s population has
greatest watershed moment was the 5th grown tenfold over the last 71 years,
of Iyar, May 14th, 1948, the day of the Diaspora Jewry has decreased from
Declaration of Independence of the around 10.5 million to 7.7 million over
State of Israel. the same period.

The establishment of the State resulted On this, the first anniversary of our
in the following astonishing reality. For HaMizrachi publication, we deeply
the first time since the destruction of appreciate the remarkable reality of
the Temple in 70 C.E. – and certainly Israel. With all of its many challenges,
since the fall of Beitar marking the end Israel is both a phenomenal fulfillment
of the Bar Kochba rebellion – Jews of Biblical prophecy and a dramatic leap
could return to Eretz Yisrael with no forward in the epic story of Jewish and
restrictions imposed on them by a ruling human history.
power. Every regime that had ruled the
Land, from the Romans through to the Rabbi Doron Perez is Chief Executive
Operation “Ezra and Nechemia” – Iraqi Jews make aliyah, 1951-52
British Mandate, had limited Jewish of World Mizrachi
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