Israel celebrates Yom Ha’atzmaut this week, its 78th Independence Day. Since it comes so close this year to Yom HaShoah, one can’t help but think of how different the Jewish reality is today, with all its challenges, compared to the 1930s because of the existence of the Jewish state.

It is not only the most obvious fact that Jews are no longer helpless before violent anti-Jewish hatred, but the fact that at the lowest moment in the history of the Jewish people, the murder of six million Jews, a Jewish state came into existence which gave the Jewish people hope about the future. Indeed, the miracle of the resuscitation of Jewish sovereignty in their historic homeland should never be taken for granted. Yom Ha’atzmaut gives Jews everywhere an opportunity to celebrate this new reality. 

While celebration should be the hallmark of this yearly anniversary, the context in which it is taking place has rarely been as complex as this year’s. There is much to be happy about and much to be concerned about. 

On the negative side of the ledger, first is Israel’s increasing isolation in too........

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