A commentary by a Canadian business leader who lives in Greater Victoria.

European Jews faced antisemitism-fuelled persecution for centuries before Adolf Hitler’s vow to exterminate every Jew saw more than six million lose their lives in horribly unimaginable ways.

Antisemitism was common in Europe well before the Holocaust, so it’s no wonder that after the Second World War, surviving Jews recoiled at the thought of returning to their former European countries.

It was only logical to move to the Palestinian region, where the Israeli people had originated 25 centuries ago and where many still lived.

The British had administered Palestine since 1918. There had long been an active “Zionist” movement wanting an independent state.

On May 8, 1948, the territory was split into a zone for Arabs called Palestine and a zone for Jews called Israel, and the British army left.

The Israelis came under immediate attack from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq.

A new country of 800,000 people with only untested militias and limited weaponry was given little chance of defeating these countries’ well-equipped armies.

Miraculously, not only did Israel win, but it captured large territories vital to its defence.

How was that possible? I got an answer to that question one evening in Tel Aviv in 2019.

I was part of a private tour of Israel........

© Times Colonist