Can I Forget Thee?

Jews are descendants of the Judeans who inhabited a scrap of Middle-eastern territory called Judaea for some two thousand years. They were a dispersed people whose members wandered the face of the earth, yet retained a cohesion in sufficient numbers to create a unique culture that marked them. During their passage, the message Jews shared with the peoples of the world has been adopted in various forms by billions on this planet, impacting their lives in important ways.

Some 2000 years ago, a process of dispersion began when the Roman Empire, under whose rule they were at that time, tired of their rebelliousness. Over the next sixty years, much of the population that survived the continuous uprisings was sold off into slavery. Concentrations remained in the northern Galilee and Jerusalem.

The model of community living that was established in Judea was duplicated in the diaspora where population concentration permitted it. Each community took responsibility for responding to as many of the needs of its constituents as possible, with no reliance on outside parties with whom they may have shared territorial residence. The synagogue was central, and also served as the center for the education of the young. There was provision for the poor, and orphans, and even small loan institutions for those needing help to tide them over a difficult time. The more fortunate submitted to taxation to cover costs. There was often a recognized community spokesman whose responsibility included defending individuals in trouble with the surrounding authorities. All recognized their common destiny in their diaspora homes.

During their dispersion Jews were recognized by others as constituting a nation in exile although they occupied no sovereign territorial space. The nation’s devotion to study and intellectual debate, originally solely in a religious context, metamorphosed into an ethic which valued learning and public service above material achievement. This has strongly contributed to the nation’s survival, and assisted the successful integration of many of its members in more open societies.

Their continued devotion to the idea of their homeland, (If I forget thee, O Jerusalem!”*) led, in the end, to a second re-birth, to the establishment of a physical nation in a portion of the ancestral territory. Now something more than one-third of surviving numbers, (the dispersion had painful consequences for the wanderers,) inhabit their ancient territories, presenting, in many ways, a new face, particularly as it relates to their history during the dispersion. Urban dwellers in the past, and passive in the diaspora, they became tillers of the soil and active in defense of their lives and property. Jews continue to arrive to settle in Israel from other counties every day.

Israel is an entirely different creature than the dispersed communities that were, and are, the Jewish communities of the diaspora. Whereas before, individuals from the community would have to beg the powers-that-be for assistance in the face of member distress, now a national government acts directly to protect its interests, and the interests of distressed Jews, wherever it is required.

The business of physical nationhood makes entirely different demands. The religious element, while strongly present, is less important for many than the demands of survival as a territorial entity. The present offers similarities with the past. Ancient Israel was often a vassal state to larger powers. Current day Israel, while fully independent, must carry on a similar diplomatic dance to remain on good terms with the world’s major military and economic powers.

Lacking in major sources of natural resources, Israel has invested heavily in science and technology across a wide range of activity. Facing physical threats from some of its neighbors, it has become the go-to place for the technologies of defense on the ground and in the air. It is a major exporter of such to countries around the world.  From cyber security to missile defense, to equipment for soldiers or policemen, to agricultural productivity, to advances in the health field, this is the place where buyers come.

Many technology companies have established branch offices in Israel to take advantage of the breakthroughs being made in Israel in many fields. Israeli start-up companies are being purchased by American enterprises every day, and some are being launched in world markets. Through the recent Abraham Accords, a number of Arab countries are now doing the same thing in Israel.

While Jews may have learned to speak the modern Hebrew that has been revived, those of the older generation still glory in the culture bequeathed from the “old country”.  Yiddish literature and the Yiddish songs are still celebrated, the Jewish holiday traditions and a weekly Sabbath and synagogue attendance are still observed by many.

 It was in this crucible that the hunger for a return was nurtured and realized. Every year at Passover, Jews intone “next year in Jerusalem. We call our children and grandchildren, and the relatives who live in Israel. We listen for the latest news, and hope for peace and tranquility.

“If I forget thee O Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its cunning! May my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not hold Jerusalem above my highest joys!”*

*Psalm 137-a remembrance prayer ascribed to the Hebrews suffering from the Babylonian dispersion. Cyrus of Persia permitted that re-birth. It was celebrated by the Zionist pioneers seeking to re-establish the state of Israel.