SIXTY-eight years is not a long time in the span of history, yet the rebirth of the modern state of Israel in 1948 still stands as one of the most inspiring events of the 20th century, a story of liberty and hope for all oppressed people.

As Israeli leader Abba Eban phrased it: “It goes beyond an achievement. We are a colossal success.” When David Ben Gurion declared independence, it was a moment of redemption for a people who always dreamed of returning to their promised Land of Milk and Honey, who had suffered persecution and repression and the loss of six million of their brethren in the Holocaust.

This week, Israelis will rejoice in the streets and fireworks will paint the sky as they dance and celebrate the creation of the Jewish state 68 years ago. An ancient and embattled people, the children of Abraham and Sarah came back to the land where kings Saul, David and Solomon once ruled, where Jesus walked and where the great Jewish Temple stood.

Free at last, they were home after 2000 years of forced wandering and discrimination and they resolved to never allow their children to face annihilation.

After the military operation in Uganda to save Israeli and Jewish hostages from terrorists and Idi Amin, the French pilot, Michel Bacos, was asked if he had ever imagined that Israel would take such a gamble to rescue its people. His answer: “Who else?” The message of Operation Thunderbolt to Jews around the world was, “You are not alone”.

From its precarious origins, Israel put out the welcome mat to refugees, traumatised survivors and victims of anti-Semitism who were not wanted anywhere else and who simply wanted a haven to live as equals. The Law of Return, the first universal immigration law in history, grants every Jew, whether in Melbourne or Los Angeles, who needs and wants, automatic Israeli citizenship.

Israel’s Zionist spirit of self-reliance and determination helped the country and its citizens, against the odds, to prevail over the host of unprovoked wars, terrorism and unrelenting international censure and economic boycotts.

Through hardship, sacrifice, resilience in the face of terror and nation-building, a decimated and scattered people built a thriving, free and tolerant state, overcoming great odds by prevailing in eight wars against enemies dedicated to its destruction.

A geographically small state with few natural resources and monumental challenges, surrounded by hostile forces, Israel has always been prepared to pursue opportunities to reach resolution with its neighbours, extending its hands of reconciliation and signing peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and withdrawing from the Sinai and the Gaza Strip in a gamble many experts said would never happen.

After six decades, the battle to overcome ancient hatreds is still being waged in blood and tears.

There is still no lasting peace with the Palestinians and with most of the Arab world, terror still claims innocent lives and a potentially nuclear Iran, which has vowed to wipe out the Jewish state, remains an undeniable threat.

A powerhouse in medicine, technology, science and so much more, Israel made the desert bloom, dried the swamps and now enriches the world in many fields.

Israel shares its innovations in agriculture, water purification and alternative energy with the world and Australians benefit from Israeli inventions every day: small ingestible video cameras used in medical operations, messaging, voicemail, Microsoft’s Windows, firewall security, Intel wireless computer chips, a fully computerised diagnostic machine for breast cancer, camera phone chip technology, a computerised prescription system, tsunami detection systems, a device that assists the heart to pump blood.

Hebrew, practically extinct and used only for prayer, was revived. Now more than seven million people write, speak and tell their children, “We love you”, in the language of the Bible.

Walk Jerusalem’s streets and you will see that Israel comprises a multitude of ethnic and religious groups whose cultural and artistic diversity add to the country’s spirituality and creativity. In a recent survey, if offered a choice of any country in the world, 86 per cent of Israelis, who feel a deep pride, said they would choose this one. Ben Gurion believed Israel could navigate the world to a brighter future by fusing the moral teachings of the sages with scientific discoveries. While no one has all the answers, and while being far from perfect, Israel will stand as a beacon of hope, rule of law, democracy and freedom in a region known for its authoritarian models.

These lines from The Book of Amos embody Israel’s tale: “I will restore my people Israel, they shall rebuild ruined cities and inhabit them, they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine … Nevermore to be uprooted from the soil I have given them.”

Happy 68th birthday, Israel.

DVIR ABRAMOVICH IS CHAIRMAN OF THE B’NAI B’RITH ANTI-DEFAMATION COMMISSION

Read the Herald Sun article: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/celebrate-the-success-that-is-modern-israel/news-story/26f830480ff9950f1f884adb3c45ff9f?login=1