Hava Nedeber Ivrit: Paying The Price For Independence
By NIRA LEV
Our lev is filled with regashot
rabim and shonim on Yom
Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence
Day: joy and ga'ava, gratitude and
elation that Binyamin Ze'ev Herzl's
chalom to have a medinah Yehudit
was materialized, mixed with etzev
and sorrow when we think of the
price we had to pay — and are still
paying to have a land of our own.
Ze'ev Jabotinsky's words that
have become a well known shir,
keep ringing in our hearts: "Me'Dan
ve'ad Be'er Sheva, Me'gilead
la'yam, ein of sha'al admatey'nu
shelo kupar be'dam." (From Dan
to Be'er Sheva, from Gilead to the
sea, there isn't any part of our land
that hasn't been paid for with
blood.)
The ma'avak for our z'chut to
return to eretz avoteinu started
the minute the first chalutzim set
foot on the land of Israel and has
not ended yet. The sin'ah and
eivah of our Arab neighbors started
long before 1967, long before the
problem of the "shtachim" existed.
Our history in Israel is very well
reflected in the seepur of the
Shturman family, which can be
seen as a semel for what it takes to
have a medinah. The seepur of the
Shturman family starts in the year
1909 when Chayim Shturman, born
in the Ukraine, hityashev in Eretz
Yisrael with his horim. He became
an agricultural worker, joined the
meyasdim of Ha-Shomer and
participated in the establishment of
several kibbutzim. In World War I,
he participated in the secret
activities to provide the Yishuv with
neshek. He was an active member
of Merkaz Ha-Hagana and traveled
as a shaliach to neighboring
countries aided by his knowledge of
Arabic. During the pra'ot of the
Arabs of 1936-38, he was
responsible for the defense of his
aizor. Chayim Shturman neherag
near the Arabic kfar Samaria.
His son, Moshe, was raised by
Atara, imo, on the same arachim
that aviv believed in and kmo aviv,
Moshe neherag in Milchemet
Ha'atzmaut, leaving behind a son
named Chayim. Atara, eesha
shakulah and em shakulah,
immersed herself in her work for
her kibbutz and tried to find some
nechama in her nechadim.
Chayim, Atara's neched, was
like savo, whose shem was given to
him, and like aviv Moshe. He, too,
believed that one should give the
most to our medinah, and
volunteered to serve in a special,
select commando unit. Chayim
neherag in a daring pe-ulat-
commando on the Island Green,
at the mouth of the Suez Canal, in
1969.
Atara, who lost another neched
in another pe'ulah that same year,
said in a re'ayon in the eeton on
Yom Ha'atzmaut, "I feel lucky to live
on our adama, in a medinah
Yehudit. We all paid a m'cheer
norah to be able to live in a
Books On Israel For Children & Young Adults
Israel Is ... By Susan Remick Topek and Katherine Janus Kahn.
A board book for the very youngest children with colorful pictures and a very brief text. Ages 2 - 4.
Chicken Man by Michelle Edwards.
A delightful new picture book about kibbutz life for young children. This is the story of Rody, a man who loves to work with
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And Shira Imagined by Giora Carmi.
Israel through the eyes of a young girl as she fantasizes about the country. Whimsical pictures make this book a favorite with
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On Eagles' Wings and Other Things by Connie C. Steiner.
The story of four different children from different countries who come to settle in Israel after World War II. Ages 4-7.
What's an Israel? by Chaya Burstein.
Games, puzzles, pictures to color, mazes, and lots of facts about Israel. This paperback book is a great introduction to Israel.
Ages 6-10.
Jerusalem, Shining Still by Karla Kuskin.
The four thousand year story of Jerusalem including the wars, the times of peace, the invaders and the conquerors. This is
an easy to read history of Jerusalem in a picture book format. The pages are illustrated with beautiful woodcuts by David
Frampton. Ages 8 and up.
A Kid's Catalog of Israel by Chaya M. Burstein.
Written in the same format as the "Jewish Catalog" series, this book for children examines the history, customs, languages,
geography, music, crafts, and recipes of Israel. Ages 8 and up.
Becoming Gershona by Nava Semel.
A coming of age book of a young girl during the early statehood of Israel. Winner of the 1991 National Jewish Book Awards
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The Return by Sonia Levitin.
The story of an Ethiopian Jewish family's attempt to make the dangerous journey to Israel. Ages 12-16.
Theodor Herz!, the Road to Israel by Miriam Gurko.
A new biography for young aduls on the Austro-Hungarian who became the leader of the Zionist movement. Ages 12-16.
Kids Love Israel, Israel Loves Kids: a Travel Guide for Families by Barbara Sofer.
Now is the time to travel to Israel and here is a guide for taking the whole family! Lots of hints on where to stay, eat, and
family entertainment. A book for the whole family.
For these or other books about Israel contact your local synagogue, temple, or public library.
Compiled by Judy Silberg Loebl, Special Projects Director,
Agency For Jewish Education
L 8
-
FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1991
medinah atz'ma'eet but I do not
ever regret my b'cheerah to live in
Yisrael whatever the price.
Meelon (Dictionary)
lev
heart
regashot
feelings
rabim
many
shonim
different
ga'ava
pride
chalom
dream
medinah Yehudit.... a Jewish State
etzev
sadness
shir
a song
ma'avak
struggle
z'chut
right, privilege
eretz avoteinu
the land
of our fathers
chalutzim
pioneers
sin'ah
hatred
eivah
hostility
sh'tachim
territories, areas
seepur
story
semel
symbol
hityashev
settled
horim
parents
meyasdim
founders
The Yishuv
The Jewish
community in Israel
before the establishment
of the State
weapons, arms
neshek
Merkaz Ha-Hagana...the center of
the defense force
emissary Hagana
shaliach
riots
pra'ot
region
aizor
was killed
neherag
friends
chaverim
village
kfar
his mother
imo
values
arachim
his father
aviv
like
kmo
Milchemet Ha'atzmaut....The War
of Independence
eesha shakulah....a bereaved wife
em shakulah. ...a bereaved mother
comfort, solace
nechama
grandson
neched
his grandfather
savo
name
shem
pe'ulat commando. . . .a commando
action
an action
pe'ulah
an interview
re'ayon
a newspaper
eeton
land
adama
a terrible price
m'cheer norah
an
medinah atz'ma'eet.
independent state
choice
b'cheerah
Balancing Between Ideology, Reality
Continued from Page L-1
government with the challenge of
fulfilling "mission impossible."
In order to survive, Israel had to
learn to live under siege like Sparta
and to maintain a democracy like
Athens. Under these circumstances
Israel maintains a remarkable
democratic way of life.
Israel is indeed the spiritual
and cultural center of the world
Jewish community — it has revived
the H _ ebrew language, has
integrated the traditional and
modern Jewish and Western
democratic values at the same time.
It has created an outstanding
defense force but managed to avoid
militarism. Its basic tenet is defense
and not power.
Despite its huge defense
expenditures and the Arab
economic boycott, Israel has
developed a vibrant economy based
on high technology, research and
development and export. Israel has
diplomatic, political and economic
relations with almost every country
in the world despite the attempt of
the Arab world to strangle it
politically, especially through
relentless political combat in the
United Nations.
Against all odds, Israel
concluded a peace treaty with Egypt
which serves as an example that
peace between Israel and its Arab
neighbors can be achieved. Israel
has maintained an exemplary
alliance with the United States
which proved to be strong enough
to overcome periods of strain.
The world, especially Western
society, judges Israel based on high
expectations. This is why the
Palestinian riots (the intifada)
received so much attention and
exposure in the Western media. It
accuses Israel of violating human
rights and almost ignores the fact
that the Israeli soldiers act in self
defense against a hostile population
whose goal is to destroy it with the
support of 200 million Arabs around
it. The Western world holds Israel to
such high standards that it forgets
the hard realities that Israel lives
under and thus creates the
perception of judging Israel based
on double standards.
The Jewish people living
outside of Israel want Israel to
always look good to themselves
and their gentile neighbors so
they can be proud of it. In
other words, Israel sometimes has
to sacrifice but for the Jewish
people outside of Israel, Israel's
image is its security.
At 43, Israel is proud of its
achievements, confident of its future
and looks to the time when it can
live in peace and satisfy its own
goals and aspirations, to become
"a light unto the nations."
Mr. Bar-Ner is Consul General of
Israel to the Midwest.