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Israel — A Justified Existence

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ecently my son, who
the Land of Israel for thou-
is an online student at
sands of years.
Thomas Edison State
Before the Assyrians, the
University in New Jersey,
Babylonians, the Greeks, the
received the following discus-
Romans, the Christians and
sion question in his course on
the Ottomans, the Jews were
Western religions:
there. And the root cause
“Discuss the history of the
of the suffering of the Jews
persecution of the Jews from Rabbi
does not hearken back to the
Dr. Sidney
the Middle Ages through to
Middle Ages, but to the year
A. Vineburg,
the creation of the State of
70 C.E., when, against their
Ed.D.
Israel. Did the history of the
will, most of the Jewish people
Jews warrant the creation of a
were exiled from Judea by
Jewish state in Israel? Explain
the Romans. Even then, some
your answer.”
Jews managed to stay, so that
First, I take issue with the idea that
throughout its history, the Land of
the State of Israel needs to justify its
Israel was always the home for the
existence at all. Would, I wonder, jus-
Jewish community, even when occu-
tification be required for Saudi Arabia, pied by someone else.
Jordan, Pakistan, Syria and Lebanon,
Finally, the question itself can be
all modern states founded by the Allies seen as part of the movement to dele-
after World War II?
gitimize the State of Israel. Would we
In fact, as construct states, they
ask the same question about our own
would have no history in the lands
country? Does any other democracy in
they occupy and were subject to the
the world have to justify its existence?
whims of the colonial powers. This is
Calling into question Israel’s
one of the reasons why the original
legitimacy does prove one thing.
Arab Palestinian state, Jordan, became Anti-Semitism did not end with the
the Hashemite Kingdom with a ruler
re-creation of Israel, but continues
whose roots are not in the British
today, cloaked in “academic freedom”
Mandate of Palestine, but in the des-
and taught by professors whose clear
erts of Saudi Arabia.
agenda is based not on scholarship,
Secondly, by focusing on the Middle but on false narratives and left-wing
Ages, the question negates the most
ideologies.
important justification for the re-
Rabbi Dr. Sidney A. Vineburg teaches online
creation of the State of Israel, if one is
in the College of Education and the College of
necessary. The Land of Israel is and
Doctoral Studies at Grand Canyon University in
was the indigenous home of the Jews.
Phoenix, Ariz., and is an affiliated professor at
Archaeology and history have clearly
Haifa University. He lives in Oak Park.
demonstrated that Jews have lived in

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