Page 23 - Issue 24

LIVING IN A TRAGIC

MIRACLE

By George Stevens

The hours where Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day)
gives way to Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day) -
all a week after Yom Hashoah - underscore the
absurdity and vibrancy of Israeli existence.

The fact of daily life has a celebratory element.
Despite living through a century straight of conflict,
happiness levels here are among the highest in the
world. People have far more children here than any
other developed country. Strangers are more likely to
talk to you, to feed you, to hug you, to find their
connection to you, and yes, to yell at you. Life is a
blessing everywhere, but here it's more cherished
than anywhere else I've been. We live, in the words
of Yosef Haim Brenner, with a ridiculous miracle
hanging over our heads. Unique among the peoples
of the world, we revived our ancient language and
returned to our ancient homeland after a 2,000 year
hiatus. When I hike Mount Carmel, see the Kinneret
or ascend to the gates of Jerusalem – knowing that
my ancestors prayed towards these places for 100
generations, that they fantasized vividly and bickered
fiercely about what Jerusalem actually looks like – I
experience a pleasure and a profound sense of
historic wholeness that are difficult to convey to non-
Jews.