ISRAEL IS 70 YEARS OLD

(part 4)

From the British Mandate to statehood

In 1917, while British forces were wresting the Holy Land away from the Ottomans a year before the end of the war, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour’s famous Balfour Declaration proclaimed, “His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” Soon thereafter, Britain was entrusted with governance of the area under a League of Nations mandate in 1920.

Sadly, the declaration’s hopeful words would hang impotently in the air for nearly 30 years against the stark contrast of terrible developments across Europe—culminating in the rise of Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, his conquest of the continent and his atrocious, systematic ethnic cleansing of the Jews.

The Holocaust claimed more than 6 million Jewish lives and caused inestimable suffering. Against this backdrop and after so much trauma, the newly created United Nations passed a resolution in November 1947 to divide the land of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, with the hotly contested city of Jerusalem designated as a special international city not belonging to any nation.

The Jews had hoped, waited, worked and lobbied for this moment, and set about quickly to organize and establish a government.

It took 52 years of vital preparations between Herzl's Der Judenstaat and the founding of the modern state of Israel. The goal was taken very seriously and tangibly, otherwise their new nation would quickly cease its existence at the hands of the larger and stronger Arab countries surrounding them.

To achieve this, immigration was imperative, often done illegally to bypass the limits that Britain imposed during the period of their mandate. The new state of Israel needed a strong Jewish presence capable of sustaining and defending itself. Soon, the Jewish nation formed a fighting force called the Haganah, meaning 'the defense'. This organised foundation was the pillar in which the Israeli Defense Force was built. Obviously there were immense hurdles to cross. They were forbidden to manufacture their own weapons and ammunition which led the Israelis to carry out manufacturing operations in total secrecy. In doing this, the Israelis often put their lives and freedom at risk. But it was a risk that had to be taken in case they did in fact obtain statehood status. A national defense was first priority.

Running along and beyond this pragmatic effort, the cultural unification of the country was also part of this priority. A man named Eliezer Ben-Yehuda was the responsible person who revived the Hebrew language and made it complete, adaptable and useful for modern purposes.

This was very important because Jews would come from all over the world with diverse native languages, different cultural nuances and different religious perspectives.

The introduction of Modern Hebrew inspired unity and cooperation that gave rise to a distinctive Israeli culture. This pivotal development coupled with the eagerness of the Jews to shed their prior national affiliations in light of their universal persecution facilitated a true cultural melting pot that has continually strengthened the nation.