O PINION
Israel and Her Neighbors
BY WILLIAM Z. FOX
WHAT WERE THE ODDS
of Israel’s survival, living in
a hostile neighborhood, when
she accepted the United
Nations partition plan in 1947?
What did those odds go up
to when she was immediately
attacked on all sides by the
well-equipped armies of Egypt,
Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon
— along with the tacit support
of numerous others? And what
were the odds of her winning
that war? But, as we all know,
against all the odds, Israel not
only survived but won the war
and her independence.

We are the most blessed
generation of Jews in Jewish
history. Why? Since God
chose us to bring the concept
of ethical monotheism to
humanity over 4,000 years ago,
every 75 to 100 years there
has been an organized attempt
to exterminate us, eradicate us
and wipe us off the face of the
map — the most recent being
the Nazis roughly 85 years ago.

And today, the black clouds
of antisemitism and hate are
gathering again all over the
world, fueled by our current
nemesis, radical Islam. (Note
that I’m saying radical Islam,
not all Islam.)
So why are we the most
blessed Jewish
genera- tion? Because we have been
privileged to witness three
momentous developments.

First, the rebirth of the
Jewish nation in our biblical
homeland aft er thousands of
years of dispersion throughout
the world. I can clearly
remember the day in 1947
when my father burst into the
house and, with his booming
auctioneer voice, called out to
my mother, “Anne, Anne, the
U.N. has voted to approve the
partition plan!”
Second, we all have watched
Israel grow from nothing more
than a patch of sand in the
Middle Eastern desert into one
of the most successful, powerful,
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM respected, free, democratic
nations in the entire world.

We have fulfi lled the biblical
prophecy that “you shall become
a light unto the nations.” For
the almost 73 years of modern
Israel’s existence, humanity
has benefi ted in countless ways
through Israeli inventions
and advances in medicine,
technology, innovation, science,
farming and more. Israel has
won more Nobel prizes per
capita than any other country
in the world. And all of this has
happened before our very eyes.

We, our generation, have been
blessed to witness it.

Unbelievably, however,
through all her growth and
accomplishments, Israel has had
to defend herself on a daily basis.

Whether it has been formal
wars, limited campaigns, local
skirmishes or never-ending,
blood-thirsty terrorism, slaugh-
tered Israelis have been the
rule, not the exception. But the
world needs to know this: Every
single armed confl ict that has
occurred has been initiated by
Israel’s enemies, with Israel then
defending herself and retaliating.

And the third momentous
development? Today, we are
witnessing the beginning of
the end of Arab/Muslim rejec-
tionism of Israel. Today, some
of Israel’s neighbors are fi nally
waking up to the reality that
Israel is not going away and is
really a friend, not a foe. Th ey
said this would never happen.

They said it could never
happen, but it is happening.

Th e snowball has begun rolling
downhill, and I believe it is
now impossible to stop.

The recent
Abraham Accords have added four Arab/
Muslim countries — the United
Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan
and Morocco — to Egypt and
Jordan, making six countries
that have eff ectively made peace
with Israel, and more are on
the horizon.

My wife Myra and I recently
returned from a 15-day trip to
Israel, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

While in Dubai, we spent the
better part of a day at the Expo
2021 World’s Fair, where over
150 nations have individual
pavilions celebrating their
countries. What a thrill it was
for us to be in an Arab/Muslim
country walking into the main
entrance of their Expo and
seeing the fl ag of Israel fl ying
proudly among those of the
other nations of the world.

When we experienced the
show in the Israeli pavilion, I was
so overcome with emotion that,
when it was over, I ran to the
front of the theater and sang the
Shehecheyanu blessing. Some
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people thought I was crazy (and
by the way, that included Myra)
and maybe I was, but it was
just me being me. Others came
up to me, shook my hand and
thanked me.

The challenge is that
Palestinian radicals, Hamas
and other radical Islamic terror
groups, and countries like Syria
and Iran that fund them, are
still bent on killing Jews and
driving the Israelis into the sea.

Indeed, we’re now hearing the
chant, “From the river to the
sea, Palestine will be free,” not
only there but in demonstrations
on college campuses and major
cities across America — from the
Jordan River, which is the border
between Israel and Jordan, to the
Mediterranean, in other words,
the entire country of Israel.

For many years, this confl ict
has been characterized as being
very complicated. In reality,
however, it is very uncompli-
cated. Simply put, many radical
Arabs and Muslims have not
wanted a Jewish state to exist
in their midst, living on what
they consider to be their land.

And they have done everything
in their power to change the
on-the-ground facts of Israel’s
reality. However, due to polit-
ical considerations and other
factors, in the broader Arab/
Muslim world, that mindset
is now changing. But still
today Israel must continue
to defend herself against the
radicals who are very much
alive and continue to work for
her destruction. ●
William Z. Fox is on the national
board of the Friends of the Israel
Defense Forces. This op-ed
was adapted from a speech he
gave at a recent FIDF gala in
Baltimore, Maryland.

KVETCH ‘N’ KVELL
New Names Lose Past Meaning
IN THE DEC. 16 ISSUE of the Jewish Exponent, the theme of
diversity in the Philadelphia Jewish community was refl ected
in the numerous articles highlighting the diff erent denomina-
tions of Judaism, activities and personalities of Jews across the
religious spectrum and numerous references to intermarriage.

Th is is a realistic refl ection of our community in modern
times. But let’s not lose our community history.

Th e Exponent can take the opportunity to reference histor-
ically Jewish organizations and honor their importance to the
Jewish community by identifying their former names in addition
to their current acronyms.

We should not assume that everyone understands that HIAS
stands for Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society or that JEVS Human
Services was originally Jewish Employment and Vocational
Services. If the Exponent continues to write about these organi-
zations, remind the reader why they are of interest to the Jewish
community. And while you are at it, let’s hear more about local historic and
worthy Jewish organizations, including FHBS (Female Hebrew
Benevolent Society) and others that still serve Philadelphia Jewry. ●
Ina Asher | Merion Station
letters@jewishexponent.com STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We are a diverse community. The views expressed in the signed opinion columns and let-
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published. JEWISH EXPONENT
DECEMBER 30, 2021
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