Dear friends, I hope many of you had the
pleasure to see Israel celebrating in mid-April 73rd anniversary of the
founding of the Jewish state. A few
weeks have passed since that day, and I personally cannot forget the
magnificent spectacle, which included everything: the main ceremony with
official speeches, popular Israeli singers, the parade of the parliamentary
guards and the Israel Defense Forces, the tribute to the medical workers who
helped defeat the epidemic, the lighting of the 12 torches symbolizing the 12
tribes of Israel, and much more. The highlight of the ceremony, held under the
motto "Fraternity of Israelis", was the lighting of torches for the
glory of the State of Israel. Every part of the show was amazing in its scope
and penetration. At home, we watched it over and over again, inviting our
visiting guests to watch it as well. And each time we discovered new nuances of
vitality, solidarity, heroism, and love of Israelis for their country.
Symbolically, every speech ended with the words: "And to the glory of the
State of Israel!"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was present at the
torch-lighting ceremony, and I was particularly moved by his words: "Israel
is a dream come true. As we desired, we turned Israel into a legend, an example
for the whole world. Our achievements are recognized by the entire world! Many
would like to achieve what we have achieved. We have revived our state, we have
restored historical justice. Today the world looks at us with respect. Our
history is written in golden letters." And he called for honoring all those
who live in this blessed land - religious and secular - Jews, Arabs and
Christians. As I listened to him and watched the scene unfold, I thought that
unlike our former homeland, where the power of the country is usually displayed
with frightening military equipment on parade, in this commemoration, the power
of Israel is represented by the strong spirit of the people and their
overwhelming love for their country. Only this boundless love and true
patriotism, not ostentatious patriotism, has allowed the Israelis to achieve in
just over 70 years, despite all the wars, operations, bombings, international
outrage, boycotts and other frills, what no other nation can do in centuries! And
one more thing. When I think of the parallels between the two nations with
which my life is bound, it occurs to me that in its 73 years of age, the Soviet
state has ceased its "glorious" existence, while in the same 73 years
Israel was born, grew, matured and miraculously won all the battles waged
against it by its hostile neighbors, who tried to destroy it from the moment of
its formation. Like all the Jews of the world, I am very proud of Israel. I am
proud of its achievements in science, technology and much more. Today Israel is
recognized and respected, ranking eighth among the most powerful nations in the
world; it is one of the ten most innovative countries in the world, ahead of
the US; it has been ranked 11th on the "happiness index" of Israelis
for the last year in a row! Israel has won a disproportionate number of Nobel
prizes in relation to its population. Israel's investment in the economy
exceeds that of all the neighboring Arab countries combined. Israel has the
second highest number of patents per capita in the world (after Japan), and the
first highest number of patented inventions in the world. And I don't need a
whole page to tell you what Israeli scientists have contributed to the world in
the field of medicine. Israel ranks 14th out of 187 countries on the human
development index, which puts it in the category of highly developed countries.
Israel ranks first in the world in the number of persons with higher education
per capita. Israel is a country that loves to read: it publishes the most books
translated from other languages in the world. And, what I really like, as it
turns out to be according to studies, Israel is one of the best places to raise
a child and one of the happiest countries in the world.The list goes on and on.
But I will stop. I will pause to wish the people of Israel and its dynamic
country now developing more rapidly than ever before to continue to succeed and
move forward positively toward the highest achievement in their upcoming 75th
anniversary. May Israel, one of the oldest and newest nations, one of the
smallest yet the greatest on the planet, prosper happily without sorrow.
Editor-in-chief Doctor Zoya Maksumova
(May 2021,"Ladies’ World №239)
