History is not written, history is made.
On May 14th, 1948, the last day of the British Mandate, The Jewish leadership declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Israel.. The following day, the armies of Arab nations that had banded together to wage war against Israel—Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia—invaded the territories of the Mandatory Land of Israel. Secret military contracts were signed that day, and Nasser declared: "Around Israel's borders are deployed the armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Behind them stands the entire Arab world, particularly our friends from Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia."
Hundreds of Air Force aircraft took off at 07:45 on June 5 for bombing and interception sorties over Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq in a carefully orchestrated operation. The air force's vulnerabilities were greater than expected and unfathomable. The primary structure of Egyptian and Syria's air forces was destroyed in three hours, and 350 aircraft were damaged. Because there was nowhere for the planes to land after takeoff due to the runways’ destruction, crashes also occurred. Absolute air superiority was attained in this manner, allowing the ground forces to move freely and ultimately deciding the outcome of the conflict.
For Egypt, 185 military aircraft, 32 helicopters, and 69 bombers were all destroyed. In a very short period of time, Jordan lost 20 planes, Syria lost 52, and Iraq lost 9 military aircraft.
About 6,000 men and women from the Jewish population, which was estimated to be 650,000 at that time, died throughout the fight for Israel's independence from the day the United Nations Assembly decided to do so until the end of the armistice
agreements, of whom about 2,400 were civilians. 1,462 Holocaust survivors were also among the dead, including 129 to 152 people who were the last living members of their families (for whom a monument was erected on Mount Herzl).
75 years
David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel, once said: "In the Land of Israel, a person who does not believe in miracles is an unrealistic person."
He is right. If we look over the years, hundreds and thousands of years back, who would have believed that the Jewish people, after 2,000 years of living as a persecuted people in exile, would achieve their basic right - and establish a state?
The State of Israel has developed into a global leader in a wide range of industries over
the past 75 years, including high-tech and technology, military, weapons and defense
systems development, created agricultural patents that are well-known around the globe, and the list goes on.
The State of Israel is a very unique place with extremely unique people living there. Anyone who has been to Israel before can attest to the stylish and distinctive essence of the Israeli people: they are very hardy," hot-tempered, impatient, and let's not even
begin to discuss their driving habits. However, they are also the friendliest people you will encounter. They are the ones who will make you smile the most, make you laugh the hardest, and are always there for each other no matter what. They are the kind of people who, despite not knowing the deceased soldier's mother, will travel to a different city to comfort her. They have a strong and immune but sensitive soul.
On the one hand, they are very responsible because they are accustomed to running to a safe zone in 15 seconds, but on the other, they prefer to stay on the balconies during alarms so they won't miss the Iron Dome interception.
Our daily struggles make us confront fears that people from other nations will find hard to comprehend.
As soon as an Israeli meets another Israeli abroad, they instantly bond and just five minutes of conversation later, they learn they share a friend—likely an army mate.
They are right-wing and left-wing, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi, Russian and Ethiopians, believers in God and atheists.
They are complete chaos, but perfect chaos.
Now, personally - many have asked me here, about my military services, about the security and political situation, and I did my best to provide different and diverse responses, because, in reality, seeing things in black and white is difficult and incorrect to me.
However, If there's one thing I'm 100% sure of, it's that for the rest of my life I'll love my country, the same country I fought for, my father and my mother fought for, my grandfathers fought for, and the generations before them dreamed of fighting for. I love the diversity, my two Druzes friends and my four Muslims friends, whom I met in the IDF. My Christians friends and my Jewish friends.
I love my Dad's Moroccan side, and Mom's Polish side. I love the changing and endless landscape and views. I love the unapologetic humor, the music, the feeling that I am at home in every corner I’ll be at. I love this moment on Memorial Day, a few hours before the Independence Day celebrations, when a 2-minute siren is sounded throughout the country, and everyone stops their lives (yes, even get out of their vehicles in the middle of the highway) cry, and stand still in memory of the 24,068 Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism, thanks to whom we are still here .
I love our rich culture, the tourists who come and don't want to leave, the food, the common denominator that is so great that only we have, and others will find it hard to understand. I love the pride that fills my lungs when I read about another Israeli research or development that sold in the millions and made a breakthrough. It is no longer just Judaism.
This is Israeliness.
The incredible history we have made in 75 years.
But history is not written, history is made.
We are not perfect, and if you look at the history of the other world powers - no one is perfect.
We have gone through complex things, and we are now in a difficult period as well. But, actually, when was there a simple time in the State of Israel?
There is a famous saying in Israel that says "We passed Pharaoh - we will pass this too".
And we are here to stay, together.
The people of Israel live and exist, forever and ever, “Am Israel Hai”.