Young at Heart

Avi Zirler

On this eve of Passover Seder we reminds us of our people’s strength. This historical holiday, which we revive year after year, celebrates the eternity of the Jewish people. In this tradition we are showing that we revive and reinvent ourselves every year. And exactly now, we are informed by Dr. Guy Bechor, a prominent Israeli Middle East expert, that on Syria’s recent Independence Day, President Bashar Assad introduced a new political theory. In line with Nasrallah’s premise of “Israel’s Spider Web Foundation”, this new theory argues that Israel is “getting old,” compared with the “rejuvenation” of the Arab masses; herein the end of the Zionist entity is imminent. Curiously, both Nasrallah and Bashar believe that Israel will not be subjugated by the Arabs, but it would simply fade away on its own. This is an admission that despite Israel’s implicit "weakness", the Arabs still cannot overpower her.



So Mr. President, in all due respect, lets examine your evidence.



Honorable President Assad, the Israel that you see against your eyes, the state which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, has experienced in the last 10 years an astonishing prosperity, something that has no precedent in the history of the Jewish people of the last 2000 years -- barring the flourishing of the Jewish community in North America.



As it has freed itself from the shackles of socialism, Israel is prospering in virtually every field: Scientific research, fine arts, literature, music, culture, culinary arts, technology, architecture, engineering, communications, and the general standard of living. Israel is showing a gush of creativity which characterizing only New York City. Israel’s GDP per capita is quickly approaching that of Western Europe’s, hence in 60 years Israel has accomplished what it took the west centuries to do. Its economy is prospering, unemployment is declining, and the Israeli Shekel is now considered one of the strongest currencies in the world.



Unaware of their strength, Israelis remain very insecure and demanding of themselves. Israelis work very hard, much harder than their counterparts in Western Europe -- perhaps even more than those in the USA -- and the results are showing. Mr. President, if it was not for the irritation caused by you, Hamas, and your other Middle Eastern friends who are busy only with sabotage and destruction, Israel’s achievements would have been even more impressive. Thank G-d, they seem to be doing OK.



Furthermore, Israel has the tools, the infrastructure, the will, and the ability to double its accomplishments in the next decade. What you see is the revival of the Jewish people which is happening right under our very eyes, especially in this decade.



Is this the weakness you were referring to, President Assad?



The Israeli vigor is what you, Mr. President, and your other Arab tyrants are so worried about because it directly reflects on your own failures. What is the reality of your Arab masses, President Assad? Your pathetic Baath Party, the one which was devastated in your neighboring Iraq -- is this what symbolizes the Syrian revival? Those senior officials of your regime, who have been at the helm decades after they were nominated by your father -- do they represent Syria’s revitalization? Perhaps the latest elections, where you were the only candidate? Or maybe the massive brain drain from the Arab world to Europe? The single factor which saves the Arab nations from falling to the bottom of the third world is only the Arab oil. This determination was made not by some Jewish Neo-Cons, but by Arab researchers sponsored by the UN. With all your masses, Mr. Bashar, Syria’s GDP of $25 billion, is no match to tiny Israel with its $172 billion GDP.



Here is where your theory goes wrong. Israel is an individualistic society, in which every individual is a world unto themself, who has the right to self-actualization. You are misinterpreting it as weakness. The fact that Israel’s open society is not a controlled society like yours does not mean that Israelis are weak. This freedom is the secret code to Israel’s success, and this could also be the code for Arab prosperity. The day you understand that individualism is not a weakness would be the day that the Arab world would be saved. Only then will you see Arab science, Arab technology, and a surge in standard of living. Don’t confuse this with the standard of living of the oil rich gulf countries, where those standards will not be maintained forever. Israel provides a formula to emulate your own success, and by rejecting it, you are defeating the society which is under your rule.



So Mr. President, please understand this:



The Passover Hagaddah was made to awaken Jewish people who are snoozing. It instills in us values of liberty for the body, soul, and mind. For centuries, we have been reading it to teach our children the lesson of reawakening. We are an ancient people of 3,000 years, but our old age does not mean the end. We are aging gracefully, but we are still young and rejuvenated!

Happy Passover everyone!