Eden’s light
As we mark Yom Ha'atzmaut, may the year ahead bring peace.
We ushered in Israel’s 76th birthday this week in circumstances we could not have foreseen just one year ago.
Seven months and counting since the horrors of October 7, Israel remains at war with Hamas in Gaza, conflict with Hezbollah simmers in the north and families of hostages remain anguished about the fate of their loved ones.
Israel and Jews globally are under unprecedented assault as allies thought to be staunch prove fickle and a generation brainwashed by Hamas wreaks havoc on our university campuses.
Last Friday we saw Hamas rewarded at the United Nations for its brutal assault on Israel, with the General Assembly voting overwhelmingly to upgrade the privileges of the non-existent state of Palestine at the world body and to urge the Security Council to grant it full member status.
Shamefully our own government voted in favour of this resolution, which despite Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s insistence to the contrary, rewards terror both indirectly by the message it sends but also directly, given the Palestinian Authority’s pay-for-slay salaries will benefit the perpetrators of October 7 and their families.
These are dark times.
And yet that is when light can shine at its brightest. This week’s bright light was brought courtesy of Israel’s Eurovision representative Eden Golan. Talented, beautiful and graceful, the 20-year-old walked into a lion’s den in Malmo and emerged with every inch of her dignity intact. Despite security threats, being shunned by fellow contestants, booing and more, she kept her poise and delivered a flawless performance, winning the hearts of the world in the popular vote in the process.
She came fifth but for Israel and Jews around the world her achievements were a victory; one we so desperately needed after seven months of hell. The joy she brought was the most precious of gifts for Israel on its birthday.
And it is that light, and that joy, that we must hold on to. It is the strength Eden Golan showed in the face of her adversity that we must emulate as we face ours. She is Israel at its best; uplifting, resilient, inspirational and able to overcome. She was Eurovision’s light unto the nations.
As we mark Yom Ha’atzmaut, may the year ahead bring peace.
Am Yisrael chai.
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