By Jessica ‘Decky’ Alexander, President of the Board
A lot happened 75 years ago:
- World Health Organization, also known as WHO, was established
- The first ‘instant’ camera was publicly available
- Mahatma Gandhi is murdered
- The frisbee, first named Flying Saucer, was brought to market
- Cry, The Beloved Country was a best selling book
- And the state of Israel becomes independent
Health, the immediacy of permanently capturing a moment, the murder of one who intertwined peace and activism, the invention of an object whose purpose was to be tossed so it could be caught, a book about someone loving their country under the rule of someone else: all of these ideas swirling around the world coalesced in Israel.
Perhaps, the happenings around Israel’s independence, re-birth, re-imagining, can illuminate Israel’s origin story more poetically or artfully. Such as:
- The tale of Israel’s independence is like the frisbee: it requires skill, intentionally, to ensure it moves forward and is ‘caught’ by those intended to receive it. Or…
- The tale of Israel’s independence is like the WHO, an entity, co-created and convened under an auspice of harmony and hope. Or…
- The tale of Israel’s independence is like Gandhi’s murder, a reminder that those who lead in the name of peace may be a threat to those who thrive in fear. Or..
- The tale of Israel’s independence is a reality that one people’s independence might/could overstep, outshine someone else’s. Or…
Whatever the tale of Israel’s independence, it is still an ongoing story, constantly being revised, reworked, re-envisioned. Like most stories that stand the test of time are.
Happy Independence Day, Israel.