On the night of the Passover Seder, we are commanded to recount the story of the Exodus, to praise God, and to give Him thanks for the miraculous signs and wonders of our departure from Egypt. As it is written in Chapter 13 verse 8 of Exodus,
“And you shall tell your son on that day, saying: It is because of this what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.”
But what about the miracle of the establishment of the modern state of Israel, which we celebrate some three weeks after the Seder?
In 1955, after stepping down from government and moving to his humble home in Sde Boker, located in Israel’s southern Negev region, Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, composed the “Haggadah of Independence,” a short text written in the style and spirit of the traditional Passover Haggadah (the book used at the Seder to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt). Ben-Gurion’s goal was to weave the story of modern Zionism into the ancient story of the Jewish people. Pharaoh and the Egyptians were replaced, respectively, with Ernest Bevin, the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary who opposed the establishment of the state of Israel, and the surrounding Arab armies. In the “Haggadah of Independence,” the name of God was noticeably absent, and the role of the deliverer was given to the Haganah, the Zionist militia that eventually became the Israel Defense Forces.
You have likely never heard of this “Haggadah,” as it was rejected along with other attempts to create a modern-day version. Yet perhaps Ben-Gurion had a point in using the founding of the modern state of Israel as a reminder of God’s providence and the ongoing miracles He performs for His people much like the Passover story itself.
The miracle of Israel’s rebirth is, in many ways, no less profound than the redemption of the Children of Israel from Egypt and, as such, also deserves to be remembered, retold, and passed on in every generation. Even today, decades later, many of the heroes who witnessed the miracle of Israel’s independence are still living among us. Their stories of courage and sacrifice should be written, preserved, and shared.
Above all, there is one essential truth that must be added. Today in Israel, a growing voice reminds us daily that it was God who brought salvation and returned His people to their land. He performed miracles then, and He continues to protect and sustain us now. That is why we are here, why we live in Judea and Samaria, and why we are still standing and fighting.
“Therefore, behold days are coming, says the LORD, when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt.’ But, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and from all the lands to which He had banished them.’ and I will return them to their land that I gave to their forefathers.” (Jeremiah 16:14-15)
As we celebrate Israel’s 78th year of independence, let us give thanks to God, honor the heroes, and reflect on how far we have come in returning, after nearly 2,000 years of exile, to our homeland once again! I wish you all, together with us in the Biblical Heartland, a happy 78th Israeli Independence Day!
Shmuel Junger
Executive Director