Ceremony and Celebration Family Edition, The Hagim, Yom HaAtzma'ut, Educational Companion to the Questions
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IT ONCE HAPPENED…
Rabbi Frumkin was deeply religious, and so the opportunity to live in the land of his ancestors, fulfil the parts of Judaism that can only be fulfilled in Israel, and be a key part of the process of bringing the Messianic redemption, were no doubt factors in his decision. But equally, he was guided by the difficult living conditions in Eastern Europe, especially the anti-Semitism that Jews were facing every day. These were also the two main motivations for the majority of the Jews who moved to Israel at that time, what historians term “the First Aliya” (1882–1903).
He no doubt would struggle to recognise Petach Tikva today, a bustling Western city that in his day was a small, barely viable agricultural settlement. We can imagine that he would feel that this was the realisation of the dreams of the first pioneers (and the fulfilment of the biblical prophecies of the return to Zion). No doubt Petach Tikva of today is beyond the wildest dreams of the early pioneers.
The very name Petach Tikva demonstrates the deep faith and hope the Zionist pioneers had, that they were laying the foundation of a future Jewish state against all the odds. The fact that they succeeded, and today Petach Tikva is a bustling metropolis, is a wonderful example of the miracle of the creation and existence of the State of Israel. Modern-day Petach Tikva has a mix of religious and secular Israelis (like most cities in Israel), and this also represents two different approaches to the miracle of the State of Israel – was this achieved by the hand of God, or by human endeavour? It is most likely that the majority of Petach Tikva’s inhabitants today see it as a combination of both.
ḤIDON ON THE ḤAG (A QUICK QUIZ)
- Fifth of Iyar 5708/May 14, 1948.
- 8,757,718 (at our last count).
- Russia/Ukraine (FSU).
- 240 million.
- Drip irrigation (agricultural technology).
- None. Israel has more startups per capita than any other country in the world!
- Shmuel Yosef Agnon.
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology), Weizmann Institute of Science, Bar-Ilan University, Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Open University of Israel, Ariel University.
- Four.
- More than seventy.