Israeli discourse emphasizes the negative aspects of our national life: antisemitism and de-legitimation abroad, kulturkampf and assaults on democracy at home. Terrorism pounds at our doors and social gaps cast their shadow on our humanity. Religion duels with the state while we argue about our borders across social fissures reminiscent of a tribal society.

Despite these problems, and without minimizing their importance, the overall picture of the Jewish nation-state, as it celebrates its 68th birthday, is one of tremendous success. Israel is a place where blessings abound, a dream-come-true for every Jew throughout history.

If I could choose where and when to be reborn as a Jew, I would pass up all the grandiose possibilities offered by Jewish history — starting with the Exodus and conquest of the Land of Israel, through the First and Second Temple periods, and on to the peregrinations of exile, from Babylonia to Ashkenaz — and choose to be born precisely here and now, as a citizen of the State of Israel. Why?

Read the full article at Times of Israel.