The Importance of Israel & the United States to Jewish people

The Importance of Israel & the United States to Jewish people

Israel.

United States.

Jewish refugees.

This is an essay looking into the certain qualities that both Israel and the United States posses that enable the Jewish race to live safely, and freely, without worrying about being persecuted for religious reasons.

Najjar, Jacob Simon

Dombrowski, Peter, Catherine Kelleher and Eric Auner. "Demystifying Iron Dome." National
Interest August 2013: 11.
Feng, Jonathan. When and why did Jews immigrate to America? 22 July 2009 . 11 April 2016.
Ford, Peter and Sara Miller Llana. "French Jews look to emigrate amid rising anti-Semitism."
Christian Century (2015): 2.
Gruner, Frank. "Did anti-Jewish mass violence exist in the Soviet Union?—Anti-Semitism and
collective violence in the USSR during the war and post war years. ." Journal of
Genocide Research (2009): 25.
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Declaration of Establishment of State of Israel . 2013. 11
April 2016.
Jewish Virtual Library . Vital Statistics. 2014. 11 April 2016.
Oren, Michael. "The Ultimate Ally ." Foreign Policy (2011): 8.
Pfeffer, Leo. "Religious Freedom and the American Community." Judaism (1979): 11.
Shyovitz, David. Jewish Virtual Library . 2006. 11 April 2016.
Weiner, Rebecca. Jewish Virtual Library . 2016. 11 April 2016.

2016-04-11

Jacob S. Najjar

English

Document - PDF 8.5 x 11

Jacob Najjar
Professor Crow
REL 1300
11 April 2016
The Importance of Israel & the United States to Jewish people
Without Israel and the United States there would ultimately be no safe place for Jewish
people to live, since, Israel provides a safe haven for Jews all over the world to come and live
freely without persecution from anti-Semitism in other countries; With the United States as its
main ally, Israel has a strong support system in international political discrepancies and military
operations; and The United States hosts a large number of Jewish people, and provides them with
protection against discrimination under constitutional law. There is factual evidence to back up
the argument at hand. Additionally, there are credited academics who strengthen this argument
as well.
At the end of World War II, displaced Jews whom were previously taken from their
homes in Europe found there was nowhere to go after being liberated from Nazi concentration
camps. Traumatized by the horrific violence that had faced their relatives and close friends,
survivors of the Holocaust were scared and unsure about what their next step would be after
being freed. Fortunately, after survivors were liberated, the United Nations General Assembly
assumed the responsibility for finding the rattled Jews a new home. (Israel Ministry of Foreign
Affairs ) As a result, the General Assembly terminated the British Mandate. This mandate held
that the British owned the rights to land of Israel. After the mandate’s termination, the General
Assembly accepted this resolution in November of 1947 and stated:
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“Accordingly we, members of the people’s council, representatives of the
Jeiwsh Community of Eretz-Israel and of the termination of the Biritsh Mandate
over Eretz-Israel and, by virtue of our natural and historic right and on the
strength of the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, hereby declare
the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the state of
Israel.” (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs )
The establishment of the state of Israel resulted in Jewish refugees from all over the world
claiming citizenship in the new religiously free environment of the young Jewish state. This
trend of Jewish people leaving their homes to come to Israel to avoid religious persecution can
be demonstrated in both the beginning of the country’s establishment, as well as in modern
times.
After the war, many Jewish survivors did not know where to go. Many believed they
could go back to the places they were accustomed to living in throughout Europe. One of the
most common countries where Jews were taken was from Poland. As a result, many Jews
returned back to their respective Polish towns, hoping that they could rebuild the life they once
had. Unfortunately, they did not take into account the strong anti-Semitic presence that still
existed in their towns after the war. On July 4th, 1946, the anti-Semitic Kielce Pogrom took
place. (Gruner 356) In this event, 40 Jews were murdered in the Polish town of Kielce, and an
additional 80 were injured. (Weiner) Furthermore, from September 1944 to July 1946 historical
documentation portrays that 327 Jews lost their lives in anti-Semitic rallies in Poland. (Gruner
357) Due to this hatred, many citizens throughout Poland decided to leave their old homes and
head for Israel in 1958. (Weiner) At this time, 50,000 Polish Jewish immigrants came to Israel
hoping to finally find peace and avoid the religious persecution they had faced for many years
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after the war. (Weiner) These immigrants were finally free from persecution and were able to
live peacefully. This brief history of post-World War II Jewish life is not the only circumstance
where Jews were persecuted and forced to flee their homes. These situations still exist in modern
times.
Over the past few years, France, which has the third largest Jewish population of 500,000
people, has seen a rise in the amount of anti-Semitic attacks towards their Jewish population.
(Ford and Llana 17) From January 2014 to July 2014, the Jewish Community Protection Service
reported that 527 attacks, which ranged from arson and vandalism of Jewish schools, cemeteries,
and groceries to rape were committed. (Ford and Llana 17) Many French Jews acted upon this
anti-Jewish violence in the form of fleeing their old homes. In 2014, approximately 7,000 French
Jews moved to Israel to avoid this religious hatred according to the Jewish Agency for Israel.
(Ford and Llana 17) A poll was sent to these new immigrants that asked about their reasoning for
moving to Israel. One third of all responses to this poll displayed that the reason for their move
to Israel was to stay away from the anti-Semitism clearly present in France. (Ford and Llana 17)
It is evident that Jewish people throughout the world see Israel as a safe haven for them to live
freely without being persecuted for practicing their faith. To further demonstrate how vital Israel
is to Jewish people, it is important to note how the United States plays a key role in providing
Israel with support in its ability to protect its citizens.
From the beginning of the establishment of the state of Israel to modern times, the United
States has been the strongest ally that Israel has. The United States provides Israel with military
aid and international political support, which ensures the protection of Israel’s citizens during
times of war and on a day to day basis. The United States “guarantees by law its commitment to
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preserving Israel's ‘qualitative military edge,’ enabling the Jewish state to defend itself, by itself,
against Middle Eastern adversaries” (Oren).
Throughout Israel’s history, it has been threatened by its neighboring Arab governed
countries. These countries have declared war on Israel several times throughout its short
existence. There are times when rockets are fired into Israel which harm and sometimes murder
innocent Israeli civilians. Luckily, the United States has given Israel tools to defend itself during
situations such as these. During Israel’s Operation of Pillar Defense in November of 2012,
militant Palestinians from Gaza constantly fired rockets towards innocent Israeli citizens across
the country. (Dombrowski, Kelleher and Auner 49) To help defend Israeli citizens, the United
States helped Israel create the Iron Dome. This anti-missile detection machine gave Israeli
citizens comfort since they knew that in the event that rockets were fired at them, the Iron Dome
would destroy the rockets before ever crashing down on them. Of the 1,500 rockets that were
fired from Palestinian militants during Operation of Pillar Defense, 84 percent were intercepted
by the Iron Dome. (Dombrowski, Kelleher and Auner 49) Additionally, the United States has
helped Israel develop the X-band Radar Station in Israel’s Negev Desert. (Oren) This station has
helped defend Israel from potential Iranian missiles that may be fired at any times notice.
Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro was quoted saying, "Israel is a vital ally and a
cornerstone of our regional security commitments…" (Oren) These circumstances are few of the
many situations that show how the United States has helped Israel defend its people. The United
States ensures that Israel will exist and abide by its core value of keeping its Jewish and even
non-Jewish citizens safe from enemies that want nothing more than to see them depleted. The
United States has also attempted to help Israel in the form of peace negotiations between
different countries.
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The 2000 Camp David Summit is a prime example of how the Unites States has done
everything in its power to ensure Israel would be able to live peacefully with its Arab neighbors.
In 2000, former President Bill Clinton invited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian
Chairman Yasser Arifat to negotiate peace between the two sides. (Shyovitz) On one side of the
negotiation, Israel proposed a plan for peace with the Palestinians, offering them land and a
stable system of clean water. On the contrary Chairman Arifat rejected all of these suggestions,
wanting nothing of peace with Israel. President Bill Clinton tried reasoning with the Chairman,
but in the end these negotiations ended up resolving nothing but more violence between the two
sides. Nonetheless, this event portrays how the Unites States has been vital in attempting to help
Israel stay safe from enemies that try to harm its civilians.
Israel is not the only country where Jewish people are safe. The United States has been
one of the very few places in the world where Jewish people can live without being frightened of
persecution. Before the United States was even proclaimed the United States, it was merely a
settlement of British colonialists. The main reason for why British immigrants came to North
America was to be able to practice their religion freely without being persecuted by the English
government at the time. This idea of religious freedom became the backbone for one of the main
laws the United States’ was found upon. According to Leo Pfeffer, a famous American Jewish
Layer in the 20th century, “Jurisdiction over religion, however, was never entrusted to
government and, indeed, being inalienable, could not be entrusted to it.” (Pfeffer 139) In this
quote, Pfeffer referred to the idea that religion could never be associated with law under any
circumstance in the United States. It is this sole reasoning that underlies the concept of why
Jewish people throughout the United States’ history have lived freely without any instances of
religious persecution. To further promote this concept that the United States is a safe haven for
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Jews, Leo Pfeffer is quoted saying, “It is probable that few, if any, nations of the world are more
hospitable to the free exercise of religion on the part of Jews and other religious minorities than
is the United States.” (Pfeffer 137)
From statistics gathered in 2014, the United States hosted approximately 5.7 million Jews, which
comprised 40.1 percent of the world Jewish population at the time. (Jewish Virtual Library ) It is
evident that since the United States hosts the second most number of Jews in the world, it must
be a place where Jews feel safe. If Jews did not feel safe in the United States, this statistic would
not hold true since Jews would have fled, which is shown in prior examples in history such as the
anti-Semitism present in France. To further demonstrate Jews awareness that the United States is
a safe haven for them to live in, one can observe the Jewish immigration statistics of a few years
prior to World War II. “During the years leading up to and including World War II, a little over
110,000 Jews were accepted into the United States.” (Feng) This shows how Jews perceived the
United States as a place where they can live freely without having to worry about being
persecuted.
It is evident that Israel and the United states are vital for Jewish people to live freely from
persecution. If the United Nations General Assembly and the strong alliance between the United
States and Israel did not exist, the well-being of Jews across the world would be in jeopardy. It is
important to note that although there are efforts to stop all anti-Semitism throughout the world, it
is almost impossible to control even in modern times. It is vital that the United States and Israel
maintain a strong relationship to ensure Israel’s citizens are safe from enemies. It is also crucial
that the United States maintain a strict obedience to its laws that enforce religious tolerance and
freedom for all its citizens since this concept is one of the foundations the country was founded
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upon. If these circumstances are to remain constant, then it will stay that the United States and
Israel are of utmost important for the security of Jewish people across the world.
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Works Cited
Dombrowski, Peter, Catherine Kelleher and Eric Auner. "Demystifying Iron Dome." National
Interest August 2013: 11.
Feng, Jonathan. When and why did Jews immigrate to America? 22 July 2009 . 11 April 2016.
Ford, Peter and Sara Miller Llana. "French Jews look to emigrate amid rising anti-Semitism."
Christian Century (2015): 2.
Gruner, Frank. "Did anti-Jewish mass violence exist in the Soviet Union?—Anti-Semitism and
collective violence in the USSR during the war and post war years. ." Journal of
Genocide Research (2009): 25.
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Declaration of Establishment of State of Israel . 2013. 11
April 2016.
Jewish Virtual Library . Vital Statistics. 2014. 11 April 2016.
Oren, Michael. "The Ultimate Ally ." Foreign Policy (2011): 8.
Pfeffer, Leo. "Religious Freedom and the American Community." Judaism (1979): 11.
Shyovitz, David. Jewish Virtual Library . 2006. 11 April 2016.
Weiner, Rebecca. Jewish Virtual Library . 2016. 11 April 2016.
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