Rosh HaShanah is a good time to reflect on the macro movement and condition of Jewish health in the world. 

We had in the 1940s, through 1945, the worst disaster since the Roman conquests and expulsions of Jews from Judea nearly two millennia ago.

And then, within three years following 1945, a handful of Jews gathered themselves, focused, and rose to the occasion and opportunity, and drove the British from western Palestine in a brilliant creative war of independence.

And then, over the past six decades, as more Jews gathered in the homeland, they, now Israelis, have beaten Arabs back in repeated wars (1947-9, 1954, 1967, 1968-70, 1973, and more – the campaigns go on with morphing combinations of enemies).

The Israelis have built a role model new society with a creative economy and social fabric, its only natural resource not wealth extracted from the earth, but ideas and energy bubbling forth from its people.

We usually don't think of it in that macro view, but from such a depth of disaster in 1939-1945, what resurgence!

Happy New Year.  May you and yours be inscribed for a good year.