Thoughts on Celebration of Israel’s 78th Anniversary and 250th Anniversary of US

Monday night, I was pleased to be the guest of the Midwest Consul General for the State of Israel, Elad Strohmayer, along with more than six hundred other supporters of Israel from nine midwestern states that the consul serves, at the annual Yom HaAtzmaut reception. The guests included elected officials, business leaders, faith leaders, and community partners from throughout the region. The event took place in Skokie at a large strictly kosher banquet facility near Mariano’s on Touhy, Ateres Ayala, named in memory of an 18-year-old young woman, Ayala Shulman, who died tragically in 2013. It is a lovely hall built by the Jewish community of the Chicago area to provide a venue for weddings, meetings, and other large events in the Jewish community.

After passing through the strict security, I proceeded into the enormous banquet hall. Buffet tables extended along the walls throughout the hall bearing a wide selection of Israeli cuisine in a never-ending display including unusual meat, fish, and vegetable dishes. Every offering was labeled since some items were unfamiliar to many of us. They were served in individual, small quantities to encourage people to sample different items. After surveying the hall, hoping to see someone I knew, I did not find any familiar faces – as far as I could see there was nobody I knew with the single exception of the Consul General who greeted me warmly and introduced his husband. From my brief encounters with folks at the various cocktail tables where I set down my food and drink, I got the impression that most of these people were either major donors to Israel or people from throughout the area who do business with the Jewish state. Many of them had been to such events before celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Apparently this is an annual event, though this year it was intentionally linked with the special 250^th anniversary of American independence as well to emphasize the ongoing special relationship between the two countries. After some brief encounters at the cocktail tables, Jewish geography did not completely fail me. I did meet a couple with whom I quickly found a connection. When the gentleman told me his last name, it was very familiar. I told him that I went to Seminary with a fellow with the same last name who was ordained a year after me and became a very prominent Navy chaplain. When I mentioned that, this gentleman laughed and said, “Well, I’m his brother.” Part of the hall was set up in an auditorium style with a stage in front. After milling around for about 90 minutes at the buffet, we were invited to take our seats for a program that was planned for the occasion. The emcee was a local minister active in interfaith activities who spoke glowingly of her recent trip to Israel and her amazement at the resilience of the Israeli people even during a time of warfare and danger. She introduced a video presentation sent by President Isaac Herzog who extended greetings to us from Jerusalem and spoke of the very close ties between the United States and Israel over the past 78 years of Israel’s existence. He emphasized our shared goals as well as our hopes for the future. He celebrated our common democratic values. Following a couple of lively musical pieces Consul General Strohmayer was introduced. He thanked the assembled for their gracious welcome to him over the past ten months of his tenure and his appreciation for all that we do to support the State of Israel. In his remarks, he noted that while there will be debates and disagreements, the partnership between Israel and the United States is bigger than any single issue or political moment. He said, “History is not shaped by what is easy. It is shaped by those who stand for what is right.” He was grateful for all the friends of Israel who had come out and who continue to stand with the Jewish State. He recognized my colleague from South Bend who is retiring and has been a major supporter of Israel over the years of his tenure in Indiana. He also honored his associate at the consulate, the Director of Civil Society, Jewish Communities and Cultural Affairs, Renie Schreiber, with whom I have worked to arrange the program with Elad Strohmayer last fall. Two other public officials who are strong supporters of Israel, Congressman Brad Schneider and State Comptroller Susana Mendoza also spoke of the close ties between Israel and the United States. It was a lovely evening, and it reminded us that while relations between the two countries are at the moment at a low ebb, shall we say, that this is far from the first time the two nations have disagreed over policy. One recalls the many ups and downs of relations over 78 years, so the current dispute between the U.S. President and the Israeli Prime Minister is not so unusual over the course of a long cordial relationship.

Some may recall President Eisenhower’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from Sinai during the 1956 Suez Crisis. The U.S. threatened economic and diplomatic consequences to force compliance. At that time, U.S. support for Israel was cautious and balanced with Arab and global strategic interests as it always has been to one degree or another.

Under President George H.W. Bush in the early ‘90s, ten billion dollars in loan guarantees were held up over concerns about Israeli settlement expansion during the Madrid peace process. Bush’s comment that he was “one lonely guy” standing up to the pro-Israel lobbyists was definitely not appreciated. There have been various significant disagreements over strategy during the attempts by different presidents to reach an agreement over the peace process, including Reagan’s 1982 peace plan, Obama and Netanyahu’s disagreements over settlements and Iran, and more recently Biden and Netanyahu’s tensions over Gaza policies.

At the same time, it is important to recall as well how Harry Truman recognized the State of Israel just 11 minutes after its declaration of independence against the advice of his State Department who feared damage to U.S.- Arab relations. After the 1967 Six-Day War, the U.S. increasingly viewed Israel as a strategic Cold War ally, particularly in light of Soviet grooming of its Arab clients at the time. This led to major increases in military aid and a commitment to maintain Israel’s “qualitative military edge” over its neighbors. From the late ’60s through the ‘80s military and economic support from the U.S.deepened dramatically.

In 1978, it was under U.S. President Jimmy Carter that the U.S. took on the role of broker for peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors. Carter, as we recall, sequestered Sadat and Begin at Camp David for over a week before they came out with the Camp David Accords. This was followed by efforts in the ‘90s by Clinton to forge a peace agreement with Jordan’s King Hussein and less successfully with Yasser Arafat.

Reagan saw Israel as a key partner against Soviet influence in the Middle East and encouraged significant joint military projects during his term. More recently, we know of the importance of the Iron Dome missile defense the U.S. has provided, as well as advanced aircraft, intelligence cooperation and large ongoing annual military aid packages to provide security in the face of ongoing Arab hostility. Certainly, we recall the immediate response of President Biden after October 8 and how he flew into Israel to demonstrate U.S. continuing support. Until this recent blowout, President Trump has been seen as a hero to many Israelis.

In short, while one might feel a bit uncomfortable celebrating the Israel-U.S. Partnership at the present moment, it is important to look back at past history, shared values, and mutual interests that have been forged since 1948. In that light, it is vital that we join together to mark these milestones and important anniversaries and recognize that true, solid friendships endure over the course of years in spite of challenges that arise and disagreements over policies of one administration or one leader as the years pass.

So, let us celebrate the ongoing ties between our nations and wish Israel a happy 78th independence day, as we look forward to marking 250 years of American independence in the coming days.