A Broader Vision of Israel's Significance

To the Editor:

Only we the generation born after the Holocaust are not forced to view the birth of the State of Israel as a savior. We now know that we can echo Rabbi Lamm's words by saying, "If only America had opened its doors earlier..." It is the generation that does not have the Holocaust embedded into their consciousness like those who lived through it, and the generation that sees Jews surviving in America too, that can deny that the mission of the State of Israel is to insure the survival of the Jewish people. We have the privilege not to be handicapped by Rabbi Lamm's myopic vision to see that his reasoning does not give sufficient significance to the current existence of the State of Israel. We have the privilege to be forced to dig deeper to find the true significance of the State of Israel.

Jonathan Snowbell

YC '98