So much of the American Jewish identity revolves around Israel, that it would be difficult to let the occasion pass without comment.

My wife, who teaches in a preschool/kindergarten program at our local JCC, has been busy sharing pictures of an Aish trip she enjoyed to Israel.  My youngest daughter, Amelia, is in her class, and at 3, it’s interesting to see how she relates to Israel, when she doesn’t necessarily understand the distinction between “the city” (NYC, of course) and Pennsylvania quite yet.  I’m excited for the first time she sets foot in Israel, those first moments where we are heavily scrutinized by security at Ben Gurion notwithstanding.  Once I make it safely through our little piece of OIF, I’ve made a promise to my family that we’re going to Israel, not Disneyworld.

This special time for Israel puts us, as American Jews serving in the military, in an interesting place.  Many of us, especially those with command responsibilities or security requirements, live under the specter of Pollard (and now Kadish), and the question of dual loyalty arises from time to time.  Jewish or Israeli friends ask, why not serve in Israel?

How does one celebrate 60 years of Israel without answering to those things?

I respond to the Pollard/Kadish question easily—espionage between allies is wrong.  I am not naive.  I am aware that it occurs.  Nevertheless, spies do not do what they do for altruistic reasons.  They skulk and steal, in direct opposition to our values, almost solely for personal gain.  The aggregate of Jewish citizens should not be judged by the greed of a few.

And we’ve moved past that time in our mutual national relationship.  I point to recent examples, posted on this site, of the extensive collaboration in the War on Terror between just the National Guard Bureau and Israel’s various defense forces.  As we learn from each other and share our resources, I find a great source of pride in that we both stand to contribute to the other’s national security.

Our shared values of plurality and democracy speak to why I see no difference between an American service member and my wife’s late friend Michael Levin, who gave his life as an Israeli paratrooper fighting in Lebanon.  We all combat the same evils for the same righteous purpose, though I envy the national call to service that epitomizes military service in Israel.

Israel at 60 is an achievement for the Jewish people in Eretz Yisroel or in Diaspora.  Its existence is a living, vibrant answer to the horrors of Shoah, and arguably, what could have left us a defeated people instead became impetus for not just the physical rebirth of a Jewish nation, but the reinvigoration of world Jewry. In a sense, with any b’nei mitzvah, brit millah, pidyon haben, or ba’alei tshuvah, the Land grows just a little bit larger, the emotional borders transcending the physical.

In the context of this forum, the pride I take in having “Jewish” on my ID tags is in no small part due to the extent of those borders.  I hope you all get the chance to reflect on what Israel means to you!