MY HOME

By Simon Fischler

I LOVE my adopted home, Israel.

When I decided twelve years ago to make Israel my home, many thought I was crazy.

Yes , I was doing something totally out of the box by making this move from New York to Israel. But I have never regretted the choice of making Aliya (immigrating to Israel).

Israel is a country of wonder.

Israel's beautiful scenery, multi-cultured society and democratic freedom make her amazing, and as the Jewish State she is totally unique.

The history is enough to blow a solid adventurer’s mind away.

Archaeological sites from the mountain fortresses of Masada, Gamla and Nimrod’s “castle,” to the Western Wall of Jerusalem and ancient “Tels” scattered throughout the country are awe-inspiring.

It seems every time a shovel goes into the ground to build a new structure, the remains of an ancient one appear.

Today all the marvels and wonders of Israel that comprise but a portion of its greatness are suppressed.

Sadly, my country has been forced to fight for more than six decades for its survival, against Colonialist Arab states that have made it their mission to destroy Israel and deny its right to exist.

Since birth Israel has been treated as a nation Ghetto. We have fought wars; now we have tried to fight for peace with these same Arab states, but to no avail.

A smear campaign that denies the Jewish nation’s right to self-determination is being waged.

Not since World War 2 Europe has such academic and political anti-Semitism been so acceptable, now it is disguised in the form of anti-Israelism!

Just last week the Prime Minister of Turkey, the nation that committed the first Holocaust of the Twentieth Century when they killed one million Armenians and Greeks, had the nerve to say Zionism is a crime against Humanity! This is the leader of the same nation that has been occupying Northern Cyprus since 1974 and Kurdistan since the end of World War One!

Zionism came into being during the Maccabean fight for freedom against Greco/Assyrian occupation.

Let's be clear, Zionism as the movement for Jewish National freedom has been around for thousands of years. It is and has always been the movement for Jewish Freedom and Emancipation in the land of Israel.

This national movement has spanned centuries, was around before Christianity, Islam, Anarchism, Feminism, Communism, Capitalism and most European Nations! No one, no matter how they want to re-write history can take that away from THE JEWISH NATION!

But, instead of recognizing Israel for her beauty, her freedoms, her multi-cultured, anti-apartheid society, many will try to beguile you with anti-Semitism disguised as "criticism".

These people do not respect Israel’s intense, democratic institutions, no matter how obvious the facts.

No, these people do not wish to see all that Israelis have built through their ingenuity.

Yes, our country is physically beautiful, but so are the citizens of Israel.

This is what bothers me more than anything!

We Israelis want peace; we have done way too much to attain it; yet this horrible smear campaign -- not simply directed at our government --is now directed at us, the people of Israel.

We are portrayed as a people who love occupying the Palestinians, when in reality it is the Palestinians who love being occupied and have rejected statehood on numerous occasions!

It is Israelis who created the Oslo Accords.

It is Israelis who voted in Ehud Barak in the late Nineties, in the hope of reaching a final peace accord.

How many nations would be willing to endure constant wars from both the Arab world and the Palestinians Arabs and still be willing to sacrifice for peace? None! History has proven it!

The majority of Israelis were ready and willing to give the Palestinians the HEARTLAND (Judea and Samaria) of Jewish history, just to reach peace between our nations.

The Palestinians and the leadership rejected this! They were too focused on destroying Israel, colonizing it and stealing freedom and emancipation from the Jewish Nation!

Do not believe the lies; please disregard the falsehoods about Israel. Do not be bamboozled by those who seek to trick you with venomous deceit.

If you want to know and understand Israel, come visit her. Come see our vibrant, beautiful, free and democratic country.

WE WILL WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS.