When Israelis celebrate their independence on Yom Ha’atzmaut, they find joy in the responsibility and freedoms of self-determination in their historic homeland - as well they should. Israel has, in a short 73 years, proven what can be possible when there is little more but determination and chutzpah. But the long and arduous arc of Jewish history has taught a powerful lesson that Israel does not only exist for moral, ethical, legal or historic reasons. Rather, it exists for a very practical reason as well.

Israel’s independence celebrations always follow the commemoration for the Holocaust to show the steep cost when there is no Jewish State in the world. Without the existence of Israel, antisemites around the world would feel emboldened to do what they want to the Jews, knowing that ultimately, this small, stateless people would be extremely vulnerable. And that is precisely a major motivator behind those who seek to destroy, demonize or de-legitimize Israel today. While there are certainly many legitimate criticisms to be made about Israel, none of these can justify denying Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

To do that would be to once again render the Jewish people vulnerable to the worst murderers in history. Fortunately, every single year, Israel reminds its people, and the world, not only that is has a right to exist, but of the potential consequences should it disappear. When the news media reports on Israel, that is a narrative often forgotten.

I’m Mike Fegelman and welcome to the Honest Report podcast. Please subscribe to our podcast, leave a review and share our show. If you're interested in sponsoring a podcast, please go to the HonestReporting Canada website.