The Israeli crack up continues apace.

Israelinsider: Why a Jewish state?
by Gary Rosenblatt

It's a question our enemies have been asking for decades. But now, as the exhaustion and frustration over this summer's month-long war with Hezbollah sinks in, it is creeping into the thoughts of some Israelis as well.

Many are still reeling from the trauma of living under siege from missile attacks. There is a growing sense of frustration with a government and military whose leaders seem more concerned with holding onto power than using it in ways that will help the security and daily lives of their constituents.

The leadership of Israel is in free fall. The president may be brought up on charges of rape, the justice minister has stepped down to face sexual harassment charges, and the prime minister and defense minister face sharp criticism for their management of a war that seemed to proceed in fits and starts, with no clear strategy or imagination.

The soldiers fought bravely and the populace was incredibly committed to the cause, but those at the top seemed lacking in vision and a greater sense of purpose.

Particularly for the Israeli left, there is a questioning going on that is deep and disturbing, not only about the war itself, but about the concept of a Jewish state that must defend itself with alarming frequency on the battlefield and continually prove the legitimacy of its existence.

Hmmm...That must be a disease of leftists everywhere.

Moti Bar-Or, the founder and director of Kolot, an educational organization in Israel dedicated to bridging the gaps between the secular and the religious, said he has heard a number of people asking about the war, "b'shvil mah?" For what purpose was it fought? Bar-Or says he would like to see the people of Israel come up with a mission statement for their country, one that would take into account the growing gap between the rich and the poor, the ethical imperatives of helping the downtrodden (like foreign workers and young women trapped in the sex trafficking trade) and the fact that after enduring for centuries in foreign lands, Jews must deal with the responsibilities of wielding power in their own state.

At the core of such a discussion is the question of whether Israel should strive to be like any other state, as many of its secular founders dreamed, or to be "a light unto the nations," as the prophets dreamed?

Some weeks ago Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke about Israel's vision of being a normal state like Sweden, he said. Such sentiments are understandable, of course. Indeed, while Theodor Herzl and the founders of Israel saw the state as a refuge for Jews around the world facing anti-Semitism, the generation that followed wrote of the "New Jew," envisioning a society where Jews ran the government and cleaned the streets, and where Jewish policemen arrested Jewish prostitutes.

The longing for Israel to be accepted in the international community is powerful, but how does the quest for ordinariness correspond to the religiously inspired concept of an Israel that fulfills a biblical promise from God to Abraham and successive leaders? The Torah and the writings of the prophets are filled with descriptions of a land and people suffused with holiness, instructed to be an ethical and moral model to the world.

Standing amid the estimated 35,000 people gathered across from the United Nations last Wednesday in support of Israel and against the aggression of the president of Iran, I was heartened by the diplomatic, religious and moral leaders who gave voice to the crowd's moral passion. What brought us together was the common belief that Israel has the right to exist and defend itself, that the leaders of Iran should be held accountable for their support of international terror and that the United Nations has abandoned its noble goals.

Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace laureate, spoke of what unites Jews of conscience. "We must be worthy of our mission," he told the crowd. "Our mission is to preach ahavat Yisrael."

One could interpret those words simply as "love of Israel," or more broadly as caring for one's fellow man, a concept rooted in the Bible. Either way, they resonated with me in light of those who are asking, "b'shvil mah?"

As we approach Yom Kippur, the holy day that most reminds us through its liturgy not only of the fragility of our lives but of the comfort of feeling connected to a larger group, we have the opportunity to reflect on our mission, and embrace the ties that bind us.

We must not be worn down by our enemies and their senseless hatred. We defeat them through living fully, committed to seeking peace even as we protect all that is dear to us. And for all its faults, no other country better embodies that ideal than the State of Israel.