People of the Land: The Jewish Claim to Israel
The stated goal of Egyptian President Nasser was the utter annihilation of Israel. He and many others in the Arab world insisted that Israel had no right to exist, and that Israel’s Jewish inhabitants were occupying lands stolen from Arabs.
What is Israel’s right to exist? The last Jewish state existed in the region some two millennia ago, and although Jews throughout the ages have yearned to return to their Holy Land, what is the strong association between a particular territory and Judaism—a religion of beliefs and ideas? This lesson explores why Israel is important to Jews today, addressing this topic from both the religious as well as pragmatic perspectives.