Today is the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. And there’s so much to celebrate. In just seven decades, Israel has proven itself the ultimate “start-up nation,” widely recognized for its military might and enormous success in technology, medicine, science, the arts, and so much more.

It’s worth recalling the very beginning, when things were quite different. Seventy years ago, David Ben-Gurion stood at what is now Independence Hall in Tel Aviv and declared the establishment of the State of Israel. For fear that the British might attempt to prevent the declaration ceremony, or that Arab armies might invade earlier than expected, the meeting to declare Israel’s independence was not widely publicized. Nonetheless, even before Ben-Gurion began his historic speech, throngs of people gathered in the streets and broke out in song — strangers singing Hatikvah together.

The founding of the modern State of Israel offered Jews everywhere the fulfillment of a 2,000-year-old hope, to be a free nation in our homeland. And in that extraordinary, long-awaited moment, the worldwide Jewish community felt connected.

It’s that sense of connection we’ve been seeking to recapture these last few weeks, at dozens of events UJA-Federation has supported across New York City, Long Island, and Westchester — bringing together nearly 10,000 people. There are more opportunities coming up, and we invite you to join in the celebration.

As we all know, there are many strong and divergent opinions in our community today around Israel — about politics and diplomacy, about the best way forward for the country (and even about the best place to get falafel!). But Israel at 70 represents a critical opportunity to find common ground.

The arc of modern Jewish history — from the uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto (whose 75th anniversary we commemorate today) to a thriving, vibrant Jewish democratic state in 2018 — is breathtaking. But we can take nothing for granted. Not the sense of security and belonging. Not the fact that we were able to return home after two millennia of wandering, intolerance, and near annihilation.

And so on this milestone birthday, let us all celebrate the miracle that is the modern day State of Israel and all that it represents to the Jewish people.

Chag Sameach