Israel at 77

Wildfires burn as Israel celebrates 77 years of independence

Dear Chevralah,

This isn’t going to be a long post, but it will be a strong one.

Today is Yom Ha’atzmaut, Independence Day in Israel. It marks the end of Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers and more recently, victims of terrorism. It also marks 77 years of the modern State of Israel.

For those who rely on TikTok and choose to forget history and fact, Israel is only 77 years old. To those who instead trust truth, history and artifacts, modern Israel is the bold and brazen updated version of the thousands years old Jewish homeland.

Strength in numbers

For those of you who follow the Jewish concept of Gematria — the practice of adding a numerical value to every letter or word—77 is powerful.

The word Az, strength (עַז) has a numerical value of 77. It’s also the root word that forms Azzah (עַזָּה) the Hebrew word for Gaza.

The first time the word Az appeared in the bible, was in Jacob’s blessing for his eldest son Reuven. Jacob acknowledged his son’s honor and position among the other tribes.

While strength wasn’t used as the traditional definition in that biblical text, it is the common definition in modern times.

Image credit Sefaria

Stronger together

When I chose a pen name for my work here at The Kumzits, I chose Patish, the frequently Aramacized Hebrew-ish word for hammer (in this case one used by blacksmiths). It was also a lighter version of the more traditional makevet used by Yael, the wife of Hever the Kennite, who slew the Canaanite general Sisera with said mallet or sledgehammer. It felt good to reclaim the idea of being a Hebrew Hammer.

Maccabees and Holocaust partisanim aside, the Jewish people aren’t necessarily known for our might. We’re more often known for our wisdom and tight family bonds and lasting tradition. But if the long months and now second year since October 7th have taught us anything, it’s that our fierce strength as a people that bonds us and protects us.

Israel is currently facing monstrous wildfires on the outskirts of Jerusalem, many believed to be caused by arson. And I, as many Jewish people wondered who in the world would help us fight the blaze, as we’ve helped other nations for generations. But in some things, we can only help ourselves.

And so for this mighty birthday of our precious Jewish state, let us celebrate our strength. And if our own falters at any point, let us remember to connect or reconnect with a Jewish friend or non-Jewish ally to shore us up while we fight this global wildfire of growing antisemitism.

Az. Strength.

Today and every day, we pray for peace, but we refuse to back down when it comes to defending ourselves.

🎗️Bring Them All Home Now🎗️