This year, we mark 166 years since the birth of Theodor Herzl. As on every Israeli Independence Day, the torch-lighting ceremony was held near his grave.
If we had the chance, we would turn to him and ask: "Wash the dust from your eyes, Benjamin Ze'ev, put your hand on your heart and tell me: Is this how you saw it? Is this what you envisioned? Is this what you wanted?" He would look at the State of Israel at 78, think for a moment and reply. The very existence of a Jewish state in the land of Israel would move him deeply. The idea he dreamed of, and which through the force of his vision he sought to turn into reality, had taken shape and become real. Once the emotion had subsided, he would ask us:
"Have you read my book 'Altneuland'?" For him, it was a plan and a guide for building a state. He would go through its sections and examine the execution. The scientific development of the State of Israel and its transformation into a leader in progress, technology and high-tech would astonish him. Israeli science has broken boundaries, and today Israeli scientists, men and women alike, are renowned around the world.
Science has advanced medicine, agriculture has progressed, and technology has changed the face of society. He would be amazed by the range of cultural fields, styles and voices. In the State of Israel, Shakespeare is performed in Hebrew, as is Chekhov, alongside original literature and drama in a language he himself did not believe one would be able to use to buy a train ticket.
His head would spin from the mix of aromas and flavors, and a culinary journey through Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem would prove to him just how far we have moved from the reality he saw here. The State of Israel has become the home of the Jewish people, and at times also its refuge.
Herzl did not believe the state would need an army, but he would be moved by the quality of its male and female fighters, by the army's strength and by the spirit of sacrifice that has become an inseparable part of it.
Yet alongside the achievements, there would also be difficult questions. The establishment of a Jewish state was meant to be the answer to antisemitism. The fact that it has not disappeared, and has even taken on new forms, would disappoint him. Today's antisemitism also weaves in "anti-Israel" elements, and after the events of Oct. 7, old and new ideas have surfaced that challenge the very legitimacy of the state's existence. The situation of Diaspora Jews, who are forced to contend with fear, concealment and at times even violence, would also trouble him.
But above all, he would look at us and ask: Where are you steering the ship? The basic principle on which he founded his idea was simple and clear: "We are a people, one people." How did it happen that in less than 100 years, we are struggling to preserve it? He would turn to our leaders and demand that they set disagreements aside, put ego aside and take responsibility. In his eyes, leadership was not a slogan, but personal example, responsibility and sacrifice.
And perhaps that is the real question Herzl would leave in our hands: not only whether we have succeeded in fulfilling his vision, but whether we are capable of preserving it. Because a state can be founded once, but the ability to lead it, preserve its unity and steer its course is a test that leadership must meet in every generation, and especially at moments when a nation's path is put to the test.
