And. overshadowed perhaps in size. but not in its spiritual and intellectual portents. is the return of Jews from all corners of the earth to their ancient homeland and the rebirth of the State of Israel. To have been a part of all this has been doubly exciting. because events that usually are spread over several hundred years have been telescoped into barely 50. Think of our own countrythe first settlers in the 17th century. painfully carved out of the wilderness and subjected to continuous harassment from the Indiansthe growing feeling during the 18th century that a colonial status was an intolerable one. culminating in our War of Independencethe rush of immigration from all parts of the world that characterized the 19th century. thus giving our country the manpower necessary for our unparalleled economic upsurgence of the 20th. These 4 phases. which took us 4 centuries. have been covered by Israel within the short span of a mans lifetime. There are people living today who were present at the first Zionist conference in Basle in 1897 when Theodor Herzy proclaimed his unique program for the establishment of a Jewish State.
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immigration