If 1948 Could See Us Today: A Yom HaAtzmaut Message of Pride | 10@9 | 2026.04.22

Many ask: how can we celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, amid struggle, uncertainty, and fatigue? Rabbi Moshe Taragin offers a powerful perspective - travel back to 1948, and imagine how that generation would see us today. Despite everything, they would want us to feel deep pride in what has been built. Rabbi Chaim Sabato adds a poetic insight: we may be too close to the moment to fully see it, but we are living amidst the blinding light of a historic redemption and the restoration of Jewish sovereignty. We are all on the same journey - sometimes slower, sometimes painful - but always moving forward. Today, we celebrate not because everything is perfect, but because something extraordinary is unfolding. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.