Today is not only April 20, 2010, it is also the 5th of Iyar 5770, which means that according to the Hebrew calendar it is also Yom Ha’atzmaut – Israel Independence Day.
I will share my own reasons for celebrating with deep pride and great joy, the highly imperfect but truly magnificent State of Israel, later. Until then, here are three reflections, from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief (whose son currently serves in the Israel Defense Forces) Ethan Bronner, and veteran Israeli political commentator, Ari Shavit.
From Ms. Pelosi:

Today, we join the people of Israel in celebrating 62 years of independence. Israel’s founding stands out as one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century – and it will continue to shine as a beacon of hope long into the future….For more than six decades, our nations have been bound together by common values of democracy and freedom. For the decades to come, we will continue to share a special, unbreakable bond with Israel’s government and its people. On behalf of all Members of Congress, I wish all Israelis a happy Independence Day.

From Mr. Bronner:
But there is something about the mood this year that feels darker than usual. It has a bipartisan quality to it. Both left and right are troubled, and both largely about the same things, especially the Iranian nuclear program combined with growing tensions with the Obama administration….One thing both left and right have come to believe is that the government’s difficulties with the Obama administration are likely to prove central to the country’s fate in the coming year, especially if Iran gets closer to making a nuclear weapon.
From Mr. Shavit:

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
It isn’t every day a journalist writes an open letter to the prime minister. But today is no ordinary day. Nor is this an ordinary hour. This is the hour when the clock is about to strike midnight. A rare confluence of circumstances has created a situation in which on Israel’s 62nd Independence Day, the state of the Jews is facing a challenge the likes of which it has not known since May 14, 1948. The year between this Independence Day and the next will be a crucial one.

My views will follow shortly, but what about yours. What does Israel mean to you?