100 years have passed, and the future is in our hands. Where does the path lead? What achievements still await us? What crises? What challenges? The future is open. The challenges are enormous, but so is our vision, our capability and the strength of our alliance.
One hundred years ago, a group of people sat in a hall in London and dreamed of a different future for the Jewish people. Did they know what the result of their decision to establish Keren Hayesod would be? Did they foresee the crises and the difficulties? Did they imagine what would be achieved as a result of this decision? As we have seen in the 99 “Heartbeats” we just read, we have come a long way and achieved a great deal. More than could have been dreamed of at the outset. The founders did their job. They laid the foundation, against all odds. Our grandparents and parents continued their work, and on this foundation, despite great challenges, built a magnificent country with great achievements and a flourishing, strong and secure Jewish world connected by a strong and meaningful bond. Their generations learned the lessons of the past 100 years. They understood the significance of mutual responsibility and believed in it with all their hearts. They acted on this belief through Keren Hayesod, and together changed the world.
And now, where do we go from here? Responsibility to act effectively to shape reality and fashion the future lies with each and every one of us. It is our responsibility to continue this partnership, so that our children and grandchildren can grow up in a world in which they are secure, knowing that they have someone to depend on, that they are connected to a safety net, that there are people, some of whom they will never meet, who are there for them. We have inherited a world with a strong and flourishing State of Israel, which addresses the needs of every Jew, and now it is our turn to continue to develop it. The tangible expression of mutual responsibility among us as a people is Keren Hayesod. Keren Hayesod bolsters our pride in our heritage and helps us look to the future with confidence. So it has been for the past 100 years, and so it will continue to be in the future. Because in the face of the uncertainty of the future, one thing is clear – as long as the State of Israel exists, as long as there are Jewish communities around the world, as long as we are driven by a sense of mutual responsibility – we must continue together. Keren Hayesod and you. All of us together – for the people of Israel. For the sake of the future.
Photo: Artwork created by Yaakov Agam in honor of Keren Hayesod’s 100th anniversary