From the Editor

Nadine Epstein

It was a rare rainy day in the Negev when we arrived to interview the distinguished Israeli writer Amos Oz at his home in Arad. The taxi dropped us off at the wrong house, and, by the time we found the right one, we were chilled and wet.

Oz's wife Nily took one look at me and my son Noah and swept us inside. She settled us at the kitchen table where she served us homemade chicken soup, then sat and peppered us with questions about our journey and our lives. Two strangers couldn't have asked for a warmer welcome to the Oz home, or indeed to Israel.

The hospitality shown to us by this kind and lovely woman is emblematic of the best of Israel, the enfolding of Jews from around the world. How fortunate for North American Jews—for Jews everywhere—that Israel exists to strengthen our connection to our people, history and religion. Later, after the basement door swung open and Oz himself (dressed in his favorite old sweater) appeared with his cat to lead us down the stairs to his study, he reminded us of the critical need for a Jewish homeland.

"In the 1930s, when my parents and grandparents left Europe for Jerusalem, they were driven not just by a Zionist zeal but by savage, violent anti-Semitism," he said. "And they had absolutely no other place to go. They tried. Israel gave them a home. Not paradise, not heaven, but a home."

As he spoke, I imagined Israel as a blessing, and I could see that Noah, sitting beside me listening carefully, was envisioning the same thing. It helps to be reminded to consciously value this gift, one that we may not always appreciate in the tumult of daily life and the vexing conflict of modern Middle East politics.

And so in this issue, coinciding with the Jewish state's 60th anniversary, Moment contemplates Israel and the often contradictory, tough but gentle heart of the modern Jewish people. We think you will find each story fresh and illuminating and unlike anything in other publications.

There are excerpts from my conversation with Oz. Whatever your political beliefs, his thoughts are worth reading not only for their insight but for their eloquence. With characteristic honesty, he unravels the complexities of Zionism and reflects on the triumphs and mistakes of the last six decades. He also speaks of the long overdue decision he believes must be made to ensure Israel's survival.

Moment Senior Editor Mandy Katz traces the steep ups and downs of Israel's public image, asking whether the country could polish its reputation the way New York put back the shine on its famous "Big Apple." A new public-private campaign seeks to transcend the current, dark image of "rabbis and Rambos" through new approaches, including a controversial 2007 spread of nearly nude Israeli female soldiers in the British magazine Maxim.

For history buffs, I recommend "The Fall of the House of Herzl," David Zax's investigation into the long-concealed tragedies of Theodor Herzl's descendants. Although the father of Zionism entertained dynastic dreams for his children, he paid little attention to them as he traipsed across Europe drumming up support for a Jewish state. I won't give it away, but suffice it to say that this heartbreaking tale of family disintegration, mental illness, addiction and suicide at least offers a posthumous "happy" ending.

The state of Modern Hebrew also shows up in this issue. We visit the Academy of Hebrew Language, zealous guardian against English and other linguistic invaders. How can Hebrew's appointed guardians come up with new words to compete with English ones and then convince Israelis to use them? Hebrew, of course, also faces inroads as well from Arabic, as you will see in "Jewish Word."

A column by Nathan Guttman provocatively asks whether Israel should spend millions to help affluent Westerners make aliyah; David Shipler reviews Aaron David Miller's Much Too Promised Land: America's Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace; and Gloria Levitas takes us on a wild journey with Tudor Parfitt in search of ancient Israel's Ark of the Covenant.

But not everything in this issue revolves around Israel. Here in the United States, we are experiencing one of the most exciting presidential campaigns ever. Illuminating the relationship between Barack Obama and the Jews, former Wall Street Journal foreign affairs correspondent Robert S. Greenberger offers a profile of former Clinton administration National Security Advisor Anthony Lake. Now Obama's senior foreign policy advisor, Lake tells us why he chose to work for Obama rather than Hillary Clinton and what it feels like to have some members of the Jewish community lashing out against his candidate. He also explains why he converted to Judaism in 2005. Yet another story that's only in Moment.

I hope you enjoy. 'Til next time.