Hurwitz, Z: Begin

Whenever the name of Menachem Begin is mentioned, people of all ages and persuasions respond in the same way: "We need him now." What is it that "we need"; what is missing? Perhaps Menachem Begin's most important and unique contribution to the Jewish People was Supreme Patriotism. More and more frequently we hear and read accounts that show a loss of national will quite contrary to the spirit of Patriotism, which--in the words of Harav Kook, the Chief Rabbi of Eretz Israel in the 1920s, and of Menachem Begin throughout his political career--once reverberated throughout the land and the universe, "AHAVAT ISRAEL" and "AHAVAT ERETZ ISRAEL": The love of the people of Israel and the Land of Israel. This type of Jewish leadership today is lacking, and it is here that "we need him now." We miss his deep faith, his courage, and his Jewish pride. Yet, above all, Begin is missed because of his personal qualities of modesty, integrity, truthfulness, devotion, and adherence to principle, no matter how difficult or unpopular. For all these reasons and more we need him now.