I want to share a recent opportunity I had to represent our state on an international scale.
I was invited by the Israeli Consulate to participate in the 50 States One Israel Tour. It was an amazing experience.
Each day was full of information and emotions. We began in Old Jerusalem, where we saw and prayed at the Western Wailing Wall and then toured the tunnels beneath. Then we walked to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where it is believed Jesus was stripped, nailed to the cross, crucified and buried in the garden tomb.
I prayed at the wall, touched the Golgotha rocks, kneeled in the tomb and guessed at who each character in the mosaic art represented. Alabama is represented by a market place as you walk from the Wall to the Church!
Our next tour was the Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. It is heartbreaking to see how ‘hate’ can take over a people and then spread to a nation and other nations. It was a systematic hate, focused on the youth, there was even a child’s game about killing Jews.
The quote by Kurt Tucholsky, German essayist was most powerful, “A country is not just what it does – it is also what it tolerates.” One of the exhibits showed all the leaders who accepted the oath to the Nazi’s; government, judges, and church leaders. Afterward the group participated in a lightning of the fire, laying of a wreath, and a moment of silence ceremony.
The afternoon and evening of the first day we met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and heard about strategic challenges and foreign policy priorities and the enduring bond between Israel and the United States. There was a talk about how Israel and USA are not just allies, but partners, sharing defense, technology, innovation and similar values.
We then visited the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. They are the only democracy in the area. We had a beautiful panoramic view of Jerusalem at sunset and later a night view at Beit Shmuel Israeli market dinner. We met Speaker Amir Ohana and had amazing musical presentations at all 3 events.
The second day we headed to the Gaza Envelope. At a Kibbutz we met students, families and soldiers that survived the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack. Some people stayed in safe rooms for 22 hours, one of their friends was shot and bled out during the attack. They sang a song they had written for him. Houses were bombed, people shot, raped, and burned. All of this to a collective agricultural community with no military defense.
The Nova Memorial site was the most devastating that I saw. One of the deadliest massacres, 100s of young people were gunned down and burned at a music festival. Their families have put up pictures, with stories and memorials to their lives, Hebrew on one side and English on the other. The memorials are as far as you can see. Amir, our tour guide spoke of the young man he knew. As we left, I met a Christian Jew and his wife from Tennessee. Their names were Noam & Deborah Cohen and he gave me a book they had written, “Discovering Treasures in Hebrew Words. This was my special God Moment of Nova. Afterward, representatives from each of the 50 states planted a tree for a living legacy of partnership and solidarity.
Sunset on the Mediterranean and dinner with the Alabama group on the beach was a blessing at the end of the emotional day.
Each group toured Innovation and Leadership locations on day 3, ending in a State Dinner where the President of Israel, Issac Herzog held question and answer time. The CEO of Israel Aerospace Industry spoke to our group, saying he spent half his time in Alabama. Before leaving banking, I read “Start Up Nation,” a book that made an impression on me. I was excited to visit the Start Up Nation Central in Israel.
The last day we went to Samaria, the Balcony of the State, the 12-kilometer narrow corridor of Israel to the Mediterranean. We heard from vineyard owners, converted Palestinians, the Foreign Minister. Our closing event included Ambassador Mike Huckabee and a beautiful venue to celebrate an amazing trip.
On October 7, 2023 Israel was brutally attacked, without any warning or provocation. As countries and people, especially other democracies, abandon support of Israel; I believe some facts and beliefs should be considered:
1. Hamas attacked and still holds almost 50 Israeli hostages.
2. Israel is the only democracy in that area of the world.
3. USA is a partner with Israel, not just an ally.
4. Consider: does Israel or Palestine most closely align with your values. Israel warns Gaza before they bomb so people can move and sends a million pounds of food a day into Gaza. Who does that in war?!
5. In Genesis 12:3 God promises to bless those that bless Israel and curse those that curse Israel.
6. Lessons from the holocaust: systematic hate is built into Palestine from childhood. They are taught death to Jews, and to push them into the Mediterranean Sea.
7 . Most of the countries that surround Israel hate Israel and the USA.
This trip was an educational and inspiring experience. I am proud to represent our great state of Alabama in our continued support for Israel. May God bless the USA.
Collins is a fourth-term state representative from Morgan County.