Tonight at sundown marks the start of Israel’s 60th birthday.

Last week, the JEWISH TIMES Jewish cover story celebrated the relatively young Jewish state with 60 great things about Israel.

The 100,000 Jewish Baltimoreans – and anyone reading this around the world – can each add one thing they love about Israel. It may be its natural beauty or how it is the birth place of the world’s three great religions. It could be the Zionist spirit or the wonder of what the Jewish people have done in what was once an arid, desolate dessert.

Each time I go to Israel or learn about it, I find another thing to love. 

Unfortunately, I found another by accident.

One of my loved ones was just diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  It’s a horrible disease with no treatment or cure. Thankfully, there is a drug that helps prevent the disease from progressing and becoming terribly debilitating. The daily injection is called Copaxone.  It’s the only non-interferon for MS. That means it’s much more easily tolerated by a larger population.

Yes, you guessed it. It was discovered by Prof. Sela, Prof. Arnon and Dr. Teitelbaum at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. The drug is marketed internationally by Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals, which trades on the U.S. stock exchange. This medicine, which is produced in a country of six million people, helps many millions all over the world lead better lives.

It’s wonderful knowing that my loved one is receiving treatment; it’s inspiring to know that it’s happening because of the world’s only Jewish state. Today, we should all celebrate that the hard work, investment in education and the emphasis on science in Israel that is helping do a little tikkun olam. There’s so much written out of context about how oppressive Israel is. In reality, it gives the world so much more than it takes. 

I think that’s just one of many things that makes Israel great.