In the waning hours of the IDF's brief Operation Breaking Dawn in Gaza last weekend, as multiple blows were delivered to the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, the Israeli media chose to deploy a rather uncommon adjective to describe the outcome.

"Fenomenali", one talking head after another opined, Hebraicizing the English word "phenomenal" to sum up the army's impressive and rapid-fire achievements.

And to be sure, it appears that Israel's exploits truly were superb.

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Last week, Israel's intellectual scene received a long overdue injection of some good old-fashioned common sense, when the country hosted its first-ever Conservative Political Action Conference.

Founded nearly five decades ago in the United States, CPAC has become the largest and most important gathering of political conservatives in America, serving as both a platform and a laboratory for fresh ideas and policy prescriptions.

The initiative has expanded internationally, seeking to connect like-minded conservatives from different countries and backgrounds and build a global and influential network.

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It is a short video clip, just 33 seconds long, one that is both harrowing and horrifying in equal measure.

The scene is an ancient holy site, cherished down through the generations. Unseen gunmen off-camera can be heard firing a seemingly endless barrage of bullets at dozens of worshippers penned up in a small courtyard who are forced to duck for cover. Their only misdeed was a desire to exercise their basic right to pray safely and in freedom.

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It is a song known around the world, a national anthem that stirs Jewish hearts from Manhattan to Melbourne, giving voice to the yearnings of generations to return to our ancient patrimony.

Whether it is performed at the start of a basketball game or the swearing-in of IDF soldiers at the Western Wall, "Hatikvah" moves, inspires and challenges us to appreciate how fortunate our generation is.

I must admit that I still get the chills when I hear the first notes of "Hatikvah" being played, as though the chords themselves reach deep inside and touch something within the soul.

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There are certain moments in life that can best be described as transformative. One such moment is when you cradle your newborn grandchild in your arms for the very first time.

A few days before the start of Passover, I was blessed to be inducted into the grandfather club. I must admit that it will take time to get used to applying that term to myself or hearing others use it in reference to me.

Like Tevye the milkman, I look at my own children and cannot help but ask, "I don't remember growing older, when did they?"

But, the addition of grandparent to one's resume, as jolting as it might be, is hardly the most heartfelt or meaningful aspect of the experience.

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