A Proud Nation Ashamed

Today is May 14^th.

Once we were proud. The Jewish people had survived the Nazis’ attempt to eliminate us. We were here! We had declared our independence and were no longer an unwanted minority in someone else’s country.

Once we were proud of our Declaration of Independence, which contained values of equality and dignity for all. We were proud of our democracy. We were proud of our human rights and the invitation for minorities to feel at home and safe here.

Once we were proud that our legal system was admired in the world and our judges considered the greatest experts in jurisprudence.

Once we were proud that we did not rely on anyone else to speak for us on the international stage: we had our own diplomats and diplomacy; Israel was an equal partner in the international arena.

Once we were proud that our academic institutions had the highest level of academic excellence and were havens of free and creative thought.

Once we were proud of the collaboration between our scientists and others around the world. We were proud of the contribution we were making to countries and communities with economic disadvantage and to our enormous achievements in medical research, which were for the benefit of all of humanity. We were proud of the foreign aid we offered to others.

Once we were proud that we had created a state with its own defense forces. We were proud that no Jew need ever again feel unprotected or at risk of being attacked just for being a Jew. We were proud that we did not rely on anyone else to protect us.

Once we were proud that our army set the highest standards of morality in war: every soldier took an oath to do her or his best not to use deadly force unless it was necessary and to value human life, even in horrible and threatening circumstances. We were proud to declare the “purity of arms.”

Once we were proud that our Declaration of Independence called for peace with our neighbours: despite the skill of our army, it was not us who began wars or were an obstacle to peace.

Today, there are still some glimmers of light to give us pride. We are proud of our resilience. We are proud that civil society has not crumbled. We are proud of small acts of kindness.

But we are feeling so many other things as well.

We are relieved when our children come home safely and relieved when a day ends without a major tragedy.

We are perplexed as to how we have ended up where we are today.

We are sad. It is not just the ongoing war. There is heaviness in the air.

For many of us, we feel ashamed where we once felt pride.

And yet, we are determined to restore our pride in our country. We still sing “Hatikvah.” It is nostalgia for a time when we could be proud of our country and the values it represented. It is also an expression of hope that we can do better in the future.

77 years ago, the founders of the state had every reason to feel proud. They had achieved the impossible. In the following decades, so much was achieved to give us pride. However, all these years of pretending that we were not dominating another people who wanted the same freedoms we claimed for ourselves has had its toll. Not only has maintaining this pretence led directly to this and other wars but it has destroyed us from within.

It is understandable how the founders of the state did not and could not negotiate with the Palestinians for their parallel independence. I can understand the reasons why it did not happen immediately after the 6-Day War. However, today, there is no excuse. If we do not do it for the sake of justice for our neighbours, we must do it for ourselves.

Nothing can undo history. There will always be things about which we feel some embarrassment or shame. But the greatest source of pride will be when we right the wrongs. Israeli society needs to heal and rebuild. When we finally negotiate a peace settlement with the Palestinians and relieve ourselves of that guilt, then, we can begin to deal with many other issues and eventually we will feel proud again.