An Open Letter to the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin: 27 July 2018

Your Excellency, Kvod HaNasi: Ha Shalom v’ha Brachot.

I appeal to you to raise your voice, as you have done recently, on behalf of the 150,000 Druze who are beloved citizens of our country.

Since the 10^th century, Druze have loved the Jewish people and have respected them due to the historical relationship of their prophet Yitro with Moses our law-giver.

If the voice of Moshe Rabbeinu could be heard in our land, he would surely decry the shameful act of a new but unnecessary Nation-State law in which discriminatory clauses against our non-Jewish minorities are written.

In particular, I appeal as an Israeli Jew on behalf of all our Druze population.

No other minority group has ever shown the loyalty, love and dedication for our Jewish State more than the Druze.

They serve willingly in our military forces with pride and uphold the Zionist dreams. Their Druze blood mingles with the blood of our Jewish soldiers who have together sacrificed their lives for the security and honor of Israel. Our soil is covered with their mixed red blood.

The unexplained stubbornness of our Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to make simple amendments to the controversial law, defames the democracy and the humanity of Israel to the world.

The Druze ask for nothing more than our respect. They plead to our government and to our courts to show that respect for their people by eliminating from the new law those clauses which are objectionable to them and which, in their fear, would make them de facto second-class citizens, God forbid!

I understand the role of a President of Israel in contrast to the role of a Prime Minister, but I appeal to you, beloved President Rivlin, to exercise all powers which you may have to enable the defeat of all clauses in the new Basic Law which are harmful to our minorities.

Since the 1918 British Mandate in Palestine, and later adopted by the independent government of Israel, we had three official languages: Hebrew, Arabic and English. For 100 years we have upheld the equality of the languages. And even now, though Hebrew is declared the language of the Jewish people in Israel, we owe the right of Arabic to be an official language for the 21 percent of our Arabic-speaking population.

We Jews know too well the meaning of discrimination. We suffered for two thousand years. How then can we discriminate against non-Jewish citizens of our country? Where is the tzedek? Where is the humanity?

I appeal to you as the honored President of our country to lift up your voice strongly in protest and in defense of the Druze and other minorities.

May the Tzur Yisrael, the Rock of Israel, give you the strength to be the defender of our nation.

With great respect for you, I remain

Humbly and sincerely,

Esor Ben-Sorek, Ph.D.   a proud citizen of the State of Israel