‘Why are you abandoning me?’

“Why are you abandoning me?” A Plea to Diaspora Jewry

I grew up in a Zionist community in Australia. Most of us belonged to Zionist youth movements and the person who left to go on Aliyah was something of a hero, exemplifying the values to which we aspired, living out the principles that we expounded.

When it was my turn, I felt that my community was embracing my decision and supporting me in every way.

We all believed in the miracle of Zionism. The Jewish people had returned to their ancient homeland and created an exemplary society, governed by the principles of the Declaration of Independence. We had joined the family of nations, we were free, secure and we were prosperous, so that our social welfare system could support the many who arrived in the Promised Land without many worldly possessions or those who needed extra support.

Israelis’ casual attitude towards formal dress or Western manners was endearing. They were sabras – prickly on the outside but really very sweet inside.

Israel was a melting-pot, where Jews from many places came together and all found their place. We had non-Jewish minorities who were treated equally under the law.

Our democracy was flawed but functional and even though many sectors of Israeli society came from societies that were distinctly undemocratic, including a very large group of immigrants from the Soviet Union and others from Arab lands, once here, they were educated about the advantages and privileges of living in a democracy.

Israel was the one place where I could live as a religious Jew without missing out on opportunities or facing discrimination. Religious and secular Zionists had built the state together in mutual respect and the figure of Rav Kook stood out as a model of this respect.

It is possible that all these things were true in the past. I believe they were.

What was also true was that Israel’s domination of the Palestinian people and complete failure to reach an agreement with them was tearing away at the values we held dear, inside the internationally recognized borders and beyond. But I didn’t know that.

I believed that so long as I didn’t live over the Green Line, I was not treading on Palestinian rights. I believed that the true obstacle to peace was the Palestinian leadership. Without excusing the Palestinians themselves for the obstacles that they have put in the way of peace over the years, I now understand that we are not simply victims in this cycle of violence and failure of justice. We contribute to it by not seeking ways to make peace. As long as I live here with all my privileges and am not active in making change, I am part of the oppression of another people.

Before I lived here, I believed that Zionist values were always compatible with justice and that that meant that any government elected through the system we had established as part of the Zionist vision would ultimately do the right thing. I thought that members of the government would be loyal to the concept of the State and that they would do what they believed was right for it. I believed that, like in all real democracies, the government would govern also for those who had not voted for them. I have discovered that I was wrong.

I have tried to explain to my many friends who live outside Israel that it is no longer true that Zionism means supporting everything that Israel does. It is no longer true that Israel’s democratic system works well enough that supporting the majority of Israelis means supporting the government. Today, to support the majority of Israelis, means to oppose the government. To support Zionism as we once knew it, is to oppose the government. To support democracy is to oppose the government.

And if you continue to support the government, you are abandoning us, abandoning the values of democracy and freedom which once motivated us all, you are abandoning the principles of the Declaration of Independence, and you are abandoning the thousands of Olim who came here with idealism.

In case you have not been following, the current government relies on Haredi parties whose members are not only not Zionist but some are openly anti-Zionist. They refuse to contribute to either the economy or the defence of the country but take unashamedly from its resources, both human and financial. The bills that the government is trying to rush through before the end of this session include bills to limit the freedom of the press and media, and to take away the only checks on parliamentary adherence to legal standards, to limit the power of the courts.

They have already funneled unprecedented amounts of money to educational institutions that do not teach basic skills and teach their students not to enlist in the army.

While leaving the Haredi sector to teach (or not teach) what they choose, they have tightened their grip on the public schools. They no longer allow organisations with a peace agenda into the public schools to broaden the discussion in the Citizenship course, and have even limited the sites to which students are taken on excursions to ensure that only one narrative is promoted.

They have passed laws which limit the rights of minorities, including especially Arab and Druze citizens of the state who have contributed in every way to the state since its founding. Racist jibes are frequently heard from ministers in this government – without any shame.

I cannot imagine how democracy can be saved if this government is re-elected. But it might be if the diaspora leadership continues to stand behind it.

Unlike Australia, there is no compulsory voting here. Many simply don’t vote because they do not identify with any of the dozens of special interest parties. Those who are overseas on voting day cannot vote. The complicated proportional representation system means that small, special interest parties can have disproportional power in a coalition. The best political maneuverers can out-maneuver those who might have greater public support.

And, sadly, the culture of racism is having an effect. In previous elections, the Prime Minister used scare tactics, calling out for people to rush to the polls are the Arab (citizens) were turning out in large numbers and needed to be outvoted!

Can you imagine that sort of racism elsewhere? A call to rush to the polls because the Jews are turning out in large numbers and we need to outvote them? Yes. It happens. But what do we think of those who make the call?

So please don’t abandon us – don’t abandon those of us who have held onto the values of democracy and freedom and a vision of a society that respects minorities and reaches out in peace to its neighbours.