Building the Israel of our Dreams

The Israel of today is an Israel that took Herzl’s words to heart – believing that, if you will it, it is no dream. We have the dream of Israel, and now it’s time to build the Israel of our dreams.

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Democracy failing.

Shared humanity.

An inspiration.

These were the words I was left with when asked to share a six-word memoir at the conclusion of the Federation board and Israel Committee’s journey to Israel this March. Over the course of six days we were confronted with both the miracle and the enormous complexities of Israel. Upon landing, the vibrancy of life was palpable. But scratch just below the surface and you uncover a multifaceted mosaic – brokenness, fragility, hope and inspiration – living together in tenuous harmony.

As an American Jew who has lived in Israel, I have a deeply personal relationship with the State and people of this land. I feel that our fates are tied and our responsibility to the sense of collectivity is inextricably bound. Our stories may be different, as we are living in two separate centers of thriving Jewish life, but the question we must now ask ourselves is whether our stories will continue to be written together or apart.

Traveling together with leaders from our San Francisco-based Federation, a narrative began with our first encounter, in meeting former Knesset Member Ruth Calderon, which continued through each of our days as we came to understand that Israel is experiencing a certain crisis of identity. It is grappling with – and is in the midst of seeking – a kind of self-actualization as it nears 70 years of modern statehood. For so long, Israel’s identity has been about its survival, about the external and existential threats to that survival. Today, Israel is facing internal challenges – the challenges that bring the country to life in the most beautiful and heartbreaking of ways, forcing us to face the reality that it is time to engage in a new conversation, both in Israel and as part of the Diaspora.

Through each of our encounters with our Israeli grantees and various thought leaders, we understood that Israel is built on a melting pot of identities, some overlapping, but each distinct in its expression. Today, each of these identities feels threatened – from the Haredim (the ultra-Orthodox) to the Arabs – leading to an internal societal conflict that is quickly coming to a head and forcing those who care about the future of Israel as both a Jewish and democratic state to engage in answering difficult questions, not least of which is: how do we create a shared society where each identity, and their worlds of meaning, are respected? Further, how do we create a level playing field for representation and opportunity, as we understand that it is not enough to simply say that we are all equal? We must create a space and reach a place where we can hold our identities as true – separate but connected through our shared sense of humanity.

This conversation was initiated by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin when he spoke about the need for a “new Israeli order” at the 2015 Herzilya Conference, asserting, “Israeli society is undergoing a far-reaching transformation. This is not a trivial change, it is a transformation that will restructure our very identity as ‘Israelis,’ and will have a profound impact on the way we understand ourselves and our national home.” He was referring to the shifting demographics of the four tribes of Israeli society – Arab, Haredi, religious Zionist, and secular. Each is distinct and, in many ways, separate, even as each tribe is very much a part of the ethos that is Israel.

Recognizing the existence of these silos, the Federation’s mission in Israel is aimed at strengthening the State as a “pluralistic and democratic society,” working toward the realization of equal opportunity for all Israelis. For decades, our Federation has invested in closing the gap between communities – as a seed funder for efforts in education on the periphery, investing in initiatives designed to bring the Haredim into the workforce, and piloting what is now a thriving leadership development program (Gvanim) that brings people together across these silos for a shared effort in shared society building. In many ways, our investments in Israel have acted as an accelerator, as several of the programs we have supported have reached self-sustainability or have been incorporated into government initiatives.

Today, our work is shifting as we continue to seek to close the gap between the dream and the reality of Israel. Today, inspired by the words of President Rivlin, and with an acute recognition of the ongoing fragmentation of Israeli society, we are committed to investing in initiatives aimed at transforming society from within, working with our Israeli partners on the ground to create pathways to integration and a shared society for each of Israel’s tribes.

This shift requires fortitude. It demands empathy and an ability to hold multiple narratives as true. It challenges us as individuals – and as leaders in our communal institutions – to maintain our principles even as another person’s humanity may call them into question. This shift means that we must create spaces for a new conversation around Israel and what it can mean to support its existence. We must be able to love Israel, to support her existence and fight for survival even as we acknowledge and accept that there are existential challenges she must face within.

As a young Jewish woman who cares about pluralism, human rights, and a sense of social justice, I am grateful that our Federation is able to hold the complexities – allowing me to be pro-Israel even as I grapple with the real societal challenges within Israel today around otherness. As a supporter of our Jewish community and its Federation, I feel an enormous sense of pride surrounding our work and investment in Israel. Even more, I am grateful to be a part of an organization that is committed to creating lasting change on the ground in hopes that, 70 years from now, Israel will be a safe, prosperous, socially cohesive country that is a home for the multitude of identities within its borders as a Jewish and democratic state.

For those wondering about Israel’s future, I returned from this experience unsettled by the societal challenges Israel faces and equally inspired by the work being done. Our Federation, true to its Silicon Valley ethos of innovation, helped our group see the Israel where you can dig in and challenge the status quo, and actively engage in building a shared society even through the difficulties that that effort presents. The Israel we saw through each of the programs we visited, each of the civil and social change agents we met, was an Israel that took Herzl’s words to heart – believing that, if you will it, it is no dream. We have the dream of Israel, and now it’s time to further build the Israel of our dreams. Our partners in Israel are doing this work each and every day – and we have the privilege, and dare I say responsibility, to help their efforts succeed.

Sarah Persitz is a member of the Federation’s Board of Directors and Israel Committee.

From March 6 - 11, 2017, the Federation’s Board of Directors and Israel Committee participated in a Mission to Israel to learn about the work of the Federation’s partners and grantees in Israel, who are actively and heroically building a pluralistic, democratic, and egalitarian society.