On October 7, something in all of us died. But a few days later, it seems that something in us has also begun to live again.
In wars, when we are slaughtered, we are reminded that we are all brothers. It used to be clear to everyone that this is the state of the Jews. On the basis of this understanding, we were given a mandate from the UN, and on the basis of it, the Declaration of Independence was written, around which there is a consensus in Israeli society. Naturally, as time passes and memory fades, you can get confused. Over the years, questions began. Some asked if they were more "Jewish or democratic," some asked themselves if they were more "Jewish or Israeli" as if they were obligated to choose.
Judaism is a religion, but above all it is a nation. It is the heritage and the sources, it is the basic identity of all of us. Jews. Ask our haters – ironically they are the only ones who don't differentiate between us.
This may be a small detail in history, but to me it is significant: On April 25, 2002, then-Interior Minister Eli Yishai, an ultra-Orthodox Jew from Shas, decided that instead of proudly stating on his identity card that our nationality is "Jewish," we would turn our nationality into a series of asterisks without identity. The new biometric ID cards don't even have asterisks, they took away our nationality completely.
And why did the honorable minister at the time steal our nationality? Because a few days earlier, the High Court of Justice ruled that someone who underwent a Reform conversion could also be registered as a Jew. The minister, who wanted to avoid recognizing an official document such as an identity card for Reform converts as having Jewish nationality, decided to omit the nationality clause altogether. An Israeli combination that in the blink of an eye nullified the identity of all of us. And what did the minister actually say here? If the High Court of Justice decides for us who is Jewish, then I will burn down the club and no one will be Jewish. That was the message, that was the deed, and we were left with the consequences. From here began the deterioration: some sought to take advantage of the situation and turn our nation into an "Israeli" one, others demonstrated and claimed that they were democrats and not Jews. We went crazy. Then came the Nation-State Law, which divided and polarized us even more – and did not change the situation in the slightest.
It should be written in the official certificate issued by the State of Israel to each of its citizens - hence whoever sees it as a religion will see it as a religion, whoever sees it as belonging or a shared destiny will find himself there. One thing will be clear to the entire world - we have a nation, we have a common ground. We have past, present and future
Now that many of us have once again understood our right to exist in this country and their identity, it is time to restore nationality to identity cards. It should be written in the official certificate issued by the State of Israel to each of its citizens - hence whoever sees it as a religion will see it as a religion, whoever sees it as belonging or a shared destiny will find himself there. One thing will be clear to the entire world - we have a nation, we have a common ground. We have past, present and future.
I hope that this demand will come from large parts of the nation, which will become one voice that wants to reacquaint itself with its roots and find common ground between us again.
Many shy away from Judaism, which they perceive only as a religion. But Judaism in the national sense defines us, connects us to our sources and connects us. One might think that this is an act of only symbolic significance, but I believe that this is the basis of our unity. There are streams between us, but we are all Jews. If Hamas understood this, why shouldn't we understand it ourselves?
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