By Daniel Sokatch
SAN FRANCISCO — Today is Israel’s Independence Day. We have a lot to celebrate – and a lot to contemplate.
In many ways, the very fact that Israel is here today is nothing short of a miracle. Israel is home to a diverse society, full of people from a wide spectrum of ethnic and religious backgrounds trying to live together and make their country more open and more equal for everyone.
That diversity and idealism is worth celebrating, as are the very real accomplishments these Israelis have won.
But too many of the politicians in charge today have a very different vision – for a narrow, exclusionary, and ethnocentric Israel.
On Israel’s Independence Day, I’m celebrating the activists and change-makers who are making a different choice for Israel’s future.
I’m talking about the Israelis who are working to realize the vision of Israel’s Declaration of Independence – its founding commitment to “complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race, or sex.”
And that includes the 20 percent of Israel’s citizens who are Palestinian citizens of Israel, whose narratives and experiences are too often excluded.
Today, join me in celebrating the Israelis who are working towards a better future:
*The activists pushing for a future in which all Israeli children, whether they are Jewish or Arab, have the same opportunities to pursue their dreams.
*The change-makers working to ensure that all people can live freely, without fear of violence, terror, or occupation.
*The advocates demanding that people seeking asylum — in a country built to be a refuge for the oppressed — are welcomed and able to find a safe haven.
*The Israelis shaping a society in which every person, no matter their background or identity, is valued and cherished.
Today, we celebrate how far we’ve come, as we continue to work towards this vision for equality, democracy, and peace.
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Sokatch is Chief Executive Officer of the New Israel Fund