Over 200 members and leaders of various Israeli youth movements came together this Wednesday to call for an end to social polarization and express support for a compromise on the government’s proposed judicial reforms. The demonstration, held in Agranat Square outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, was a joint initiative of HaNoar HaOved v’HaLomed, Bnei Akiva, Machanot HaOlim, the Agricultural Union, as well as adult movements Dror Israel and Kvutzot HaBchira.
The demonstrators chanted "together we will prevent a rift in the nation," "Jewish and democratic – this is my country!" and "enough polarization – responsibility and negotiations!"
"This is a defining moment,” said Yigal Klein, Secretary General of the religious Zionist movement Bnei Akiva. “Here stand opponents of the reform, here stand supporters of the reform, here stands the entire spectrum together, and we say that we will continue to stand together, no matter what. These moments remind us of who we are."
Pesach Hauspeter, chairman of the socialist Zionist youth movement HaNoar HaOved v’HaLomed and coordinator of the Dror Israel movement, echoed Klein’s sentiment of togetherness. "We are in the middle of an earthquake that we have, unfortunately, experienced many times in the history of our people," Hauspeter said. “The only thing that holds us together, like the Earth’s crust, the only thing that is shared between us, is trust. If I cannot believe that the majority of the side that disagrees with my views wants the best for this nation in its own way, and if the other side also cannot believe that of me, it is a situation that slowly leads to destruction. It’s slow enough that it’s hard to see it before it’s too late. But that’s where we’re headed. And our role here is to act against this DNA which is so rooted in our people and so strongly characterizes our history.
"We really don't have to agree on everything, on the contrary. Constructive disagreement is perhaps the most significant thing in our culture and history," Hauspeter added. "We came here today to make a commitment to each other, that just as the Zionist youth movements stood together for over a hundred years to bring to the world this magnificent creation – the State of Israel – this is how we will avoid the erosion of trust between us. And I have no doubt that we will succeed; in fact, we will only succeed together."
Maya Shemesh, a youth leader in Hanoar HaOved v’HaLomed, also spoke at the rally. "I’ve been walking around for the last few weeks with a feeling of fear for our people,” Shemesh said. “That we’ve lost our empathy, the ability to understand the other. The division in the country is one of the most difficult that we’ve experienced. We must not give up on living here." Shemesh called on the leaders of Israel’s political parties to reach some kind of consensus. "We ask you to strive for a compromise, not to let sectoral interests be the ones to dictate what will happen in our country and society. The State of Israel is our home, for all of us, and we ask you to protect it, its society, and its democracy."
"The Connection Between the Movements is Needed Now More than Ever"
Asher Nahmias, Secretary General of Education in Bnei Akiva, spoke with Davar before the demonstration, saying "this demonstration is the product of two large meetings that we held in the last two weeks under the leadership of the youth movements, where meaningful dialogue opened hearts and deepened the connection that has existed between us for years, and that is needed now more than ever."
According to Nahmias, in recent weeks the movements have held a series of educational initiatives and discussion circles alongside protests throughout the country, including in Be’er Sheva, Haifa and Tel Aviv.
"Volunteers from the pre-army service year have been holding a mature and in-depth dialogue among themselves in recent weeks," Nahmias said. "We see this as extremely important, but furthermore, we felt the need to make a broad and shared public statement that the order of the hour is to continue working together."
Nahmias said that the joint demonstration does not express support for any particular political outline or bill. "Our arena is education and society, and what is happening today in the Knesset and the courts also affects the social circles in the State of Israel." he said. "On the other hand, our partnership proves that it is possible. It requires working together, but if youth movements who are so diverse and different from each other, that express all parts of Israeli society, succeed not only in sitting down to talk, but also in making joint initiatives and going out together with a unified message – this is certainly possible in other circles as well, and our leaders can do it too.
"We call on the country’s leaders to take responsibility and to under no circumstances deepen the crisis and polarization – but rather to work towards agreement and a shared dialogue," continued Nahmias. "This is the responsibility of the leaders, and we, the future of the State of Israel, call on them to behave this way."
Christian Shawn Sela, an 18-year-old member of HaNoar HaOved v’HaLomed in his pre-army service year, also shared his perspective on the demonstration with Davar. "The reform that the government is currently promoting is very troubling to us," he said, "especially regarding protecting the minority populations in the State of Israel: LGBT people, Arabs, women, and even the secular public who fear the consequences of disrupting the balance between the branches of government. At the same time, we are also opposed to a situation where no reform will occur at all. It is important to us that the voices of all the people in the State of Israel be represented. As a movement, we decided that we call on both sides to negotiate and reach a compromise."
Last week, Sela and his friends from the Chavat Hachsarah pre-army service year program held a joint demonstration in front of the President's residence in Jerusalem in support of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s attempts to promote a blueprint for reaching a broad consensus. "In the last few weeks, we held significant learning processes on the subject, and we also talked a lot about it with our younger movement participants," Sela said. "We presented all the information, with the goal that they also say what they think should be done.
"Our call is for a responsible and attentive political discourse, which recognizes that both sides have opinions, values, things that are important to them and things that worry them," Sela added. "On a personal level, I hope that what will happen in the end is that you will be able to come up with a proposal that will gain broad support, not only from the people in the governing coalition, but also at least from some of the members of the opposition."
Sela said that he is very happy about the joint initiative with Bnei Akiva and that he would be happy to see more movements from the right and left join them. "I don't see this protest as a protest of the 'left' or the 'right.' It is a protest of the youth, who care about their future and want to influence the future of the country. What we all have in common is the desire for the existence of the State of Israel and our fear is that due to the radicalization of the discourse and the widening of the social divide, the existence of the State of Israel may be in danger."
This article was translated from Hebrew by Hannah Blount.
