POINT OF VIEW
Why We Need Progressive Zionists
by Jay Brodbar, executive director, New Israel Fund of Canada
It is hard to begin without defining one’s irrespective of religion, race or sexnull it will areas of personal choice, such as marriage,
terms. Even Zionists, either in Israel or guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, divorce and burial. nullhese are threats both to
abroad, comes in various flavours, never language, education and culturenullnull the material existence of the nulltate of Israel, as
mind progressive. Is a Progressive Zionist nullo be a Progressive Zionist is to treat this well as its founding values.
Without mini-
someone who loves Israel, but as part of that vision of Israel as a nullust and democratic nullhere is a perception that Israel is moving
caring will publically call attention to its flaws homeland for the nullews seriously. It means away from such shared nullanadian values of
mizing outside
and what needs fixingnull nullell, Zionists who being engaged in some difficult conversanull democracy, dignity of the individual, enullual threats to Israel,
would not define themselves as progressive tions about what that means and what chalnull opportunity and the nurturing of diversity.
a Progressive
were at the forefront of loudly criticinulling the lenges must be met to continue nurturing nulle need Progressive Zionists to help engage
Zionist voice is
nullovernment of Israel’s withdrawal of nullanulla that original noble vision of Israel’s foundnull us in the honest dialogue and difficult tasnull
to the point of encouraging sedition from ing fathers. of addressing these challenges.
needed to
one of its nulley institutions, the Israeli nullefense nullithout miniminulling outside threats to nulllong with concerns with the power
remind us to
nullorce. nullo, that’s not it. Israel, a Progressive Zionist voice is needed and belligerence of Israel’s external ennull address rifts and
nullo I turn to Israel’s founding document, to remind us to address rifts and potential emies, Progressive Zionists can remind us
potential threats
the nulleclaration of Independence, a poinull threats from withinnull the growing economic that Israelis are fighting on a daily basis for
from within
gnant document signed by a beleaguered and educational gaps between the richest these shared values articulated in Israel’s
group of pragmatic visionaries in a hall in and poorestnull systemic discrimination against founding document. nullhose values and
nullel nullviv more than nullnull years ago. null vision Israeli citinullens, be they Ethiopian, nulluslim, those people emboldened both in Israel
with core values that every nullanadian can residents of development towns or any of a and abroad to cherish and protect them,
relate tonull a state nullbased on freedom, nullustice myriad of Israeli subnullgroupsnull the assault on deserve our vigilant support.
and peace as envisaged by the prophets of democracy by loyalty oaths or attacnulls on the
Israelnull it will ensure complete enulluality of sonull independence of the nullupreme nullourtnull and Have an opinion about Jay’s article? Send all com-
cial and political rights to all its inhabitants the growing power of the ultranullnullrthodox in ments to letters@fridaynightmag.com


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