A State Cannot Be Jewish (Just as It Cannot Be Sad or Tall)

The tribal division in Israel, as outlined by President Rivlin, is effectively a reflection of what I call "The Political Anthropology of the State of Israel." The "Four Tribes" – Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi), Religious, Secular, and Arab – are a direct derivative of how the State defines the relationship between itself and religion. Since the State of Israel is officially identified as a Jewish state, its relationship with its citizens is derived accordingly.

The connection between a citizen's identity and a democratic state should boil down to the state's ability to define who is a citizen and who is not. And that is it. The rest of a person's identities – and every person in the world possesses far more than just a single identity – are determined by the individual alone. Only by them, and certainly not by the state. Defining identity is an intimate, personal, sociological, and psychological matter. It is definitely not a political one.

However, if the state is officially identified with a specific religion, this carries political and civic implications: which school a child will attend, whether they will serve in the military, or whether they can identify with the state’s symbols. These are questions of identity; questions that define who a person is. It is no wonder, then, that the citizens of Israel are divided into four tribes—which are essentially tribes based on levels of religious observance or religious affiliation—in direct correlation to the state's self-definition as a Jewish state.

Do any two religious individuals, by virtue of being religious, have more in common than I do with one of them? Do any two secular individuals, by virtue of being secular, have more in common than one of them has with an Ultra-Orthodox young man of the same age? Am I obligated to have my level of religious observance be a part of my identity?

I, Nir, am defined by President Rivlin – and by anyone who meets me on the street in Israel – as secular. I, Nir, do not define myself as secular. I have no issue with the definition "secular," it simply means nothing to me. It is not part of my identity; it is irrelevant to how I perceive myself and my identity. My level of religious observance is not a component of my identity. This is not due to a principled or philosophical decision, nor any decision at all – simply put, my level of religious observance does not define me. Just like that.

I do, however, see myself as someone who believes in the necessity of caring for the weak in society. I do identify with learning, with curiosity, with the desire to feel free to ask questions, to investigate, and to draw conclusions for myself. I do not define myself as secular because it conveys nothing to me; my religious standing is not part of my self-definition. I do define myself as someone who believes in the need to protect the defenseless. I do define myself as someone who believes that I, Nir, must give of my time, my abilities, and my resources to others who are in need, and not just to myself.

There are so many Religious, Ultra-Orthodox, and Arab people who could identify with every word I have written here regarding the way I see and define myself. And yet, they will remain in a different camp, a different tribe, because the State allocates resources, creates divisions, and establishes definitions that affect the individual and society by virtue of their religion and their level of religious observance. How childish. How distorted.

I am not naive. I am familiar with Jewish history and the development of Zionism. I am also the son of a mother who survived solely due to her own mother's resourcefulness. Only she and her mother survived. All the rest were Jews, and for that, there was no mercy, then, there. I know all this, but it has no connection to the state identifying with a religion, as if the state were a living creature with desires, preferences, definitions, and identities. The state is a political structure meant to serve the people by creating order and organization, capable of creating mechanisms that ensure the equitable distribution of resources and the establishment of priorities.

The State of Israel needs to define itself as a state that will be, forever and ever, a safe haven for every Jew, wherever they may be. By virtue of the historical story and the desire to ensure "Never Again" – the State of Israel will grant immediate citizenship and protection to any Jew who desires it. But the State itself is not Jewish, because there is no such thing. The State is not a human being. It follows, therefore, that the State should not distribute resources based on religion or level of religious observance. The State should not build religious structures. Does a community wish to build a Synagogue, a Mosque, a Church, a Ritual Bath (Mikveh), a Yeshiva, a Kollel, or a Madrasa? Let the community be honored to do so, raise the funds from within, and act as it wishes. Freedom of worship will always be preserved in the State, and no Jew – nor any member of another religion – should ever fear expressing their religion and faith wherever they choose, provided, of course, that they do not harm others.

The State of Israel is not a Jewish state, because such a thing does not exist. Being Jewish is a human matter. A state cannot be happy, sad, tall, or Jewish. The State of Israel is a state defined in a manner that divides its citizens and pits them against one another based on their level of religious observance and the religion in which they were raised. And this is further proof that the State of Israel is not a Jewish state – because this is not Judaism. At least, not my Judaism.

Photo: My Grandpa Moshe and me. Grandpa Moshe who lost everything—his first wife, the children he had. Grandpa Moshe who survived camps in Siberia, and who, after the war, married my Grandma Genya, adopted my mother, raised her as his daughter, and gave her his name. This is the photo I love most in the world because, for a brief moment, it seems that after everything he went through in life, there is a small measure of solace in the gaze between us. Grandpa Moshe is part of my identity.