Should I ever decide to make Vatican City my home (I covet their archives for my research), I understand that I may have to take an oath to a Catholic country. If I were allowed to live and work in Saudi Arabia, I might have to take an oath to an Islamic state. Neither of these would cause me, a Jewish person, to lose much sleep at night. If I moved to China, I might be asked to swear an oath to Chinese culture and the Chinese government. As long as I am allowed to practice my faith freely, however, I have no problem acknowledging that there is a culture that must be preserved, especially if that culture is seen to be under attack.
Therefore, I have no problem with Israel asking for a loyalty oath from its new citizens. My only issue is that it limits it to non-Jewish immigrants. I believe that every person should be required to take it, regardless of faith. In a world where Israel is constantly delegitimized (see my last post‘s comments for a taste of the hatred against Israel), it is wise of Israel to demand that the Jewish character of the state be recognized.
One misconception that needs to be addressed is that this requires an oath to the Jewish religion. Judaism is a faith and a people. We are an ethno-religious group that encompasses the payos-dangling Hassid in Bnei Brak and the most secular Kibbutznik who eats pork on Yom Kippur. A shared history and culture have united us in exile for two thousand years. We are a people and that is why we have a state of Israel, so we can fulfill what the Israeli national anthem Hatikva says. “To be a free nation in our land.” That is all the oath asks people to recognize. We are a nation in our own right.
Somehow, I don’t see Non-Jews in Israel being prevented from worshipping as they please. According to Freedom House, “Christian, Muslim, and Baha’i communities have jurisdiction over their own members in matters of marriage, burial, and divorce.“ Is Israel perfect? No; there is a lot to criticize. We have a long way to go before perfecting how Israeli Arabs are treated, but I don’t think this loyalty oath is one of the biggest problems.
American Jews have a right to critique Israel, but I think this is something that should go to a vote in Israel. I also believe in democracy and Israelis themselves should decide if this is what they want.
