Invitation to dialog for a better world

I am a human. I should do my best for the well being of all humans and living creatures, within the unavoidable constraints and uncertainties.

I am a scientist. Prejudices and personal beliefs are legitimate hypotheses that should be permanently tested. If they contradict reasoning or information, they should be modified or abandoned. A healthy educational system should confront students with diverse points of view and sources of information.

I am a Jew. In my opinion (I’ll try to avoid repeating this every time; everything here is my view and not an official statement), a Jew is someone ready to face a fate similar to that of the other Jews. The central teachings of the Bible are that all humans are relatives, that you should love the foreigner, and that your servant and your ox have the right to rest. Maimonides tells us that God does not want sacrifices. The most important Jewish tradition is veneration of study and discussion.

I am a Zionist. I believe that the Jewish people has made an important contribution to humankind and a Jewish State will continue this contribution.

As you probably anticipated, I agree with many statements by former prime ministers of Israel. Golda Meir: Being alive is more important than being nice. Shimon Peres: Palestinians should have all the rights, except the right to attack us. Menahem Begin: “Who is the victor? The one that turns his enemy into a friend.”

Less obviously, I agree with Yitzhak Rabin’s statement: This is not a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, but a conflict between those that want peace and the enemies of peace.

Who are the enemies of peace? Anyone who is not blinded knows that there are two peoples in this region (Canaan, Judea, Palestine, Eretz Israel, or whatever you name it). Both deserve self-determination, security, and dignity. A Jewish State has the right to absorb Jewish immigrants, and Palestinians living in it have to be treated as equal citizens, as stated in Israel’s declaration of independence. And the analogue should apply to a Palestinian State. Someone that denies the legitimacy of the other people is an enemy of peace.

I am a kibbutz member. If everyone does his/her best for society, and society does its best for everybody, everybody will be better off.