I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands: one nation, under God, indivisible, with freedom and justice for all.
These words, the pledge of allegiance which is engrained into every kindergartener's brani, have been the source of immense controversy in schools and courts in the United States. Who's God exactly are we talking about? Does this indoctrinate a certain kind of idea too much and too early?
In one of my classes, Israel: Conflicts and Common Ground, we've started exploring current issues in Israeli society that are hot-spots for arguments. We started with HaTikva, The Hope, the national anthem of the state of Israel. Here is the translation of the lyrics:
As long as in the heart within,, a Jewish soul still yearns
And onward toward the east, an eye still gazes toward Zion
Our hope is not yet lost; the hope of two thousand years
To be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem
It's a beautiful song, written by Herz Imber in 1878. As the official anthem, it's played at all ceremonies and people are expected to stand for it while it is being played, as in the US. But it is also clearly a point of contingency. In a state where the major minority, Arabs, are about 20%, would singing about Zion, a Jewish soul, and a two-thousand year hope be an issue? Examining current events around the country, it most certainly is. In the Knesset (parliament), several Arab MPs have stood up and left during HaTikva. It's known that many prefer not to sing it, and probably many don't know the words because it is taught less in Arab elementary schools.
Our next topic in this class was how do we deal with the problem? Should Israel attempt to come up with a more-encompassing anthem? Will that be accepted and popularized? This video is an israeli singer who has changed some of the key words in HaTikva
Jewish Soul: An Israeli soul
Zion: Our Country
Two Thousand: Ancient
In Our Land, the land of Zion: In our fathers' land
Our assignment for the week is to speak with Arabs and Jews about their feelings on HaTikva, and when we return to class on Thursday we will discuss potential solutions.
This is one issue, one of the smaller ones, that makes Israeli society a difficult and messy thing to understand. The United States, where there is a clear separation in the constitution between religion and the state, cannot agree completely on the Pledge of Allegiance. So in Israel, where the constitution bides a Jewish, democratic state, where is the line drawn in encompassing non-Jews?