Hatikvah is a broad coalition of liberal and progressive American Jews who strive to fully actualize the vision stated in Israel’s Declaration of Independence: the State of Israel “will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace as taught by the Prophets; and will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed, or sex; and will guarantee full freedom of conscience worship, education and culture.”

 

Hatikvah is committed to preserving Israel’s democracy and the rule of law; believing that all of its citizens must be treated equally and their civil and human rights protected.  We marched with the pro-democracy movement in Israel and around the world to defend the judicial system. 

 

Hatikvah supports religious and cultural pluralism in Israeli society and in Jewish communities around the globe. For the State of Israel to be an engine for Jewish continuity, it must empower the wide range of Jewish cultural and religious expression. 

 

Hatikah opposes efforts by the ultra orthodox to impose their values on every Jew’s way of life, both in Israel and around the world, particularly through the mechanisms utilized by the The World Zionist Organization, The Jewish Agency for Israel, The Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael-World JNF, and the Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal. 

 

Hatikvah mourns the horrific acts of terror Hamas perpetrated on innocent civilians on October 7, 2023.  We call upon the government of Israel to prioritize the return of the hostages above all other issues. For as Maimonides wrote in the twelfth century, “There is no mitzvah so great as redeeming captives” (Hilkhot Matanot Aniyim, 8:10). 

 

Hatikvah calls for an immediate negotiated end to the war in Gaza. We maintain that military action, however justified, serves no purpose without a diplomatic goal at its end. We remain steadfast in our long-term objective of a diplomatic pathway ensuring freedom, security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians alike. 

 

Hatikvah concurrently calls on the WZO to work with all of the communities affected by this war, in the southern Gaza envelope where kibbutzim, bedouin villages and settler communities were destroyed as well as in the north, as they choose to rebuild or resettle elsewhere. 

 

Hatikvah fiercely opposes the policy of permanent occupation and annexation of the West Bank. Without a diplomatic pathway ensuring freedom, security, and sovereignty for both Israelis and Palestinians, we will continue to perpetuate the cycle of violence for generations to come. 

 

Hatikvah affirms that Gaza reconstruction plans are essential to the foundational roadmap that propels forward the peace process and self-determination for those living within the region. 

 

Hatikvah’s Zionism includes social equality, gender rights, LGBTQI+ equality and racial and economic justice for all. 

 

Hatikvah demands that all people are treated with dignity as we fight against racism in Israeli society and within the Jewish community. Discrimination based on the color of one’s skin or country of national origin has no home in Zionism. 

 

Hatikvah joins with Israelis in fighting gender-based inequities in all aspects of society.  We amplify the voices of individuals and organizations advancing reproductive freedom, equality in work, education, and politics; working to end violence against women and sexual harassment; an end to enforced gender segregation and the limitation of women’s participation in public events, both military and civilian.

 

Hatikvah recognizes that Zionism is not one-size-fits-all. There is a wide spectrum within Zionism of differing visions for what Israel's future can and should be. And so, while we all support the existence of Israel, unity does not mean uniformity. 

 

Hatikvah calls on the WZO and the national institutions to support programming for youth, college students and shlichim, all of whom foster multiple, diverse forms of expression of one's Zionism.

 

Hatikvah works in alliance with Israelis to promote environmental sustainability and supports working with Palestinians and neighboring countries to deal with regional threats to climate and water resources. 

 

Hatikvah uplifts the values of the newly formed Israeli party, the Democratim built from the merger of the Labor Party and Meretz, and identifies with other like-minded Israeli movements, organizations, and activists. 

 

Together, Hatikvah will work to ensure that the Israel we leave to future generations reflects the values, traditions and hopes we inherited from previous generations. Our Hatikvah, our hope, must lay the groundwork to a lasting peace.

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