opinion
Proud of Israel, Proud to be Israeli
Alan P. Gross
M y wife, Judy, and I made aliyah in May 2017.

Our time is divided between Tel Aviv and
the U.S., although more of my time is spent
in Israel. During this time Israel has held fi ve national
elections. From December 2009 until the fi rst day of
Chanukah in 2014, I was held hostage as a political
prisoner of the Cuban government. I know from fi rst-
hand experience what it is like to lose one’s freedom
to a government that has no boundaries, no checks
and balances on its power and authority and is
unresponsive to the majority of its citizens.

Throughout modern Israel’s 75-year history, its
government in no way resembled Cuba’s — that is,
not until the beginning of 2023. Overhauls to Israel’s
judiciary and basic structures impacting governmen-
tal balances of power were proposed in January by
the leadership of the now-ruling coalition govern-
ment. These reforms would restrain the judiciary’s
legal oversight over public policy and lawmaking.

If adopted, such reforms would grant the Knesset
(parliament) the power to override Supreme Court
rulings that deem legislation passed by the Knesset
in violation of Israel’s Basic Laws by reintroducing
the legislation and approving it by a majority of
Knesset members.

This would diminish the ability of courts to conduct
judicial review of the Basic Laws that serve as a pro
forma constitution, but not an actual constitution.

Proposed reforms would also change the compo-
sition of the Judicial Selection Committee and the
appointment of judges would eff ectively be given to
the ruling coalition in the Knesset.

Other proposed reforms would diminish even
further the relevance of civil courts in favor of
rabbinic courts regarding civil, commercial and other
matters. In other words, the foundation of Israel as a
democracy is now at real risk.

The response from Israelis has been swift and
unambiguously strong.

Each week for more than the last three months,
since the introduction of these and additional such
“reforms,” a broad cross-section of Israelis throughout
the country have peacefully demonstrated against the
government’s eff orts to push these reforms through.

defense minister (for doing his job), Israelis came out
en masse to protest. A growing number of military
reservists refused to show up for training, Israel’s
largest labor union called a general strike, travelers
at Ben Gurion Airport could not leave on their fl ights
because no fl ights were taking off , schools and
universities closed, and even McDonald’s closed.

The actions of the ruling coalition are deplorable.

Its leadership seems to be focused on avoiding
conviction in the same courts that are the key targets
of the proposed reforms. At least three coalition
ministers have been indicted — two have been
convicted — multiple times.

I am troubled by what the current government is trying
to get away with, but I am also gratifi ed to see a very
large cross section of Israelis coalesce to stand up and
speak with one voice.

Literally hundreds of thousands of young people, old
people, religious and secular, LBGTQI, Arab, Christian
and everything in-between Israelis are demonstrating
in every city throughout Israel.

All of this reminded me of mass demonstrations
in Washington, D.C., in the late 1960s and early
1970s. All of this revealed a ruach (spirit) I have not
witnessed since. It’s not that I am nostalgic for those
days — but to see that unity of purpose and commit-
ment to cause was no less than enlightening. And, of
course, Judy and I are participating.

When the prime minister summarily fi red the
As an oleh (immigrant), I am feeling almost euphoric
concerning the response of Israelis to all of this —
including those demonstrators out there in support
of the government, although their numbers are
eclipsed by anti-government demonstrators.

I am troubled by what the current government is
trying to get away with, but I am also gratifi ed to
see a very large cross section of Israelis coalesce to
stand up and speak with one voice. ■
not have won. The soldiers are being encouraged to
think they can refuse to serve until that bad choice
has been undone. Ehud Barak said exactly this at a
Chatham House talk last week. It doesn’t take a Henry
Kissinger to fi gure out that this is a recipe for self-de-
struction in very short order.

Over the last 2,000 years, the Jewish people don’t
have much experience in governing themselves, and
it shows. The people driving events are unembar-
rassed about saying out loud what they really think.

Though they cry “democracy,” their protests are
intended to disenfranchise those pesky ignoramuses
who vote unreasonably. People who genuinely
believe, and are arrogant enough to say, “We are the
light” are simply refusing to allow a government to
operate if it’s chosen by anybody else.

This is what’s happening in Israel and why it’s
happening. Zman lakum, Jewish people. Time to
wake up. ■
Alan P. Gross serves on the board of the Jewish
Electorate Institute.

Marcus Continued from page 13
In this, they have an unqualifi ed ally in the Supreme
Court, which disqualifi ed Aryeh Deri from serving as a
government minister. Deri was put in power because
his party won 400,000 votes. The court disqualifi ed
him on the simple and honestly stated grounds that
those votes had been cast unreasonably. It was unrea-
sonable, the court said, for Deri to be a government
minister. So, they ordered his removal from the cabinet.

The protests have even tainted the IDF, encourag-
ing refusals to serve that are explicitly based on the
refusers’ belief that the people elected simply should
14 APRIL 6, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Jerome M. Marcus is a lawyer in private practice and
a fellow at the Kohelet Policy Forum in Jerusalem.