On Remembrance and Independence: A Liberal Vision for Israel’s Future
- Apr 21
- 5 min read
Tonight, as Israel moves from the grief of remembrance to the celebrations of independence, we cross the most fragile and sacred moment in our national calendar. The names we recite on Yom HaZikaron are more than names: they are our friends, our partners, our children, and our neighbors. Real people who were murdered, kidnapped, or fell in defense of our millennia-long dream: to be a free people in our homeland.
Since the October 7 massacre, Israelis have carried unbelievable pain. Following the Holocaust, Israel’s very promise was “Never Again,” yet on that horrible day, we were once again defenseless against our enemies. 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, were murdered on that day alone, and hundreds more have died in the war since. 251 people were kidnapped to Gaza that day, and dozens returned in coffins.
We honor our fallen not only with memory, but with responsibility. The question before us is not only what Israel has endured, but what Israel must become. LIBRAEL’s vision rests on four pillars that together shape not just a secure future, but a hopeful one.
1. A Jewish Homeland
The purpose of Zionism has always been fulfilling the right of the Jewish people to safety, self-determination, and dignity in our ancestral land: nothing more, nothing less. October 7 reminded us why that purpose exists to begin with.
Our commitment to Israel as the Jewish homeland is not merely about Jewish safety and security: it is about Jewish life, culture, and identity, and about building a place that is home for all Jews - secular and religious, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, Ashkenazi and Sephardic.
Safeguarding this homeland requires building a society that protects its Jewish character while guaranteeing full civic equality for all its citizens. A Jewish homeland grounded in Jewish values of justice, human rights, and respect for minorities is not only possible, but the only version that can endure.
2. A Liberal Democratic Regime
Democracy rests on the belief that all people are created equal, directly connected to Jewish teachings about humanity being made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). The past years have revealed what happens when populism, extremism, racism, and xenophobia threaten that foundation. Our fallen entrusted us with the responsibility to live lives worth living and to build a society worthy of their sacrifice. That society must be democratic, committed to that ideal.
Democracy is first and foremost about free and fair elections, but it is equally about an independent judiciary, a free press, strong checks and balances, and equal rights for every citizen.
A democratic Israel is not a “nice to have,” and definitely not a façade to build our global legitimacy on. It is the moral compass that prevents the abuse of power and ensures that when we go to war, it is only because all other options have failed.
3. Security Around and Within Our Borders
Israel has real security needs. While we make mistakes and may have missed opportunities for peace, that does not mean our enemies are any less serious about their desire to see Israel wiped off the map by killing or displacing millions of Israelis. Many in Israel dismissed Hamas’s declarations and plans to breach the border and murder hundreds of civilians, mocking them as bravado - but that is exactly what Hamas did on October 7.
To prevent a repeat, we must remain vigilant: closely monitoring our enemies and their intentions, building defense forces that are ready and capable, and defeating threats as they emerge and before they strike. However, vigilance is not bloodthirst, and an assertive approach is not aggression. Force should be used only when necessary and only for defensive purposes, in adherence to rules of engagement and international law.
Security is not just the strength of our tanks or the speed of our fighter jets. True security also depends on economic cooperation with our allies and on smart, effective diplomacy. It also requires a cohesive society, which in turn demands responsible leadership capable of rising above petty politics.
Pursuing peace is not naïve, it is a moral and strategic responsibility. A realistic, open-eyed, grounded pursuit of peace, without jeopardizing security, is the only path for a thriving society.
4. A Thriving, Prosperous, and Inclusive Society
The Israel we fight for should be one where every citizen - Jewish and Arab, secular and religious, from Tel Aviv or the periphery - both shares in the burden and enjoys the success.
This means an economy that works for everyone, grounded in free and fair competition and enabling social mobility. It means strong, effective public services, including a fair welfare system that provides opportunity for all and is sustained by the fair contribution of everyone.
A society that excludes cannot thrive: it is not Jewish, not democratic, and ultimately doomed to fail. A society in which not everyone can take part in success and in which not everyone shares the burden is not worthy of our fallen.
A Liberal Vision from Grief to Responsibility
On all days, and especially today, we carry the weight of one truth: Israel’s story has always been written in the tension between the trauma of our past and present and the hope for our future. The soldiers and civilians we mourn did not fall so that Israel might merely survive. They fell so that Israel might flourish - free, democratic, Jewish, secure, prosperous, and hopeful.
Our task is to build an Israel worthy of their sacrifice.
This is LIBRAEL’s mission: to champion a vision of Israel that binds Israel's interest with liberal values. A vision that binds Jewish self-determination with liberal democracy; strength with morality; security with humanity; pride with humility; and independence with peace.
As we honor the fallen and embrace another year of sovereignty, may we commit ourselves to the Israel they dreamed of: rooted in justice, defended with courage, and guided by hope.
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