Remembrance Day for democracy
Our civics textbook was nothing but a work of fiction
During the Shavuot holiday last week, I was speaking with some friends about ways we could protest in light of the exam. We resolved not to let the exam pass quietly, and we brainstormed about exactly what to do.
Suggestions included boycotting the exam, ripping up the test, and writing “protest” inside the answer booklet.
But none of the ideas came to pass, because at the end of the day, we had to take the test in order to graduate.
Work of fiction
So we asked our civics teacher, and together we decided hold a “Memorial Day for Democracy” ceremony, and we started to work on it as soon as the holiday ended. The ceremony will be today, as soon as the exam is finished. It will be similar to the traditional Memorial Day ceremony, with all the trimmings - a flag, candles, an emcee - the works.
To open the ceremony, the emcee will read, “We, the 12-grade students of Gush Katif, have gathered here today, having just finished our civics matriculation exam, to mourn the death of democracy in Israel.
“Over the past year, we have learned the principles of democracy, we have studied a book called ‘To be a Citizen of Israel.’ But unfortunately it is a work of fiction. Israel’s reality today is far from what’s written in the book.”
Violated principles
During the ceremony, we will also mention all the rights and principles we feel have been violated, such as “the right to honor and a good name.” We are Zionist pioneers, sent by the government 30-years-ago to turn a barren desert into a flowering Garden of Eden, but now we are denounced as “insane fascists” and “gold diggers” looking to squeeze as much compensation money out of the country as they can.
Of course, the insults have no bearing on reality, and they represent a very serious violation of our honor and good name. Today, we light a candle in memory of our rights and principles that have been violated.
We considered whether or not to show up to the exam, because we think that the way the government has conducted itself with respect to the expulsion is not democratic.
Future leaders
At the end of the day we decided to take the test because we - the youth - are the future leaders of this country. We took the exam out of a sense of responsibility, in order to breathe life into Israeli democracy.
We don’t believe in the current government, but we believe with all our might in the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic country. As the country’s future, we believe we can guide the country back to a path of justice, straightness, and not just headlines and media spins.
