Israel’s Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, is a rich document that enables exploration of core values and aspirations of the founders of the Jewish state in 1948. This module can be taught in English, Hebrew, or a combination of both.
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations approved Resolution 181 calling for the division of Mandate Palestine into two entities—one for Jews and one for Arabs. The leadership of the Yishuv (term used to describe the Jewish community of Palestine) decided to declare the establishment of the Jewish state on May 14, 1948. This was the day before the British were to complete their withdrawal from Mandate Palestine. They focused on creating the executive, legislative, and judicial foundations of the state, preparing its defense forces for war, and numerous other tasks related to the establishment of a state. As May 14 approached, a committee was appointed to write a proclamation of independence. Ultimately, the final work was done by the sub-committee of David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Sharett, Aharon Zeisling, and Rabbi Leib Maimon.
The writers of the document set out to:
The time and place of the signing was not publicly announced as it was feared that the British authorities might attempt to prevent the event and/or that Arab armies might attack earlier than planned. While invitations were sent out discreetly, secrets like this were not easily kept among the close-knit population of the Yishuv. As the appointed hour—4:00 pm on Friday, May 14th—approached, thousands of people gathered in the street outside the Tel Aviv Museum on Rothschild Blvd., where the ceremony was to take place. The final draft of the Declaration of Independence was delivered to Ben-Gurion minutes before the ceremony was due to start in the building known today as Independence Hall.
Inside the large hall of the museum, Ben-Gurion read the entire document aloud in front of the 400 invited guests. This was followed by unanimous affirmation, the traditional shehechiyanu prayer, and the playing of the (then-unofficial) national anthem Hatikvah by the Philharmonic Orchestra (there was no room in the hall for the musicians, so they were seated on the second floor of the building.) Twenty-four National Council members who were present signed the document that day; space was left for the remaining 13 members—who either were abroad or were unable to reach Tel Aviv because of the siege of Jerusalem—to sign at a later time.
Learners will read the text of the Declaration, and through a personal analysis will be able to articulate questions that are raised from the text.
Throughout this Lesson, learners will engage in depth with the Declaration. They will identify key ideas in the text by dividing the Declaration into sections and writing titles for each section, articulate questions raised by the text, and share responses to some of the questions.
The following exercises provide opportunities to read, analyze, and question the Declaration of Independence, and to explore how the founders selected, defined, and incorporated founding values into this extraordinarily significant document.
Each learner should have a copy of official translation of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, with each paragraph numbered.
This resource is divided into 4 sections:
PART ONE
guides participants through the structure of the historical document, and the important role it played in establishing a state for the people.
PART TWO
enables participants to identify the core values that shaped a nation, and to experience the process through which the founders worked.
PART THREE
identifies the challenges or complexities surrounding the creation of the Declaration.
PART FOUR
encourages a deeper exploration into the meaning and implications of the Declaration.
1. The first section traces the connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel from Biblical times through thousands of years of exile; it references the aspirations, writings, and deeds of the modern Zionist movement and the unthinkable tragedy of the Nazi Holocaust.
2. The second section officially declares the establishment of the State of Israel.
3. The third section outlines the core values and principles of the new state, noting that they are rooted in precepts of liberty, justice, and peace.
4. The final section includes appeals to multiple audiences—the Arabs living in the new state, the neighboring countries, the nations of the world, and Jews outside the new state—and ends with a call for fulfilling the age-old dream of the redemption of Israel.
The founders of the State of Israel had to figure out how to tell the people living in the Yishuv, the Jewish people as a whole, and the world at large what the new state was all about. They drew from the past, present, and dreams of a future in framing the Declaration of Independence. They had to decide which values, cultures and basic rules would guide the new state. These decisions and the document that they crafted would influence the state from its founding until this very day.
In the following activity, learners will have a chance to stand in the shoes of the founders of the State of Israel. They will explore some of the challenges of identifying and ultimately including specific values into the foundations of the State of Israel.
Each learner should feel free to express their views candidly.
Through this exercise, learners get a taste of the challenges that the founders of the State of Israel encountered. It was clear that the Declaration of Independence would serve as the basis for the state’s being, but determining what would be included in the document was no easy task. (If issues related to the religious character of the State or to the status of women and minorities were not raised, it’s worth referencing this at this point.)
Provide time for learners to read the entire Declaration independently or in hevruta pairs. Ask them to underline any words or phrases that stand out because they identify with, support, question, oppose, or would like to better understand them.
Once everyone has finished, invite the group to share the passages they underlined and why they highlighted the phrases that they did. Encourage everyone to engage in conversation and to air different perspectives.
Encourage learners to use the word “because,” to help them support their statements.
Ask learners to read the Declaration a second time, using a different lens. Share with them a “chunking” of the text into four sections, and challenge them to capture the essence of each section by writing a title and a one-sentence description of each. This is a great opportunity to get creative and write catchy titles! They can include any questions that may have surfaced in their second reading of the document.
Leave enough time for everyone to talk about how they divided the document, and the titles and descriptions they selected. As varied interpretations arise, encourage the group to engage respectfully in an effort to understand different perspectives.
After the group has shared their titles and descriptions, move into the next stage: Let the group sift through all of the sections, titles, and descriptions, and assemble a “new” or “revised” Declaration that synthesizes the ideas, interpretations, and emphases that resonate for them. Asking everyone to work collaboratively can be challenging, but the results can be rewarding.
By hearing multiple perspectives on the Declaration, and by reviewing each section, learners will grasp the essence of the entire document, and understand their own perspectives on it.
Discussion:
This is a great opportunity to pause and gather the group’s impressions from this exercise. For example, what seemed to be similar across the groups? What was surprising? What, if any, were the significant differences and what might have accounted for these?
Use these questions—or your own—to help learners gather their thoughts about the challenges that faced Israel’s founders
Questions to Consider:
Step 4: Wrap Up Discussion
Use these questions—or your own—to help learners gather their thoughts about the challenges that faced Israel’s founders
There are many ways to guide learning about the Declaration of Independence. Consider challenging your learners to identify key passages or questions that concern them about those passages, and to explore them further. This can take many forms, including:
There are many ways to explore the meaning and implications of the Declaration of Independence. However you approach the document, strive to engage your learners in ongoing conversation. Their questions can spark meaningful discussions and help each individual forge personal connections to the ideas under discussion.
If you want to delve deeper into the Declaration of Independence, consider these questions, which may provide guidance for further analysis:
