A three-point pledge of peace, Justice and security for all is contained in the preamble of a draft of the Israeli Constitution which has been accepted here by a constitutional committee, as a basis for discussion. The pledge provides:
1. “To build our commonwealth in accordance with the ideals of peace and justice of the prophets of Israel.”
2. “To open our land to every Jew who seeks entry and to maintain the rights if the strangers within our gates.”
3. “To promote the peace of the Holy Land and the security and prosperity of all who dwell therein.” The pledge will be carried out through a sweeping program that will provide guarantees to all Israeli citizens of cradle-to-the-grave insurance, “an equitable share” of the national income and adequate education. Under the provisions of the constitution “everyone has the right to work” and the national government must ensure a decent living standard, regulate wages and hours, protect women and children and keep watch over labor’s right to organize and strike.
MEMBERS OF CONSTITUTIONAL COMMITTEE DRAW INSPIRATION-FROM THE BIBLE
Although the draft constitution is still in a rough form, the eight-man constitutional committee is already working on the preparation of laws based on the provisions of the constitution. Dr. Leo Kohn, deeply religious advisor to the Israeli Foreign Office who wrote the draft constitution, and the committee’s members, representing every point of the political compass, drew their inspiration from the Bible, particularly from such Prophets as Amos who railed against those who “oppress the needy and crush the poor.” A memorandum which Dr. Kohn wrote to explain the constitution is full of references to parables like the story of King Ahab, who paid for the sin of seizing the vineyard of a humble neighbor.
Dr. Kohn crystallized the Biblical teaching into this sentence which opens the section on social rights: “The economic order of the state shall be based on the principles of social justice” These principles are not, however, always easy to define. One problem baffling the constitutional committee is this: “If the citizen has the right to work does that mean the state is obliged to create work for him or that the state must divide all available work equally?”
Another problem stemming from the right to work clause is if the citizen has the right to work, does he also have the duty to work? On this question there is general agreement that Israel — a pioneer country with deserts to irrigate, swamps to drain and cities to build — must oblige its citizens to work. The Labor Party put it this way in its draft clause submitted to the constitutional committee: “Labor is the basis of Israel’s existence, the source of its being, happiness and wealth. It is a matter of honor for all citizens to do productive work.”
Dr. Kohn has proposed that provision for the health of all citizens should Be one of the “prime responsibilities” of the state which also should be dedicated to providing state insurance against accidents, illness, disability and unemployment in old age. Mapai, which controls the Jewish Labor Federation, Histadrut, agrees that these things should be done but feels the state is not rich or secure enough to finance old age insurance by itself. It therefore is pressing for a continuation of the present system whereby both workers and employers contribute to the old age pension fund. The major leftist parties seem agreed that this is not the time to push for an entirely socialist economic order because huge amounts of private capital will be needed for decades to build the nation and absorb more immigrants. They will be satisfied with a constitutional pledge to aid the cooperative movement.
TEXT OF PREAMBLE TO DRAFT CONSTITUTION
The preamble to the constitution reads:
“The Jewish people,
“Humbly giving thanks to the God of our fathers for having delivered us from the burden of exile and brought us back to our ancient land,
“Recalling the tenacious endurance and the heroic sacrifice of countless generations for the survival of our people and the preservation of its spiritual heritage,
“Gratefully remembering the faithful remnant which maintained the continuity of Jewish settlement in Palestine throughout the centuries and the inspired efforts of the national revival,
“Resolved to build our commonwealth in accordance with the ideals of peace and justice of the Prophets of Israel, to open our land to every Jew who seeks entry, to maintain the rights of the strangers within our gates, and to promote the peace of the Holy Land and the security and prosperity of all who dwell therein,
“Have adopted the following constitution:”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
