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August 20, 2004
A new vision for Israel
Jordan Levine hopes for a more progressive state.
KYLE BERGER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Jordan Levine had a vision. It wasn't an oasis in the middle of
the desert and it wasn't Elvis Presley at a local casino. But it
was something few people could imagine to be true. His vision was
a re-shaped Israel that finally brought peace to the Middle East
and it was presented in 3,000-word format.
Levine submitted his thoughts as part of a new project called Vision
in Covenant, which was organized by the Jewish Agency and sponsored
by philanthropist Itzik Devash. The idea of the project was to inspire
Jewish students around the world to present a vision for the state
of Israel and the Jewish people. More than 100 entries were submitted
– most in written form and others in dramatic form – and
26 were chosen to be presented in Israel during a week-long gathering
in July. Of the 26 concepts, Levine's was declared by judges to
be one of the top three.
Levine explained that his idea involved completely altering Israel's
relationship with the rest of the world in order to prevent the
country from becoming as isolated as South Africa was during the
apartheid era.
"My ultimate goal is an Israel that is completely integrated
into the international community," he said. "A country
that is more morally, socially and scientifically progressive than
just about any other country. [Israel] would basically withdraw
from the Palestinian territories, which would solve huge demographic
problems between our faiths."
After expanding on that idea briefly, Levine listed a few political
innovations he felt would also help the country: "A new electoral
system, a new body called the National Board of Ethics and efforts
for Israel to absorb political, social and sexual refugees from
other countries. That's the tip of it."
During the July visit, the 26 visionaries shared their presentations
with each other between meetings with various Israeli dignitaries
and political representatives from different movements. Levine,
who recently graduated from the University of British Columbia with
a degree in international relations, said that he enjoyed having
this outlet to express his thoughts.
"All these ideas were kind of in my mind for a while but I
had never formulated them into essay format," he said. "It
was a pretty good opportunity to kind of crystallize my opinions."
Levine will soon head back to Israel, where he will begin working
on his master's degree in Middle Eastern studies at Ben Gurion University
in Be'er Sheva. Beyond that, he's unsure of how much time he will
spend in Israel or what his relationship with the country will be
in the future.
"I'm not quite sure why I'm constantly drawn back to the country,"
he said. "I'll be there for the next two years and if I find
a good job opportunity that would allow me to somehow make an impact
on Israeli society I may stay.
"I think I'd like to live in Israel for a portion of my life
but I'm not sure I see myself living there permanently," he
continued. "If I do end up living there, I'd like to be involved
in creating a society in Israel that I would feel more proud of
being a part of."
The three winning submissions will be compiled in an anthology and
distributed throughout Israel.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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