At the 23rd Veida in 2024, Habonim Dror North America members added a new 6th pillar to the movement entitled “Collective Liberation of the Peoples in Israel-Palestine”. As part of this decision, a va’ad (committee) was created to create a tochnit (educational program) with this new pillar in mind. The va’ad worked to come up with the following definition for the pillar:
Collective liberation (inspired by the Combahee River Collective), to us, means freedom for all from the oppressive structures and cycles of trauma that sow continual conflict. It is forged through intentional relationship building, education, and reflection on what we have been taught in the past (including a reflection on the movement’s role in systems of oppression in Israel-Palestine) so that we may no longer define ourselves by our fear of others.
We know that right now as Israel becomes increasingly militarized and right-wing, it is making a joint future less and less possible. We as young Jews in Habonim Dror North America recognize that our movement’s connection to Israel comes with a responsibility to work towards a version of the State that holds true to our values. Because of that, we feel particularly concerned over this.
Collective liberation demands imagining a shared future for all peoples on the land. We believe that the futures of Israelis and Palestinians are deeply intertwined – that one group will not be able to sustainably live with security, freedom, and dignity without the other having the same and these cannot come at the cost of life, culture, and community of the other people.