By Lonny Moses

working towards a total revolution in values. They push forward a system of economics and government which is more like that of the United States – high rates of consumption, intense competition and rugged individualism. Coming with this of course, are greater poverty, inequality and alienation.

Most Israelis are against this revolution in values, as evidenced by the massive social protests that emerged in the summer of 2011, supported by 80% of the country, in which the main chant was “The People Demand Social Justice”. And yet, the fear of outside threats seems to leave room for these policies to advance.

Those who promote this individualized, competitive system, do so because they believe that it is the path towards prosperity. But, as we learned from Rabbis Ben Zakai and Hillel, when people start working for their own good only–when we lose our sense of decency, fairness, and collective responsibility–we lose social cohesion and ultimately, our prosperity is short-lived.

I’m not going to pretend to have answers to specific policy questions, such as whether the most recent war was or was not necessary. I don’t know exactly how many new housing units should be built in Tel Aviv, what exactly the minimum wage should be or how much of Jerusalem should be given up in a final settlement.

Don’t get me wrong, I have opinions on these matters, but I neither have all of the information to make a decision about these things, nor am I in a place to make such a decision.

What I do know is that if we want to prosper as a nation, we must all choose to be deeply responsible to ourselves, to others, and to our society as a whole. We must choose the values of community and justice over those of competition and greed. We must build our communities, on a grassroots level, around these values, so that we can address our Nation’s problems together. If we can do that, we have a chance at sustaining Moses' vision.

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