MK Avi Maoz: 'The Bible is our identity; we cannot win without it'

The Knesset Plenum held discussions on Wednesday on strengthening Bible studies in the education system, and Deputy Minister and MK Avi Maoz spoke about the connection between the Bible, Jewish identity and the Gaza war.

Maoz told why the Bible is not a book of history, archeology or language, but the Jewish People’s source of national and Jewish identity and God’s divine message to the People of Israel, and via it, to all humanity.

Maoz explained why he insisted so persistently on the establishment of the Authority of Jewish National Identity, using a parable. "A person suffering from dementia can appear well-kept in his physical appearance, in such a way that it is difficult for a stranger to recognize that he is suffering from internal symptoms, especially if the stranger does not know him personally. But in terms of his own mind and awareness, changes have occurred, and he can reach a state where he doesn’t even remember his own name, he forgets where he came from and where he is going. In some cases, he doesn't even recognize his family members. The same situation can happen to a society, to the nation and to humanity, when they lose their personal, family, and national identities. In our case, we are also concerned about our Jewish identity, because of the effects of postmodern culture and progress.

"Today, there are those who deny their national and Jewish identity. The education system does not ensure that its graduates know and remember where they came from and what our national goals are, people deny their brethren, their own flesh and blood, there are those who confuse enemy with lover, judges prefer to ensure human rights of terrorists over the lives of Jews, and there are those who scream at demonstrations that the real danger to the Jewish country is not Hezbollah, but the prime minister. In such a situation they have no source from where to draw their strength to fight."

"The cure for this disease is by strengthening our Jewish and national identity, our identity that runs throughout the Bible, which every Jewish child should learn and recognize, not as a book of archeology, history or language, but as a the Divine message to the People of Israel that teaches us who we are, what does it mean to be a ‘chosen people’ or a ‘light unto the Gentiles,’ and what purpose do we play, a purpose that has all been instilled in us since time immemorial, a purpose that is critical to us and to the entire world, today more than ever," Maoz concluded.