THE HOLOCAUST IS OVER WE MUST RISE FROM ITS ASHES

—Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, Sigmund Freud, Heinrich Heine, Moses Mendelssohn,Baruch Spinoza, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and members of the civil rights movementin the United States. This is just a short and very partial list. Can the state of Israelbest herself to the level of these individuals and serve the world as a collective ofuniversalistic Jews, entirely diverse but mutually inspiring? Can Israel help the worldfree itself from its hostility block and blaze new trails to the venue of peacemaking,reconciliation and acceptance?During the twentieth century, the world tried twice to establish internationalorganizations to deal with global problems, with the League of Nations and later theUnited Nations. These organizations were founded to unite a world that was alienatedalong state and ethnic lines and to contain national conflicts in an age that wascharacterized by such conflicts. These conflicts are not what typify the world today.The fault lines today are along identity and religious beliefs, and therefore it is time toestablish a World Religion Organization. It sounds oxymoronic, especially consideringtoday’s escalation of inter-religious hostilities. It is also almost impossible, consideringthe union of the world’s religions in their opposition to gay parades, freedom ofspeech, family planning and the acceptance of beliefs and traditions of others.Nevertheless it is essential, as the alternative is widening world conflicts. Similartendencies occur in all the world markets. In the food market, the assumption is thateverybody eats, and therefore various manufacturers offer a variety of products tomeet the preferences of various consumers. The marketplace of beliefs is one of thelast markets where each faith product has its own corner of sellers and buyers, andwhere no open exchange between the various consumers takes place. It is time toestablish the free market of ideas, where everyone can express his or her opinion andeveryone can choose according to their own preferences and faith. The exampleshould come not just from believers in the street, the family, or the workplace, butalso, and especially, from religious leaders of all persuasions. The World ReligionOrganization can be established in Israel on an international sovereign land to expressits own nature and authority. It will belong to the world, and will admit only thosebelievers, sects, rituals, and beliefs that will be willing to take upon themselves amorality of a certain kind. This morality will be based on shared concern for charityand welfare to the needy wherever they are; acceptance of the other, who maybelieve and worship differently; and the ceaseless effort to widen the boundaries ofworld peace and advance the elements of liberty and human rights everywhere.I have no doubt that such an undertaking will be very difficult. Believers are not the