I. Religion is divisive by nature and as such cannot be tolerated in our common social, economic and political life.

            A. Freedom of worship and religious congregation is to be guaranteed provided it does not disturb social harmony.

            B. Private schools (religious or non-religious) may be permitted so long as they meet the minimum educational criteria and do not preach the gospel of hate and intolerance.

            C. Religious symbols and religious dogma should not be allowed to disturb our collective life (social, economic or political).

                        1. Should any religious approval be required for transaction of normal business activities (as for example a certificate of kashrut for butchers or restaurants), the acquisition and renewal of such certificates must take place under strict government control and must be easily available to all at a uniform and reasonable fee.

II. Modern Hebrew is the national language. All efforts should continue to increase the vocabulary of Hebrew in order to enhance the utility of our language.

            A. The greater the vocabulary, the greater is our ability to communicate. The greater our ability to communicate, the greater is our ability to conceive. While expanding our Hebrew vocabulary no artificial or dogmatic objections should be tolerated regarding incorporation into Hebrew of 'foreign' words or so-called slang.

            B. Hebrew script has numerous drawbacks as compared to the more scientific Roman script. Consequently, either we must accept the use of Roman script in Hebrew documents or develop a modern Hebrew script which overcomes those failings.  

            C. English is the current global language. As such it must also be accepted as the second language to be studied compulsorily in our schools. We will not specify any "regional language" as Israel is to be recognized as a state within a global society rather than a regional one. However, Arabic must also be offered as an optional language in our educational institutions.

            D. Immediate steps must be taken to overcome the oppressive, male bias of the Hebrew language.

III. Universal Israel would constitutionally recognize the legislative and military authority of the World Government whenever such a body should come into being. In the meantime Israel must exercise its own legislative and military prerogatives, simultaneously appealing to the United Nations to assist in assuring our national security.

IV. A healthy system of education is essential in order to assure the future of our society. The role of Government is to finance our education system, not to interfere in educational affairs. Rather educational policies should be determined and administered by a board of educationalists elected from among the professional teachers on all levels.

            A. The standard of the teaching staff is the greatest single factor which determines the quality of education. All necessary steps should be taken to ensure that well-qualified individuals of high moral standard are encouraged to pursue the profession of teaching. Certainly the salary of teachers on all levels should not be less than those of other professionals or the average businessman.

            B. In order to ensure a high standard of education, libraries in our higher educational institutions will be judged on the basis of what books are available in the English language alone. Mere numbers of books in a multitude of languages cannot guarantee a satisfactory or uniform level of instruction.

            C. A truly universal education system cannot be unduly influenced by religious authorities of any persuasion as religion is inherently divisive and dogmatic. Religion and religious traditions are aspects of history which may be studied at the appropriate level of education as determined by an independent board of education.

V. Care must be taken to ensure equal rights and equal opportunity to all human beings.

            A. Equal rights of women must be constitutionally guaranteed, and no laws or religious dogma should infringe upon those rights. However the upliftment of women in society ultimately relies more upon education than legislation. In this connection religion is a major factor to be reckoned with. It is also a woman's right to accept the subordinate status generally dictated by religion; however, any woman who rejects such bondage and takes shelter in secular law must not be discriminated against by virtue of any religious dogma nor must her children face such types of discrimination. In particular, a recognized system of civil marriage, and not just a civil contract, must be accepted.

            B. Progress has been made and continues to be made on behalf of sephardim; however, special efforts will have to be made to assimilate all minority religions (especially Islam) and all minority races (especially the Negroid and Mongoloid). Palestinians whose ancestral home was Israel should be given an equivalent right of return to Israel, and Palestinian citizens must have exactly equal rights and privileges as Jewish citizens. In the interest of social justice, capitalism and capitalistic principles must be rejected.

            C. No discriminatory law or discriminatory propaganda should be tolerated in respect to any group of well-meaning individuals. So long as society continues to flaunt its sexuality, there is no just reason not to accord homosexual men and lesbian women a similar right.

VI. Animals are an essential part of our cosmic family and as such must be guaranteed their basic existential rights.

            A. Kashrut system does not ensure that the least painful method of slaughter has been used. At the same time the generally preferred method, i.e. stunning first, may or may not conflict with the system of Kashrut. In any event, an additional certificate should be given to butchers who kill in the most compassionate fashion, i.e. stunning first.

            B. As there are too many stray animals on the streets, some steps must be taken in the interest of public health. While we cannot ethically support the well-intentioned killing of all these stray animals, we should definitely sterilize them and attach a suitable tag to indicate that this has been done.

VII. Economic self-sufficiency and economic progress is vital for any society.

            A. The currency of Israel is the shekel, and all financial transactions must transpire on the basis of the shekel. No other index or currency should be allowed to unduly influence any financial transaction within the state of Israel. (Of course the NIS will fluctuate on international markets like most other currencies, and this may influence the price of any necessary imports.)

            B. As needed, tariffs and import duties must be levied in order to protect the reasonable price of local products, maintain full employment, and encourage the purchase of Israeli goods.

            C. Cooperatives should be encouraged as the focus of our economic structure. Small businesses would be allowed, and state-management of key industries is mandatory. All other aspects of the economy should preferably be materialized through cooperatives. The success of cooperatives relies primarily on three factors:

                        1. Morality

                        2. Strong administration

                        3. Whole-hearted support of the masses

Appropriate steps will have to be taken to ensure the enhancement of these three factors. Accordingly no cooperative should be allowed to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender or any other potentially divisive factor.

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