January 6, 2002“I find it impossible to serve any country in anyway that will endanger my life and the life of others. I find it impossible to serve a country that chooses those very goals that may force me to endanger the lives of others as well as my own. I believe in the right to question. My life goal is to strive to honor life itself and make this world and particularly this country, a better place to live in. If I allow myself to be drafted in the army I will sacrifice my ideals for those that I don’t believe in…I cannot serve a country where the national agenda is more militaristic then humanistic.” Yinnon Hiller, Pacifist and Jewish citizen of Israel (January 2000)
Dear Family, Friends and Supporters, On January 16th, 2002, Yinnon Hiller, 20, will appear before the Israeli High Court of Justice in a final attempt to be released from military service on the grounds of his beliefs as a Pacifist. Many of you have been following Yinnon and his appeal very closely for the past 4 years. We would like to thank you for the interest you have taken and for your kind words of support and encouragement during this time. Yinnon continues to firmly advocate non-violence and believe in creating alternative means for resolving conflicts. He objects to the organized violence used by states, and therefore to both the use and the existence of military organizations. Long committed to these views, Yinnon had not even undergone a preliminary physical check-up when he applied to the Israeli Minister of Defense, at the time Mr. Itzhak Mordecai, to exempt him from mandatory military service. Yinnon’s important test case comes at a time when issue of conscription is finally entering the Israeli discourse. More citizens are questioning the need for the type of military Israel has and asking whether the role that it takes in being an occupying force is warranted. Israeli law does not recognize the right of conscientious objection for men. Today we know for a fact that many young secular Jewish men and women are opting not to serve and have created a movement of draft resistance. Often the men are incarcerated for their resistance and their beliefs. Immediately following his graduation from High School, Yinnon opted to devote his time to voluntary work with children. He has committed himself to this mission for the past 2 ˝ years. During the first year he worked as a youth counselor with teenagers. Presently he is working with grade school children, ages 6-12, both in formal and informal education. His example of initiating an alternative civil service just strengthens the point that there are many ways an individual can serve society. Yinnon’s determination and conviction, as that of the many young women and men who have followed in his footsteps, has become one of the factors in the decision of New Profile –The Movement to Civil-ize Israeli Society to call for the end of mandatory conscription in Israel. Once again we would like to thank all of you for your support and constant interest. Without you we could not have persevered during the past 4 years. Please feel free to circulate this widely.
With high hopes for a peaceful future, The Hiller Family |
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