‘Stand strong for Israel,’ urges Dr. Elana Yael Heideman

Amid what she describes as “a siege on Jews and Israel on every front,” Dr. Elana Yael Heideman, CEO of the Israel Forever Foundation (IFF), has invited the international community to join together in solidarity with Israel on May 14, Israel’s Declaration Day.

Asked what her message is, after more than 19 months of war since the Hamas assault on Oct. 7, 2023, Heideman told JNS: “I think that our message this year is never to be ashamed, to stand strong for Israel and with Israel, because the declaration of our independence is such an all-encompassing document that it enables us to identify who we are, what we stand for, how our soldiers are taught to fight, how our society continues to thrive.”

Sounding a note of hope, she added, “We are a people of life and the Declaration of Independence goes through the trajectory of our experience and ends with a message of life.”

Heideman stressed that Israelis and Jews, together with Israel’s allies and friends, need to feel confident enough to stand up and speak out.

“I don’t think that today many do. They’re very tarnished by almost 19 months since Oct. 7, and the world is in a worse situation than we ever imagined it could be on that horrific day. And we thought we could mitigate. We thought that this would not get worse. We see that it is.”

To counter the anti-Israel movement, she said, the pro-Israel community needs to be “grounded in the truth of Israel, and that includes the Declaration of Independence. It’s like saying we need to be grounded in our Torah and we need to be grounded in our prayers.”

Heideman pointed out that on May 15, Palestinians and the enemies of Israel mark Nakba Day, commemorating what they consider the “catastrophe” of the establishment of the Jewish state.

“Let them have their narrative of lies,” Heideman said. “As long as we protect our history of truth, we will take a step forward no matter what comes, no matter what it looks like in the next phase. And there will be a next phase. We want people to feel empowered.”

Conceding that this is “a massive burden” for the Jewish people, she nevertheless believed, “it’s possible,” and urged people all over the world to “pick Declaration Day” to demonstrate their support for Israel.

Declaration Day

“We are excited to have created a proactive opportunity to affix May 14 as the historical milestone that it was in 1948,” Heideman said in a special interview in JNS Studios in Jerusalem on May 8. “Declaration Day is the day on which the Yishuv, the Jewish leadership in Palestine, actually declared the declaration legally as a result of the conclusion of the British Mandate.”

She added, pointedly, “On Declaration Day, we have to reaffirm. And that’s really something every single person can do. So join! You can follow us at Israel Forever, and come to DeclarationDayIsrael.com and see all of the different options on how you can get involved.”

The Israel Forever Foundation, a nonprofit engagement organization that seeks to strengthen the connection between Israel and Jewish identity, launched the Declaration Day initiative in 2023 as an online program with 36 hours of informational and inspirational programming viewed by millions worldwide.

IFF is co-chaired by its founders, Richard D. Heideman, chairman of the inaugural JNS International Policy Summit, a former president of B’nai B’rith International and the American Zionist Movement, and his wife, Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, president of the International March of the Living.

Elana, their daughter, is a charismatic Jewish activist, historian, educator, writer and motivational speaker who made aliyah from the United States in 2005 and lives on Moshav Nes Harim with her three children. She completed her doctorate in Holocaust Studies, Antisemitism and Phenomenology at Boston University under the supervision of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Elie Wiesel.

In the third year of this global awareness initiative, she said, Declaration Day takes on new significance as Israel is forced to continue its fight for independence and freedom. “International affirmation of May 14th as a turning point will give profound context to the understanding of Israel’s legal rights, and a confirmed date on the secular calendar for which it should be recognized by leaders and nations, by young and old alike.”

“We celebrate Kaf Tet B’November, the 29th of November,” she said, referring to the day on which the UN General Assembly approved the Partition Plan to create the State of Israel. “And then when we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day), it’s filled with joy. But we lose the significance of that historical moment. And so we wanted to put this into public awareness increasingly, not only amongst the Jewish world, but the world as a whole, as a global initiative to affirm the same principles and values that were recognized that day when the Jewish state was reborn.”

This Year’s Event

Heideman said that this year, 77 years after David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the Declaration of Independence establishing the State of Israel, the IFF is hosting its annual exclusive event at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem, which will be attended by a host of dignitaries, the diplomatic community, invited guests and journalists. It will be livestreamed in Israel and abroad at DeclarationDayIsrael.com.

“On May 14, we invite organizations, communities, families, groups of all ages—everywhere and anywhere—to mark this historical day with purpose and pride,” Heideman said. “This gives us the opportunity to carry our Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations from among our communities outward and to invoke May 14 for its historic justice.”

By emphasizing the meaning of that historic moment, she said—the end of the British Mandate and the right of the leadership to proclaim national independence—“we can protect the integrity of the movement that enabled its fulfillment: Zionism and the Jewish right to self-determination that is maligned today.”

“We can bring history to life and build a proactive reaffirmation of the independence achieved by the rebirth of the Jewish state in the ancestral and biblical homeland of the Jewish nation. Amplifying the ancient path to independence and the fundamental steps to statehood, our collective mission will cement the date for perpetuity,” she stated.

Without disclosing the identities of the VIPs attending this year, Heideman said, “We are really honored to have been able to welcome so many diplomats over the years and we look forward to having a number of diplomats who will be addressing and preparing their declarations of affirmation in solidarity with Israel’s independence, but again, looking at its historical significance, not only for the Jewish world, but for all of humanity.”

She said there would be an online program whose agenda coincides with the historic developments at the Tel Aviv Museum on May 14, 1948. “At 1 p.m., secret envelopes were hand-delivered to people who were intended to be at this moment of the fulfillment of the miracle. And at 4 p.m. sharp, that’s when it began,” she said,

Echoing that buildup, Heideman said, IFF’s online programming focuses on historical events, “but we also have a very cool initiative that invites other people to share their own declaration. And so we have people submitting already from all over the world a reel that will be featured on Declaration Day so that they can stand together with Ben-Gurion and make their own declaration that we are standing united.”

She stressed that it was not a political event. “This is not left. This is not right. This is as straight as a fact in history. This is not hasbara (public relations). This is the truth. And so we hope that we can conquer the Internet, that we can take over Instagram with people putting out reels and videos and shout-outs,” she said. “Let’s hashtag Declaration Day. Let’s affirm it. Let’s make sure that every generation knows about it, because then we will never be able to negate the essential value of what took place on that day.”

Become a Partner

“Public, private, virtual or live, you can host or sponsor a program, you can bring the Declaration Day exhibition to your community, you can submit a personal or group video statement,” Heideman said. “Your voice can inspire others to mobilize their personal activism and do more to counter the denial of Israel’s rights as affirmed 77 years ago. Learn more or submit your partnership or declaration atDeclarationDayIsrael.com.”

At a time when Jewish rights are maligned and threatened in Israel and across the world, it is essential to amplify the practical and tangible elements of establishing understanding and respect, she said.

“Declaration Day gives you an original way to work with your connections in the Jewish and non-Jewish world and stand in unity with the ideals of Israel’s imperative destiny. We can give voice to the members, friends and allies of Israel and the Jewish people who stand united behind the undeniable facts of biblical and modern history.

“Declaration Day is such an opportunity. You can help get the day recognized by your city councils, state and national leadership. Declaration Day resources and activity kits make hosting easy for every Virtual Citizen of Israel to do something on May 14. Together, we can bring history to life in a purposeful way.”

Heideman said that Declaration Day can serve as a demonstration of the solidarity that is needed today: “A united proclamation of unwavering support for Israel’s right to continued freedom and independence, without threat, terror, or continued demonization and delegitimization. Building on our national pride and history, the affirmations of today will serve to uphold the principles of justice, historical accuracy and Jewish rights for tomorrow.”

A Declaration Day commemorative program in the JNS Studio will include a diplomatic roundtable in addition to the main event for members of the diplomatic community and international leadership in Jerusalem. For more information, partnerships and interview opportunities, IFF said, email Esty@israelforever.org.