Almost exactly today, 66 years ago, in July 1958, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion visited the Druze village of Julis. Ben-Gurion met with the late Sheikh Amin Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze at the time, during the historic visit in which the Druze were recognized by the State of Israel as an official religious community and as the request of the Druze leadership to recruit the 18 year old Druze to the army (similar to the Jews) was declared, as an expression of the Druze's belonging and partnership in the State of Israel and its leadership.
On the tour in Julis this Friday (28.6) we will visit the very place where the leader of the state and the leader of the Druze met, as well as the grave of the late Sheikh Amin Tarif (and other interesting points in the village). For details about the tour and registration:
In his speech at the event, Ben Gurion said: "The Druze community was the first in the State of Israel to understand that true equality is not only equality of rights, but first of all equality of duties. It was the first community that the Israeli government was demanded to recruit its sons into the army...There will be no difference between a Jewish soldier and a Druze soldier. We are all brothers and brothers in arms... the brotherhood between the Jews and the Druze in Israel is an example of common life, brotherhood has a global meaning."
Photo: Ben Gurion and Shikh Amin Tarif, in Julis, 1958
