An innocent lamb glows in fluorescent colors, its legs trapped. It is possibly waiting for the moment it will replace the one bound to the altar to be sacrificed by his father. The Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22, 1-18) is a key story in Judaism because of the moral dilemmas it introduces. Variations on this theme are also prominent in Christianity and Islam, as well as in Greek mythology, such as the story of King Agamemnon who sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia. In all these stories, the animal appears at the moment the knife is raised. In all of them, the dilemma of divine commandment versus personal morality raises ethical questions. It is a debate that goes beyond the observant world: how far is one willing to go to obey a command issued by a spiritual, political or religious authority? What sacrifice are people willing to make to fulfil such a commandment or ideological edict?

In Israel, where most young people are drafted into military service after secondary school, this moral debate is all the more poignant. The question of personal sacrifice versus political ideology is an existential question, an integral part of Israel’s biography since its establishment.

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