Canadian artist and film producer Yola Benforski has announced her decision to renounce her Israeli citizenship in protest against the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the ongoing violations against the Palestinian people.
Yola appeared in a video on Instagram on Wednesday morning, saying, "Hello, everyone. My name is Yola. I am an artist and a film producer in Toronto, and I am also an Israeli citizen. I left Israel 23 years ago and have been living in Canada since then."
Regarding the decision to renounce her Israeli citizenship, Yola confirmed, "It was a very long process that took about two decades," ever since she learned the true history of her country, not the history taught in schools, as she expressed it.
She explained, "This is my Israeli passport, this is my Israeli identity, and this is my army exemption card. I did not serve in the army. Last week, I applied to renounce my Israeli citizenship at the consulate here in Toronto. It was not an easy decision; I thought about it for a long time."
Yola continued, "In fact, it happened from the moment I knew the true history of the place I grew up in (Israel), and the reality of the history I learned in schools, or even the history that has been discussed throughout my life there, and it continued until last week when I went to the consulate."
She added, "Yes, I did it in response to the aggression that Israel launched on Gaza, but since this is not the first time Israel has bombed Gaza, why now? Why this particular moment?"
Yola answered the question by saying, "Because the number of casualties in Gaza has reached catastrophic dimensions, and although we are now in a temporary ceasefire or a break, or whatever you want to call it, it seems that it will not end soon because Israeli officials say that after the truce, they intend to continue the bombing for at least another two months."
Yola stated that she made the decision at this time because she is convinced that Israel does not genuinely care about peace, and she does not want to be a part of that.
Yola also spoke about the discrimination suffered by Israeli society from within, not only against Palestinians but also against some Jews themselves, whom they consider of lower status.
She also talked about witnessing the racial segregation in the treatment that Palestinians receive in the West Bank, the walls and barriers that separate villages, and the separation of families from each other.
Yola explained that this would have an impact on her relationship with her family and friends, her entire life, and it would likely be challenging to visit Israel again.
Yola wrote on her Instagram account, "Renouncing Israeli citizenship is possible and not complicated. I should also say that the process leading to it was filled with anger and sadness, but once it was done, I felt relief.
On November 8th of this year, Yola posted on Instagram explaining the racism she witnessed in the Jewish state during her time there, saying, "It's 1997, you're 16, still ignorant, eager to show your new ID card to your friends, only to be surprised when you discover that racial and religious dictatorship not only considers you non-Jewish (as they insist on stating on the card), but you're also this other kind of unmentionable person.
She added, "At that point, you never show the card to anyone and pretend you lost it. After 6 months, you get a letter informing you of compulsory military service. Born before, you're not Jewish enough for basic traditions like marrying in 'your country,' or being buried in an appropriate cemetery (non-Jews are buried outside the cemetery walls and cannot marry Jews within 'the state,' but you're certainly white enough to volunteer for 2-3 years to do their dirty work, mocking and torturing people daily, in ways that bring back childhood memories."
Continuing, she stated, "When you miraculously get the exemption card a week before your enlistment date, the reason listed on the card hints that you're not mentally fit for college or a professional job, and the military doctor signing it manages to spit out as many words of disgust and contempt as he can before leaving the room. To make you realize for the last time how selfish you are, and how low you are in the hierarchy, to the point where you refuse to sacrifice yourself."
On November 2nd, Yola posted a picture of Edward Said throwing a stone towards the Israeli border, commenting on the image, "On his birthday, please accept this picture of Edward Said throwing a stone towards the Israeli border, on his first visit to liberated Lebanon since 1982.
Just one day before, Yola had called on all Palestinians, Arabs, and allies to join the Palestinian Youth Movement in Toronto for the "National Day of Action.
Yola stated: "Let's show the world that we are not just individuals in solidarity with Palestine, but we are a movement that will rise from every corner of the world until all our demands are met."
Believing that Israel is an occupier of the land, Yola posted on Instagram on October 23rd: "I found this picture of the slopes of Mount Hermon, on the edge of the mountain range separating Palestine and Lebanon, in a book of engravings dating back to 1880. In the '90s, my brothers used to jump from these slopes into the sea, and in the '40s, trains from Lebanon traveled through a tunnel in the slopes, reaching Gaza and beyond."
She added: "I've become obsessed with a small building atop the mountain, present in every picture of this spot dating back to 1942. And here it is: in a picture taken while filming the borders in 2022, in the background of a picture of a family in 1994, hiding behind the war memorial in a photo of us from 1990."
She continued: "And in the corner of this picture, a Jewish soldier who participated in ethnic cleansing in the Galilee in 1948, photographed here a few years ago as a volunteer in the British army. I almost screamed in amazement when I saw the engraving dating back 145 years, where there's a small stone structure in the place where the building stands today."
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