Election Time

by Gila Finkelstein

In almost a month, Israeli citizens will make their way to voting booths erected across the entire country,  and will vote for the political party which they consider best reflects their political-ideological views, thus exercising their democratic rights in practice. With election campaigning at its height, all the parties, from every side of the political spectrum, are feverishly trying to persuade those with voting rights to vote for them. Some flaunt the wonderful party lists they are presenting to the public, while others compliment themselves on their super-polished platforms.

But if one takes a deep look at the parties, one can easily see that there is only party that can justifiably boast about its ideology and its representatives – the NRP (National Religious Party). The NRP, which came into being in 1956 as a result of the fusion of the Mizrahi and HaPoel HaMizrahi parties, and has been since then the main home of the  Religious Zionist movement, was founded on the basis of the three inseparable tenets – belief in Torat Yisrael, Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael.

In addition to these fundamental tenets, the NRP proposes a reform in the agenda of  traditional, religious Zionism, which we base on three central principles – education, Jewish identity and social justice – combined with our commitment to Eretz Yisrael.

Education: the NRP promotes Jewish education in every sector of society. Education  was in the past and will continue to represent Israel’s main national challenge, particularly in light of the current undermining of the foundations of society and morality, which is endangering the unity of the Jewish people and its existence.

Jewish Identity: One of the NRP’s main goals is to safeguard the Jewish character of the State of Israel, the Jewish identity of the State and its commitment to the values of Zionism and Judaism. The NRP fought in the past and will continue to fight even after the elections to the 17th Knesset, to safeguard the character of Israel as a Jewish, democratic state.

Society: The NRP defines itself as a socially-oriented party, and as such it actively defends the interests of the weak sectors of society, primarily through legislation. In the last two Knessets (15th and 16th ), the NRP was a prime legislator in this field, and it will continue, in the 17th Knesset, to introduce legislation that promotes justice and equality in society.

Furthermore, at a time when every party is trying to put social issues at the top of the public agenda, one should remember and be reminded that the NRP was always attentive to the difficulties which confront so many citizens of the state. In light of the differential gaps in Israeli society and the worrisome poverty statistics, the party regularly lobbied in the past to receive the social portfolio (Ministry of Social Welfare) and it will continue to lobby for it in the future, in order to rectify the harsh social reality.

In order to illustrate the importance which the NRP accords to the application of the principles and ideology which it and its voters stand for, it is enough to look at the party’s actions during the destruction of the settlements in Gush Katif and Northern Samaria. During those fateful days, which will go down in the history of the State of Israel as an infamous blot, when our hearts became embittered as a result of the destruction and desolation which befell those flourishing settlements in the space of a few days, the NRP put every effort into helping the evacuees.  When our settler brothers were uprooted from their homes and their communities and had to confront physical and spiritual destruction, NRP members of Knesset conducted visits to the hotels and sites where the evacuees were taken, in order to strengthen their family spirit, give them encouragement and see to their needs and wishes. Nor was the legal arena neglected, for the NRP also lobbied hard to remove legal obstacles facing the evacuees.

It is important to stress that the NRP is not just another party; it represents an ideology, a way of life. In contrast to other parties, the NRP offers the public clean politics without corruption, and stability in what we say and do. At a time when so many parties are afflicted by corrupt practices, when the term “good management” has become a mockery and source of derision in the eyes of a large segment of voters – honesty and integrity are all the more important. Furthermore, at a time when the phenomenon of switching views and parties according to the way the wind blows is becoming increasingly pronounced, the stability offered by the NRP is all the more unusual and marks the NRP out from other parties.

Despite this, people will still ask – but why vote for the NRP, when there are other national religious parties?  Although it is true that there are other parties which concern themselves with the issues pertaining to Eretz Yisrael, and although it is true that there are other parties that promote religion in the country, and parties which wave the social banner, nonetheless, the one party which is actively fighting to safeguard Eretz Yisrael and the settlements, to safeguard the Jewish identity of the state, to make religious education accessible to the general public, and to better Israeli society and its weak sectors – is the NRP.  

Recently the NRP held democratic, secret elections to choose their representatives to the Knesset. We elected the best team in Israel – an experienced, responsible, representative team. The new list comprises the best and largest number of representatives of the religious Zionist movement; it is a heterogeneous list which reflects the many facets of the national religious sector. This team will bring the NRP back to its rightful place within the leadership of the state and at the center of the political stage, as was the case in the past and as it will always be – both as a full partner in the political and social leadership and as one of Israel’s main political movements.

In addition to the importance of voting for the NRP, as detailed above, there remains the question – who is the best leader to lead the citizens of the State of Israel?

Leadership and the qualities it demands has been discussed by sociologists and historians from time immemorial. The issue has aroused questions such a why does only a small percentage of the population become leaders and what does this small percentage possess, as well as theories and explanations that attempt, each in its own way, to explain the unique component that distinguishes a leader from the rest of creation.

In my humble opinion, the essence of leadership is found in the ability to inspire people to work towards the realization of a national goal or mission. Leadership is not gained  with the job or through the bestowal of a degree or rank. It is something that is acquired, constructed and crystallizes over time.

I believe that a leader who deserves to be the leader of his country is a leader who knows that he is not the source of power. He must be motivated  by a purpose and an ideology and not by personal aspirations and lust for power. In these difficult times in which Israeli society and the country as a whole finds itself, he will have to prove that he is a man with a national vision, a man who is far-sighted and able to see beyond narrow interests and beyond transient election slogans.

In the face of the challenges which we confront as a nation, he must have the ability to know in which direction to lead the nation, while constantly checking the relevancy of his views in light of changing realities. As a leader, he will be judged for his ability to promote the reforms that stem from his vision and put them into action, while remaining true to his ideology.

In conclusion, I call on citizens who wish first and foremost to safeguard the interests of the State of Israel, to vote for the NRP – a true party, which works unflinchingly on behalf of all the citizens of the State.

And as for our future leader, I hope to see a prime minister who will integrate the values of Judaism with those of Zionism: a prime minister who will strive to reduce the gap between the center of the country and peripheral areas and transform the latter into prosperous centers. A prime minister who will strengthen the hold of the Jewish people over its land and affirm its security; and last but not least, a prime minister who will be a leader in the full sense of the term: a man who will succeed in fusing the leadership that stems from his position with the leadership that stems from the trust people place in him and their willingness to follow him.   

Why Vote for Meretz?

By Tsviya Greenfield

I was born and grew up in an ultra-Orthodox community. I trained at the Bet Yaakov Seminary for Women teachers, married an American-born doctor who studied in a Lithuanian yeshiva in Israel. Today I live in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem and I pray in the synagogue of Neve Yerushalayim, a well-known institution which offers ultra-orthodox, Jewish educational courses to young girls from abroad who have little knowledge of Judaism.

Anyone who sees me walking in the street would find it hard to distinguish me from the thousands of other ultra-Orthodox women in my neighborhood. The way I dress, my way of life and the customs I keep are in no way different from the dress, way of life and customs of the thousands of ultra-Orthodox women who live in Israel. But, nonetheless, in one major aspect, I am very different from most of my community: indeed, in an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of the State of Israel, I – the ultra-Orthodox woman from Har Nof – hold today a realistic place on the list of electoral candidates of the Meretz political party.

The society I grew up in and the Torah in whose light I studied taught me that human beings were created in the image of God. Every human being! And that the Holy One Blessed be He is peace and his name is peace, and we are therefore commanded to “seek peace and pursue it”. From Isaiah, Chapter 58, which is the haphtarah that is read on the holiest day of the year, on Yom Kippur, I learnt the words of the prophet: “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shalt thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward (Isaiah 58, 5-8).

The society I grew up in and the Torah in whose light I studied taught me that justice, peace, concern for others and defense of the weak are essential tenets of Judaism. I was taught that the commandment to love the stranger, the Other among us appears thirty six times in the Torah, 36 times! In contrast, the issue of safeguarding Greater Israel does not appear even once in the holy Torah! No such commandment exists.

There is no commandment that prohibits the return of territories. There is no commandment that tells us to prefer land over people. On the contrary, God forbid that we should humiliate, suppress or ill-treat anyone who is not one of our people because we ourselves were strangers in Egypt and we should not forget the bitter fate that befell us when we were a persecuted, scorned minority. Nor should we follow in the footsteps of those who treated us with wickedness and evil. More than anything, we should take heed not to act as lords who suppress those who ask us to for their liberty and their rights.

When I grew up, I was astounded to discover that the political party which more than any other party fulfilled the obligatory principles of Judaism with which I grew up, was Meretz. Yes, yes, the very same party which was accused of being the party of Arab lovers and religion-hating “northerners.” No one paid attention to the fact that Meretz was the first party which understood the vital importance of ensuring our future as a Jewish, democratic state, and because of this very reason we have an obligation to work as quickly as possible to establish a Palestinian state separate from ours.

Many people also forget to what extent Meretz members have campaigned hard to defend the principles of justice and peace. They themselves are people who are extremely honest and modest; there is nothing underhand or cynical about them. People forget to what extent the corruption and greed for power that permeates our lives are alien to this party. More than any other party, Meretz includes in its platform the most important principles of Judaism as I learnt them, even though many of its supporters are – regrettably – unaware that their vote is fulfilling the fundamental and most important principles of Jewish culture.

To a large extent, those responsible for this alienation from religion are the religious parties themselves and the religious community in general which succeeded in convincing the secular population that Judaism is based on superstition, belief in amulets, prostration on the graves of tzadikim, religious coercion by the Rabbinate, hard-hearted rabbinical courts, occupation and settlements, military power, encouragement of poverty and ignorance, and many other ugly, shameful phenomena that are supposed to represent Judaism. In contrast, Meretz is the only party whose platform promises equal rights to all citizens – women and men, Arabs and Jews, religious and secular, those we agree with and those we don’t agree with – with no racial, sex or religious discrimination. Meretz is the only party which is consistently loyal not only to these principles, but even more so, to man as a human being and to all citizens, demonstrating sensitivity to their needs and their difficulties.

Instead of seeking pretexts for avoiding peace and shirking responsibility and social solidarity in order just to hold on to another few kilometers of land and stone and remain masters and suppressers of millions of people – the majority of whom are innocent citizens – who are deprived of basic human rights, Meretz upholds the holy banner of the sons of Aaron who loved peace and the pursuit of peace. Meretz will always seek to find the narrow crack through which – in spite of the many difficulties – it will promote its mission: a just society which will live in peace and freedom, without poverty or suppression of others and a society which will uphold its Jewish cultural identity with pride through the powerful fusion of memory and creativity. We consider this to be the true meaning of the vision of a Jewish, democratic state.

Another thing, Meretz is the first pluralistic party which has chosen an ultra-Orthodox, female candidate for the Knesset, and which is ready to welcome a religious person who is firmly committed to Judaism, as an authentic representative of its principles and its values. Meretz is a party which seeks to break down the ugly aspects of our lives and is relentless in its determination to create a new and better future.