By Yossi Karp
It is not funny, but the Israeli political scene has become somewhat of a joke. The Prime Minister, the President and Members of Kenesset have been suspected, accused or indicted for bribery and corruption. It seems that the country has little faith left in its leaders. The reserve supply of respect for our leaders drops with every scandalous newspaper headline.
Our politicians come off as power-hungry and self-serving. They do little to dispel this perception. On the contrary, they tend to fan the flames of discontent by shamelessly carrying out actions that are clearly in their own interests and not necessarily (or often at best, dubiously) in the interest of the country.
The population’s faith in the leadership in this country is ebbing.
We have seen the same leaders come and go and then magically reappear again for round two. The perception is that the position of Prime Minister is handed out to various politicians on a rotational basis, regardless of performance. Once you are in the loop – part of the political elite – all you have to do is to wait patiently until your turn comes around again. Case in point: Ehud Barak: the one who offered Arafat Israel-on-a-platter; the one who retreated from Lebanon with disastrous results; is again on the rise.
New politicians coming into the picture need to brace themselves. Their fresh outlook has to withstand the pressure that will inevitably weigh down on their new ideas; pressure emanating from long-serving politicians. Newcomers to the political scene have to be willing to resist the temptation to become just another clone of the older generation politicians. One learns from one’s teachers, and who better to teach than those with experience? But to make a significant difference and for innovative ideas to be accepted, the new politician will have to have the wherewithal to shrug off the “helping hand” of those currently in power. The new politician will have to be strong to retain the idealism that is so sorely lacking in Israeli politics today.
It doesn’t take long for new powerbrokers in the Israeli Government to sell their soul. Once offered a Ministry, the trend is to do whatever it takes to retain it, even if it means compromising principles. That is the kind of leader we do not need.
The kind of leader we do need is a principled one. Someone who has the backbone and the gumption to stand up for what is right – to do what needs to be done to keep the country and its population safe and prosperous. The joke goes that after the tragedy of 9/11, President George W. Bush receives a phone call from Al Gore who says, “I don’t care who won Florida. You can have the Presidency. Good luck”. That is exactly the attitude we need to eliminate from our consciousness. Israel needs someone who is unafraid to do the right thing, even in the face of seemingly unrelenting international pressure.
We all know that The World is not Israel’s friend. The United Nations and European Union certainly don’t have Israel’s interests at heart. Sometimes it is doubtful that the US cares too much, either. The State of Israel cannot be a nation among all other nations. It is clear that we have to be what we were born to be: a Jewish State run for and by the Jewish People. Illusions of equality on the international stage have to be erased from our psyche. While it would be wonderful to be accepted among the nations of the world, the price for such an honor, our rights, principles and even our existence, is far too high. Unfortunately, our current leaders are blinded by invitations to the White House and the opportunity to please United Nations diplomats. Perhaps, finally, if we give away Gush Katif to the terrorists the UN will give us a gold star for effort. And we can see how far that got us today. Just ask the residents of Sederot.
Moshe Feiglin, leader of Manhigut Yehudit, a faction of the Likud, has spoken time and again about the need for strong faith-based Jewish leadership. While there are many religious political parties, their only goal is to win enough votes to be able to influence the government. It would be their worst nightmare to actually win an election because they are not focused on, nor do they possess expertise in, general matters of government. Moshe Feiglin’s does not want to form a splinter group or a new political party that may win a seat or two in the Kenesset. His goal is to become the leader of Likud, get elected as the Prime Minister of Israel and bring Torah ideals into the government.
One may be forgiven for thinking that Moshe Feiglin’s Manhigut Yehudit is the pipe-dream of an impractical religious idealist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Moshe Feiglin’s popularity among Likud members has soared. The membership has realized that Feiglin is not the extremist religious fanatic that his opposition would have you believe his is. They have realized that Feiglin has sound policies on all aspects of government, covering education, finance, foreign relations, security and so on. He is a serious contender.
At the recent Manhigut Yehudit Channukah Conference, Feiglin stressed the need to take practical, realistic action to save Israel from its current crisis. He reiterated that Manhigut Yehudit reaches out to all sectors of Israeli society, aiming to restore its Jewish identity and lead it to its true, Jewish destiny.
Feiglin is touted as having a real chance at winning the next Likud Primaries. His support base is growing. His reputation as a player in Israeli politics is becoming better known. His message, “Turning the State of Jews into the Jewish State” is edging its way closer to reality.
Gedolei Yisrael, please consider the awesome impact of frum Jews running the country. Should Moshe Feiglin be successful in his goal to become the leader of the State of Israel, we can look forward to a Prime Minister who is Shomrei Torah Umitzvos; a Prime Minister who is focused on all segments of Am Yisrael; a Prime Minister who is willing to make the tough decisions for the betterment of the country; and a Prime Minister whose ideals are Torah ideals.
All we have to do now is to have the courage to extract ourselves from the cycle of weak leadership and break free from the mindset of “better the devil you know”. We have to reject the old guard and send them the message that they have indeed proven themselves unwilling or incompetent to stand strong in the face of adversity. If we can do that, we will truly have leadership of which we can be proud.
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2 comments:
Although what you say is very true, I am afraid I have to pour some cold water on your ideas. It is not enough to elect Feiglin as head of the Likud and have several of Manhigut Yehudit (MY) people on the Knesset list. What you are advocating is a "top-down" revolution, meaning "put the right people in office and they will change everything". Unfortunately, it is not so simple. It must be remembered that ALL the power bases of the country are in the hands of the post-Zionist oligarchy, and this oligarchy STRONGLY opposes what MY stands for. The coercive arms of the state, including the police, the army high command, the state prosecutor's office, the SHABAK, the Supreme Court, are in the hands of these post-Zionists. The media, both electronic and print, are, with a few exceptions, controlled by the same types.
A high percentage of the education system's managers are MERETZ people. Then, there is the financial powers of the country who have the power to buy off every politician in the Knesset, who also largely have the same post-Zionist, anti-MY philosophy. When Begin and the Likud were elected in 1977, the Left feared there would be major changes. In the end, the Likud buckled under
and became part of the same establishment. They failed to make any real changes in the country's power structure, satisfying themselves with jobs and a cut of the pie.
When General Eisenhower was elected President in 1952, his predecessor, Truman stated, "Ike isn't going to like this job one bit....it isn't anything like the Army...he'll sit at his desk and say 'do this..do that' AND NOTHING WILL HAPPEN." If MY and Feiglin and MY come to power the same will happen. For example, if a MY person is appointed Education Minister, he or she can talk all they want about adding "Jewish content" to the secular school system, but the educational bureaucracy will fight this tooth and nail. The MAFDAL controlled the Education Ministry for many years, but they had NO EFFECT on what the secular schools were teaching.
Without convincing the PEOPLE of the country to change their thinking, to turn off the TV, to stop reading Yediot, Ma'ariv and Ha'aretz, to stop believing false charges against people spread by the police and State Prosecutor's Office, to demand a say in what their children are being taught in their schools, and, in general, TO START THINKING FOR THEMSELVES, Feiglin and MY will be neutralized.
It is not simply a matter of electing the right people, but they must have the power, based on an aroused public opinion that demands change to really make a difference. This is a long-term struggle that will take DECADES. We had better get to work now!
I agree with this guy 100%. If anybody thinks that when we take over things will just happen... they are totally wrong. That's when our job just BEGINS!!!
Yes, we must educate the masses and after 60 years of negative barinwashing this will be difficult.
Yes, we will have MAJOR obstacles. People will work night and day to make sure we fail. You will see "mesirut nefesh" against us like you have never seen before.
So maybe we should never start?
Maybe we should just sit and complain all day long?
Or maybe we should not bother with the whole country and continue to fight our own little battles in our little shtetl and the heck with everybody else???
That is NOT the Manhigut Yehudit way.
We are not naive.
We are not saying this will be easy.
We are prepared for this fight and will play hardball against the Erev Rav when they come against us.
What we ARE saying is that NOTHING can be accomplished from the OUTSIDE. Our plan is to take over and then change as much of the system as we can. I believe that if we stay honest to our ideology and - more importantly - honest to our Father in Heaven, we will succeed and be victorious in - what will be - Israel's greatest war EVER!!!
Shmuel Sackett
Co-founder and International Director
Manhigut Yehudit
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