Counting The "Olmert"

By Shmuel Sackett
International Director, Manhigut Yehudit

Everybody asks me when Ehud Olmert is going to resign. With a popularity rate of just 3% it seems clear that his days as Prime Minister are coming to an inevitable end. Corruption scandals are all around him, Israeli society is crumbling and the Winograd Commission's report on his total failure during last year's Lebanon war is the nail in his political coffin. In Israel, the countdown to his resignation is called "Sefirat Ha'Olmert". How convenient to come exactly during these days!

The truth of the matter, however, is that I am not concerned about when Olmert will resign. I am worried about something far more important: Who will take his place?

In 1992, the Prime Minister of Israel was Yitzhak Rabin and everybody asked, "When will we get rid of this guy?" After that we got Shimon Peres and everybody asked, "When will we get rid of this guy?" Next came Bibi Netanyahu and everybody asked, "When will we get rid of this guy?" (Start seeing a trend yet???) After Bibi came Ehud Barak and -- you guessed it --everybody asked "When will we get rid of this guy?" Then came Ariel Sharon and his plan to throw 8,000 Jews out of their homes. Our response? A loud yell: "When will we get rid of this guy?" Now we have Olmert.

I need to ask some powerful questions. Are we eternally doomed with Prime Ministers who constantly disappoint, frustrate and anger us? Is this our national fate? Should we just accept this and deal with it?

I refuse to believe that! I refuse to accept this as an eternal punishment that we simply have to learn to live with.

Bad leadership in Israel is not a terminal illness. We can change those who lead us!

The key to making this happen is by changing direction -- not just names and faces. In 1996 when the people of Israel chose Netanyahu over Peres they didn't change direction. They merely got a Prime Minister who was 30 years younger and spoke a better English. Bibi was -- and still is -- committed to the Oslo peace process and the creation of a Palestinian State. He met with Arafat and even hugged him! He signed away Hebron, gave more weapons to bloodthirsty Arabs and proceeded down the path that Rabin had started. This continued with Barak who passed the baton to Sharon who then gave it to Olmert. Don't you see? It's a relay race!!! It doesn't matter what party they are from or if they consider themselves "right", "left" or "center". They are all on the same team because they all share the same dream!

What is needed is a breath of fresh air -- a change of focus and a totally new game plan. Luckily, this is not just "wishful thinking". A new leader exists in Israel who has been deeply involved in the political scene for the last six years and who has built his following on a totally different set of priorities. The Jerusalem Post calls him "a force to be reckoned with." Israel's largest paper, Yediot Aharonot, says that he is "one of the strongest men in Likud." The weekly Makor Rishon newspaper called him "one of the top ten most influential politicians in Israel today" and Ha'aretz refers to his rise in politics as "a strategic threat to Netanyahu and his party in the next election."

His name is Moshe Feiglin and he has built his impressive support by following a different set of priorities. His focus is on Jewish identity. He wants to turn Israel from the state of the Jews into the Jewish state. He wants a society based on Jewish values, an army that fights with Jewish pride and an educational system that teaches every Jewish child about his/her heritage. He is a leader who is not running away from the world but not apologizing to it either. He is proud of being a member of the Chosen People yet he understands what a heavy responsibility it bears. Being Jewish doesn't embarrass Moshe Feiglin -- it energizes him! It guides his every move and infuses him with unconditional love for all of our people.

Moshe is not looking to create a state based on Jewish law. He believes that this is reserved for the days of Mashiach. His job is to teach Jewish concepts and values, set a proper example for all to follow and motivate the nation to appreciate its unique place in the world. His plan calls for all of this to be done with love and tolerance for every Jew, regardless of level of observance.

I urge you to learn about Moshe Feiglin. Read his plan, understand his vision and identify with his dream. His website is: www.JewishIsrael.org and it contains a wealth of information. Other politicians are vague about the issues and cloud their positions in mystery and double-talk. Moshe is not like that. Everything is spelled out and he is very clear on all issues; from the simplest to the most controversial.

After reading his material, please send me an email and let's start a serious correspondence on how we can bring his dreams to fruition. I can be reached at: Shmuel@manhigut.org. Hopefully, you will arrive at the same conclusion that Jonathan Pollard did when he sent a letter endorsing Feiglin in the Nov. 2005 Likud primaries: "I believe that Moshe Feiglin may be the only leader in Israel today who understands that power is a test, not a gift, and that it must be wielded judiciously. I want to express that support for Moshe is a vote to restore Israel's national honor and integrity."

May our great and holy Nation merit that kind of leadership very, very soon!


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