Progressing from 'Who' to 'What'

By Moshe Feiglin From the moment that Manhigut Yehudit understood that in order to save Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel we must establish Jewish leadership for Israel, we faced two problems. The first problem was that we had no candidate. The second problem was that - unlike any other candidate from the Right or Left - we had no clear policies. Ultimately, we decided to simply start. We assumed that when we would designate a candidate, debate about policies would ensue, new ideas would be born, policy papers for a Jewish State would be written and everything would eventually fall into place. It was no simple matter to find a candidate and to position him as a contender for leadership of the country. Ideas that seem unremarkable today looked totally hallucinatory then. Nevertheless, we managed to find the correct political venue and the faith-based candidate achieved second place in the primaries for leadership of the Likud. The media was fascinated and the political establishment viewed the move with the utmost seriousness. We have successfully answered the 'Who' question - but the 'What' question still hangs in the air. Manhigut Yehudit's strategic goal is to bring the majority of Israelis to the conclusion that there is a different path - a Jewish path that is relevant to all of us. There is a different agenda, there are different rules, different goals - an all-encompassing truth that imbues us with confidence and hope. The public has been victimized by a strong dose of brainwashing that blinds it to other alternatives and to the reality that it faces. Manhigut Yehudit does not mean Iran, coercion or a halachic state. It means freedom of thought and freedom of choice. It fits every Jew who wants a state that expresses his essence. Now that our political foundation has been laid and we have gained firm footing in the public consciousness, we are moving the focus of our activities. Over the next months, we will be creating tools to encourage the public to dream the impossible dream and to will it into reality. As soon as the Israeli public sincerely wills an authentically Jewish state, it will become a dream come true, with G-d's help.