Beware! An Idealist! By Yaron London

19 Adar, 5772
March 13, '12

Translated from Israel's Yediot Acharonot newspaper

We have politicians who are talented and those who are bereft of talent, intellectuals and ignoramuses, honest and corrupt, right and left. But not one of them excites us and makes us think that the power of his personality will effect great glory. This absent unique quality is of great importance, for we watch the political arena as spectators at a theatre. The quality of the texts do not influence us if the actors are not inspiring.

But there is one politician who is out of the ordinary. His name is Moshe Feiglin. One quarter of the Likud Knesset Members participated in a celebration that the Manhigut Yehudit faction held in honor of his fine achievement in the elections for the leadership of their party. They showered him with praise, despite the fact that in public, their support is given to his suspicious rival Netanyahu, who sees him as a danger to his rule. Clearly, their attendance at the party was in order to ensure the support of the "Feiglinites" in their struggles for their political positions. But I think that they sense that this strange man will have influence above and beyond the minor issues of the party. I doubt that they have studied his books, examined his thoughts and seriously considered his political message. They are attracted to the power that exudes from him like moths to a flame.

For Feiglin is a unique personality in the filthy political arena; straight as an arrow, cast of hard materials, the same inside and out. he is thin, muscular, straight as a pole and one can sense in him the self-control of a warrior ascetic. His movements are economical, his smile measured and his gaze focused. He is not a conversationalist and does not change his actions or opinions to endear himself on anyone. The rightists in his party tend to flatter him, but I have not seen that the man surrounded by a concealed circle of isolation returns their flattery in kind.

He was a captain in the engineering corps and afterwards established the first company that applied rappelling techniques for work on skyscrapers. This kind of work is for brave souls, absolutely free of fear of heights. Afterwards, he established a start-up firm and sold it so that he could devote himself to a patient political struggle.

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Editor: London (who declares in this article that he does not believe in G-d) continues by warning that Feiglin is not a Torah scholar and thus cannot represent Jewish ethics. He then compares him to French-revolution era Maximillien Robespierre, who was known as The Incorruptible, but eventually sent many Frenchmen to the guillotines. His conclusion: "Stone corrupt politicians, but remember that the greater danger stems from charismatic, thin idealists." In a letter to the editor, Moshe Feiglin addressed London's essay:

In his article, Mr. London compares me to Robespierre and warns the public of my guillotines. London bases this claim on the fact that I am "straight as an arrow," the same inside and out, thin and more negative traits of this nature. It is actually quite comical. I thank Mr. London for his compliments and will leave it to the public to decide if it will accept his irrefutable logic or not.