A Monday Night in Tel Aviv

By Moshe Feiglin

"You know that you are in the top ten on the Likud list," Yoav Krakovski said to me (and announced in his live broadcast) on primaries night in Tel Aviv.

"You don't appear on my list at all," said journalist Ayalah Hasson.

The long wait for results of the primaries in the company of journalists from near and far was actually quite boring. The journalists, searching for "interesting material" as they waited to broadcast the results, pounced on me from all sides. "Why do you look so relaxed?" they repeated.

In truth, I didn't feel particularly excited. I was trying to integrate the significance of the events, without much success. The Knesset was never my goal and neither Krakovsky's list or Hasson's gave me the jitters. I was disturbed with the thought of how I would keep the many enthusiastic volunteers from despair in case Ayalah Hasson's list turned out to be correct.

Later, when it became clear that I had placed well on the list, I joined in the celebration with our wonderful volunteers. Inside, I thought of my father, who passed away earlier this year and did not merit to see this moment of naches.

In the movie that Tehilla Bramson put together from the moments after the primaries results were announced, you can see the tremendous excitement of the volunteers. People told me – completely seriously – that they were more excited than at their own weddings. All that this film really shows is people hugging. But what is going on behind all those hugs and smiles is the tremendous feeling that we are in a new place.