Revolution in Hayarkon Park

By Shlomo Vile

Last week, Moshe Feiglin hosted a very special event in HaYarkon Park in Tel Aviv to toast the new year and to celebrate reaching 100,000 “likes” on his Hebrew Facebook page (a 125% increase in 3 months). Several hundred people came, mostly from the Tel-Aviv area, mostly kippa-less, in tank tops and tea shirts.  As I went around the crowd, I talked to people about their reasons for being there and what attracted them to Moshe Feiglin.  Several themes emerged:

• The old ideas aren’t working. Moshe is the only one with any real alternative.  Let’s give his ideas a try.
• Moshe is the only politician who speaks truthfully, who holds consistently to what he feels is right, and who doesn’t zig-zag based on the current political winds.
• Moshe is the only person in the political arena who makes any sense.
• Moshe’s plan offers the best real chance for peace.  (This was from a self-described “peace activist”)

I’ve spoken to a number of Manhigut Yehudit supporters in the last few weeks who have told me that their leftist friends no longer know what to make of Moshe.  They used to have him pegged as a right-wing extremist and an enemy.  Now they’re confused and curious and more and more are finding themselves surprisingly supportive of some of his initiatives. More and more of the true leftists are seeing Moshe as their champion for peace and for liberty.  This seems to be particularly true of those who are younger, in their 20’s and 30’s.

It feels like we’re on the cusp of a political revolution here in Israel, one that unites dati and non-dati, left and right, and Moshe Feiglin is the face of that revolution.  His vision is the only one that is broad enough to include all sectors of Israeli society.

It’s also becoming more than just a vision.  Since being elected to the Knesset, Moshe has succeeded in demonstrating the power of this broad vision to improve the daily life of Israelis.  His vision has become more concrete and is drawing us in closer to each other and closer to ourselves.

Shlomo Vile

Development Director, Manhigut Yehudit