The Oslo Syndrome Self-Evaluation Quiz

Peace broke out in our region 17 years ago. The New Middle East came to life, the wings of the white dove of peace fluttered through all the network news shows and only a few strange prophets of doom opposed the peace process that was going to save the world.

When reality began to broadcast voices of pathological hatred from our peace partners and the flutter of the dove's wings was replaced by bombs exploding on buses and the cries of Jewish victims of terror on Israel's streets, nothing changed. The reality was suppressed or explained away in Newspeak. The victims of Arab terror became the Victims of Peace.

If an official commission of inquiry had been established to investigate the Oslo fiasco, it would likely have found a number of flaws in the decision-making process. Doubtless, though, the commission would have praised the courage of the statesmen who initiated the process and may possibly have offered suggestions for improvement the next time around. Those are exactly the conclusions of the commission of inquiry into the Second Lebanon War, the commission of inquiry into the state of the refugees of Gush Katif and now, the Eiland commission of inquiry into the Gaza flotilla debacle. It is only reasonable to assume that the Turkel Commission will present similar findings. It is the Oslo Syndrome striking once again.

How can you know if you suffer from the Oslo Syndrome? If you think that relations between people and nations depend only on written agreements; if you think that a signed and sealed contract with a murderous liar is better than facing off against him in reality; if you stand face to face with a terrorist and think that he is a peace activist or if you see a public relations campaign that says that there is a solution for every settler and you don't understand that for that to be possible you have to see real houses in real settlements for 10,000 real people. If you have any of the above symptoms, you are suffering from the Oslo Syndrome.

There is no point in establishing commissions of inquiry if they are to be chaired by people with Oslo Syndrome. Just six years ago, General Eiland drew up the operational plans for the Disengagement. As part of the main objectives to be accomplished by the Disengagement, he wrote that the plan would improve Israel's security and political reality. A captive of the Oslo Syndrome cannot possibly conclude that Israel really didn't need better intelligence to understand the motives of the "peace activists" on board the Gaza flotilla. Just as there was no need for better intelligence during Oslo to understand what Arafat wanted.

The commission of inquiry into the expulsion from Gush Katif concluded that the expulsion was the most serious abuse of human rights in Israel's history. But it did not point to the reasons that lurked behind this major abuse of human rights. Instead, it devoted an entire chapter of its report to improvements for the next time around.

Israel is suffering from reality blindness. Not only do the commissions of inquiry headed by people suffering from Oslo Syndrome not help - they are detrimental - creating the impression that the problems have been analyzed and rectified, when in truth they have been buried under volumes of Newspeak.

Pollard and Gilad

Jonathan Pollard has been in a US prison for over 9000 days - an incomprehensible amount of time to be rotting in a jail cell. We have prayed, written letters, demonstrated and lobbied. But we cannot ignore this sad milestone.

Gilad Shalit has been held captive for four years, just a stone's throw from the State of Israel. That is also incomprehensible.

Yes, things could definitely be different. The State of Israel could officially demand Pollard's release. Every meeting between Israeli officials and American representatives could begin with the Pollard issue. And Israel can also embarrass the US by revealing the identities of all sorts of American agents who spied here and were released, unharmed. But tragically, Pollard is not on Israel's official agenda.

The State of Israel can demand the release of Gilad Shalit at any price. At the price of the food that it transfers to Gaza, at the price of the electricity and water that it provides for Gaza, at the price of the millions of shekels in cash that it transfers to Gaza or at the price of the comfortable conditions that the Hamas prisoners enjoy in Israel. But tragically, the only price that the State of Israel is willing to pay is the release of one thousand murderers. That is not enough for the Hamas, of course. If the Israelis are such pushovers, why shouldn't they demand more?

The German Professor

By Moshe Feiglin

11 Av, 5770
July 22, '10

Translated from Ma'ariv's NRG website

Editor's note: Moshe Feiglin wrote this article last Sat. night. Since then, his son David has opened his eyes once.

Yafim lives near our house. As a young soldier in the Golani brigade during the Six Day War, Yafim fought in the intense battle of Tel Fachar in an open half-track. He somehow made it through that terrible battle, but immediately after the war, his jeep drove over a land mine. Yafim was severely wounded.

Every Shabbat, I visit Yafim with my son, David. They have become good friends. I thought that I had already heard everything there is to hear from Yafim. But Yafim came to visit me in the hospital where my son is still in intensive care with a story I had never heard:

"I had shrapnel in my head and was unconscious for a month," Yafim told me. "My brother did not leave my bedside. He got a large needle from the professor, and pricked me daily in all parts of my body. There was no response. A Syrian pilot was in the bed next to me. He was seriously injured in his head and the professor cared for both of us with the same dedication. The military police stationed a guard next to the Syrian, but he was unconscious and the guard would help my brother care for me. At that time, the doctors in Israel did not know how to care for severe head wounds and they brought in an expert professor - from Germany."

"You mean a German Jew," I said to Yafim.

"Not at all. Professor X was a doctor in the German army in World War II and had plenty of experience with severe head wounds," Yafim answered.

I was shocked. 22 years after the Holocaust, the IDF brought a German professor who had served in the Nazi army to care for the wounded of the army of the Jews.

"And how did he treat you?" I skeptically asked Yafim.

"Great," he answered. "A month after my injury I woke up and began to function."
"What about the Syrian pilot?"

"He didn't make it."

"And what happened to the German professor afterwards? Did he return to Germany?"

"No, he stayed in Israel. Today, his son is the head of _____ Hospital."

G-d's ways are truly wondrous. I am not certain of the significance of this story, but it can surely be the basis for a captivating historical novel.

The novel has a sequel. Thirty years later, Yafim's son Tzviki - a decorated officer in the IDF - got an order to stop a car of terrorists that was leaving one of the Arab villages on its way to perpetrate a terror attack in one of Israel' cities. At the entrance to the village, Tzviki encountered a demonstration that blocked his way. He understood that the Arabs there were simply buying time to allow the terrorist vehicle to escape. Tzviki shot his gun in the air and in a strange twist of events found himself in jail. To protest the travesty of justice, Yafim sat outside army headquarters in Tel Aviv with a large sign. I visited him there with David.

*

I am writing this article in the wee hours between Sat. night and Sunday, next to David's bed. David is still unconscious. A number of days after the accident David blinked his eyes once. It is hard to describe how happy we were and how much we thanked G-d for that one, heavy blink of the eye. We are learning how much we have to thank G-d every day for all the millions of blinks that we just take for granted. Afterwards, the doctors closed David's beautiful eyes with pressure bandages and we do not know what is going on underneath them.

The blessings that we recite every morning have a new significance for me. 'Blessed are You, G-d, Who opens the eyes of the blind.' 'Blessed are You, G-d, Who liberates the imprisoned.' 'I offer thanks before you, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.'

Please, G-d, restore with mercy and in completion the soul of my son, David.

A Letter from Moshe Feiglin

By Moshe Feiglin

8 Av, 5770
July 19, '10

To my dear brothers and sister, supporters of Manhigut Yehudit and readers of the weekly update,

My family and I are in the midst of difficult times. These words are being written during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday at the bedside of my beloved son, David, who is still unconscious. Every so often, our Father in Heaven sends us an encouraging sign. This morning, David opened his eyes and even moved his hand. We are in the throes of a long process of ups and downs, but with G-d's help, we will get through it, David will heal and we will all emerge strengthened from this trial.

It is hard to describe to you the extent of the solidarity, support and love that have surrounded us from the moment that word of David's accident got out. From the man in the street to the Prime Minister - everyone was concerned about David.

We are extremely grateful to all those who have been praying for David's recovery and to all those who took upon themselves a good deed or mitzvah for the healing of our son, David Yosef ben Faigeh Perel. All of your prayers and good deeds add up and we have no doubt that they are helping David to heal.

As to my role in Manhigut Yehudit, there is no reason to fear. Naturally, for the past two weeks I have not been able to perform many of my regular duties. But this difficult period has inspired me with a deeper faith, deeper understanding and new strength. I am continuing to work, holding meetings in the hospital and in other places as well and working on Manhigut Yehudit's future all the while.

From the tremendous support that we have received from all facets of society, I understand more than ever the importance of the role that we are playing in Israel.

Reality is closing in on our country. Israel's leaders attempt to wriggle out of our impossible position, but the prevalent mentality leaves no room for escape. We must understand that Manhigut Yehudit is not competing against anybody. Israel's current leadership is doing the best that it can within the paradigm of the "rules of the game" upon which Zionism established the State of Israel. From this framework, none of us could do any better.

We compete with no one because we are not on the same arena. We are firmly ensconced within the current political reality. However, we do not view it as a goal, but as a means to an end that will prepare a new arena for the Nation of Israel for the day when the present arena will simply disappear.

Leadership that Listens Can Rebuild the Temple

By Michael Fuah And to the tribes of Reuven and Gad I gave from the Gilad. And I commanded you at that time, saying: 'Havayah your God has given you this land to possess it; you shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all the men of valor. (From this week's Torah portion, Devarim, Deuteronomy 3: 16,18) Just last week, we read Moses' criticism of the tribes of Reuven and Gad. He suspected that they preferred to remain on the East bank of the Jordan River where they would enjoy their wealth and not have to fight for the Land of Israel with the rest of their brethren. In this week's Torah portion Moses gives Reuven and Gad the parcel of land that they requested and commands them, as per their request, to fight at the head of the Israelite army that conquers the Land of Israel. In the interim, the tribes of Reuven and Gad had quietly convinced Moses that they were sincere in their intention to head the conquering Israelite army despite the fact that they would already have their portion of land.

Moses could have stubbornly refused to change his mind. But he was a true Jewish leader. He listened and was willing to change his opinion 180 degrees, from accusing the tribes of shirking their national duty, to actually commanding them to do what they had requested to do. The heads of the tribes of Reuven and Gad also displayed true leadership. After Moses' criticism of their request, they responded by quietly and respectfully explaining their position, as we learned in last week's Torah portion. Baseless hatred is often the result of a simple lack of willingness to listen, to accept another point of view and to be convinced. Often, it is also the result of a lack of willingness to respectfully convince another of one's point of view. The example of Moses and the leaders of the tribes of Reuven and Gad must be a guiding light for us. In the days preceding the Ninth of Av, we must redouble our efforts to rectify the sin of baseless hatred and rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem - the city that unifies the entire Nation of Israel. Shabbat Shalom

An Article that should not have been Written

By Moshe Feiglin

The following article was written by Moshe Feiglin last Friday and appeared on Ma'ariv's NRG website. In the meantime, thank G-d, David Yosef has moved his arms and legs. He is currently heavily sedated and on a respirator. Please continue to pray for David Yosef ben Faigeh Perel.

20 Tamuz, 5770
July 2, '10

My dearest son David lies unconscious in the hospital with a serious head injury. His friends, the fire department volunteers, saved his life, and now the doctors continue to save him. If you would like more insight into this incredible kid, see the article I wrote about half a year ago, " Sweet Defeat on the Hermon."

Since David's accident last Monday, I have practically not left the hospital. The last thing that I planned was to write articles, and I had already notified NRG that - at least this week, I would not be writing my weekly article.

My wife and I and the entire family are focused only on our David. Not on the newspapers, the radio, television, internet – none of it. I had no idea what was going on in the world and it also did not interest me. Many people have tried to call to wish us well. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart and apologize for the fact that my phone is off.

Now it is Friday, and I came home to bring clothing to the hospital for Shabbat. I decided to turn on the radio to hear the news as I drove home. I also saw the headlines of the newspaper at the grocery store and I understand that extreme pressure is being applied to Netanyahu to have Gilad Shalit released at all costs. I decided to write this article simply to attempt to save lives.

Every day, I pray for two captives: Jonathan Pollard and Gilad Shalit. Every day. I have the utmost respect for Gilad's parents, Noam and Avivah Shalit. It is impossible not to be impressed with them. It is also inappropriate to argue with them. I think that from my situation now I can identify with their pain even more.

But I ask all the people marching and pressuring Netanyahu to please stop. The Prime Minister is simply right. I know that you are motivated by warmth and love and that you want only the best. But there is no such thing as "at all costs." The statistics do not lie: Most of the terrorists murder again. There are those who argue that just because the sun set yesterday does not mean that it will set again tomorrow. Logically, there is truth to that argument, but practically, it is totally unacceptable.

Please understand that for all practical purposes, you are demanding that the Prime Minister allow an unknown number of soldiers and citizens to be murdered in exchange for Gilad. The question is not if they will be murdered – just how many will be murdered.

I am returning to the hospital. I will continue from there to pray for Gilad and I ask everyone who can to pray for the complete recovery of my son, David Yosef ben Faigah Perel. Thank you.

Thorns in your Side

By Michael Fuah

"And you shall drive out the inhabitants of the Land and you shall dwell in it. And if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the Land from before you and it will come to pass that those that you leave will be thorns in your eyes and thistles in your sides and they will harass you in the Land in which you dwell. (From this week's Torah portion, Matot, Numbers 33:53-55).

The Midrash tells us that when Joshua and the Israelites came to conquer the Land of Israel, they presented the Canaanite inhabitants of the Land with three options: He who wishes to leave should leave, he who wishes to make peace may make peace and he who wishes to make war may do so.

The severe warning issued in this week's Torah portion refers to those inhabitants of the Land who choose to make war. But what happens to those inhabitants of the Land who choose to remain? Do they automatically become equal citizens? The answer is a resounding "no". Full citizenship in the Land of Israel is reserved for Jews. If a non-Jew wishes to be a full citizen, he must undergo a complete conversion, accept all the Torah commandments and become an inseparable part of the Jewish nation. If he chooses not to convert he can remain as a foreign resident who accepts all 7 Noahide Commandments and enjoys full human rights in the Land of Israel, without citizenship.

The warning in this week's Torah portion is the reality in which we live today. If Israel is simply another state of all its citizens bereft of its Jewish destiny, what gives us the right to "conquer" Tel Aviv and Haifa from its inhabitants? Our enemies are empowered by our weakness. We do not know how to explain what we are doing here to ourselves, and lose the moral justification to fight, as a result.

The way to regain our moral high ground is to renew our connection to our Jewish identity and destiny. Once we have set our sights firmly on our Jewish goals, we will be able to tell the non-Jewish inhabitants of this country that they can make peace, leave or fight.

With prayers for a complete and speedy recovery for David Yosef ben Faigeh Perel,

Shabbat Shalom

War and Technology

By Moshe Feiglin

Like everyone else in Israel, I applaud Israel Aircraft Industry's success in launching the Ofek 9 satellite. This is a technological achievement that we can all be proud of. The Ofek 9 will give us a clearer picture of how close the Iranians are to their nuclear bomb. Now, an Israeli satellite will pass over Bushehr every half hour instead of every hour, and its telescopic lenses will penetrate deep into the ground - a truly remarkable feat and we salute the Israeli engineers for their accomplishment.

But a nagging question must be asked: Will this information advance Israel's defense capabilities even one inch?

In Israel, technology is rapidly replacing content. Paradoxically, the stronger Israel becomes both economically and militarily, the weaker it becomes politically. To paraphrase Churchill, when leadership chooses disgrace in fear of war, it gets disgrace - and war as well. When advanced technological capabilities interface with true leadership and a clear vision, the technology becomes a significant power multiplier. But when advanced technology interfaces with small-time politicians concerned only with dousing the crisis at hand, it becomes a fig leaf.

Apparently, Israel's current leaders have already decided to stand by as the Iranians race toward nuclear capabilities. They will look the other way as Hezbollah acquires more advanced missiles that reach Eilat and will smile sheepishly as the Gaza port freely unloads state-of-the-art weaponry - because we have nothing to worry about: We have advanced technology.

Tragically, we are repeating the mistake of the Yom Kippur War. Instead of acting with conviction in the justice of our Jewish destiny in the Land of Israel, our leaders hide behind pompous military theories that glorify our technological ability to contain the first strike.
Israel's leaders must change the rules of the game and make the act of tampering with Israel's existence a venture too painful to consider. Its civilian population must be prepared for war - not peace. Protective gear must be distributed swiftly to the populace. Every person in the greater Tel Aviv area must know where he will find shelter in Judea or Samaria in an emergency.

Gaza and Lebanon must understand that missile attacks against Israel will be dealt with according to the Golan Heights model: Pictures of the abandoned Syrian villages there must be distributed widely. Since the Yom Kippur War, the Golan Heights model has proven itself as the only way to achieve lasting peace.

Those who think that they will be able to hide behind cutting edge technology in the approaching inevitable war would be well-advised to think again. Israel must go to battle with firm faith in the G-d of Israel and its Jewish destiny. With those two decisive factors in place, our cutting-edge technology will be a powerful tool for victory and not a fig-leaf for catastrophe.

The Freedom to Educate

By Moshe Feiglin

Ever since G-d redeemed us from Egypt and gave us the Torah on Mt. Sinai, we have been a free People. We are servants of G-d alone and not servants of servants.

Israel's High Court declaration that its decisions take precedence over the word of G-d obligates every Jew and every citizen who considers himself a free person to support the Haredim on the Emanuel issue. We may disagree with the Haredim on many topics. There is no doubt that discrimination is a serious contradiction of G-d's word. What we certainly do have in common with the Haredim, though, is the principle that G-d's Torah is the ultimate authority.

"You are not in favor of democracy?" Ynet reporter Atilla Shumfalvi asked me at the Haredi protest tent outside the prison where the Emanuel fathers are incarcerated. His question revealed Israel's mainstream media's distorted view of freedom and civil rights. "Democracy that dictates what values parents much teach their children and jails those parents who educate according to their own values is the democracy of Stalin." I answered.

The Emanuel parents removed their daughters from the school in question months ago. They remodeled a private school building at their own expense, paid for armored buses to transport their daughters to the new school, paid the teachers' salaries and also paid a daily fine of 400 shekels (over $100) for every day that they did not send their daughters to the Emauel school. From the moment that the parents had removed their daughters from the Emanuel school, which receives partial state-funding, the High Court has no moral authority to interfere. When parents choose to privately educate their children, no authority should be able to compromise their right to educate their children as they see fit.

The Religious Zionists who hurried to side with the High Court and to decry the Haredi discrimination may find themselves once again holding the short end of the stick. What will they say when the "enlightened" High Court justices rule that they must allow their Arab neighbors' children into their schools and teach their children the poems of Mohammed Darwish instead of the Torah of Moses?

Click here for Moshe Feiglin's short film on the Emanuel case.

Manhigut Yehudit Staying in Likud: The Movie

Last month's Likud Central Committee vote triggered a period of introspection in Manhigut Yehudit. The vote was not merely procedural. Netanyahu's goal in changing the Likud constitution was to pave the way to retreat from Jerusalem. The fact that Netanyahu's proposal won a special majority of the votes and - no less important – the way that the proposal was passed, forced us to reconsider a number of our basic assumptions.

We did not hide the fact that we were in a process of deliberation. On the contrary, we held meetings throughout Israel with all interested members of Manhigut Yehudit. We also held countless email and phone discussions with concerned Manhigut supporters from around the world. This important and inspiring process led us to conclusions that differed from our initial response. We are very proud of the process of collective soul searching that took place.

Below, Moshe Feiglin fills us in on some of the details of Manhigut Yehudit's official position on the Likud. Scroll down past the video box for an English translation of his (Hebrew) message.

Dear friends of Manhigut Yehudit, Shalom. We are staying in the Likud!

The Likud is still the leadership tool of the national camp. Neither Netanyahu's willingness to surrender Jerusalem, nor the serious blow to the democratic process in the party have changed that fact. Am Yisrael is still in the party and the Likud remains the arena upon which Israel's leadership battles are played out. We have no intention of leaving that arena. We will continue to work in the Likud, to register new members – and I will continue to run for the leadership of the party and the State of Israel.

We certainly understand that the enlightened tyranny has no intention of surrendering its hegemony over the State of Israel and - when it comes to Manhigut Yehudit – the rule of their game is to break the rules. We have set our sights high and we know that the higher we climb, the more forces will try to prevent us from achieving our goals. Presently, our ability to continue to progress despite the forces arrayed against us is being tested.

We have a lot of work waiting for us – both within politics and without:

In addition to our political activism, we plan to redouble our efforts to develop Manhigut Yehudit as an ideological and social movement. We must reach out to all sectors of Israeli society and articulate clear policies and definitive answers to the challenges that Israel faces today. We have solutions to the dangers looming on Israel's horizon. Our faith-based perspective has given rise to realistic and effective solutions for Israel's woes. We have solutions for education in the various sectors of our nation; we have solutions for welfare and the economy, demography, Arab terror and the blockade on Gaza. Faith based leadership will not leave Jonathan Pollard to rot in prison or Gilad Shalit to rot in captivity. Our challenge is to ensure that every Jew in Israel will know about the Jewish leadership alternative and will strive to make it a reality.

We have faith and we have practical solutions. We are sticking to our goals and remaining in the national leadership arena. We express the truth and are bonded with the Eternal One of Israel. For all those reasons and with G-d's help, we will turn our aspirations into a new reality for Israel.

The State of Israel is in disarray. As talented as it may be, our current leadership is retreating on all fronts. Their lack of confidence in the justness of our very existence leads them to constantly attempt to placate the world with more withdrawals and more capitulation.

Israel must be firm in its conviction that our existence in the Land of Israel is just and that our Land belongs exclusively to the Jewish People by virtue of G-d's promise to our forefathers. The only movement that proposes just such a vision and a faith-based Jewish alternative for the State of Israel is Manhigut Yehudit. We will never abandon our struggle for real Jewish leadership for Israel. We place our trust in the G-d of Israel, we believe in the Nation of Israel and we are loyal to the Torah of Israel.

The moment that our nation will cry out for faith-based leadership is rapidly approaching. With G-d's help, we will be there – ready to land on our feet – when that happens.

Manhigut Yehudit is planting the seeds of the faith-based revolution throughout Israel. Now is the time to help. Click here to donate.

Israel's Leadership Needs Faith-Based Lenses

By Moshe Feiglin

And the donkey saw the angel of G-d and she pressed against the wall and she pressed Bilam's foot into the wall and he continued to strike her. (From this week's Torah portion, Balak, Numbers 22:25)

From the lofty heights of his saddle, Bilam's perspective should have been better than his donkey's view on the world; the donkey had to keep her eyes on the ground, while Bilam was able to look ahead. Israel's public is busy with its daily routine, certain that the leadership that rides on its back and is funded by its taxes - free to see far and wide and privy to the latest intelligence reports – certainly sees the real picture of events as they unfold.

In the Land of Israel, though, one cannot see the real picture without lenses of faith in G-d. Israel's faithless leadership is blind. It is a vision-less leadership that busies itself with tactical calculations instead of solving Israel's strategic problems. It is a faithless leadership that is condemned to waging a prolonged, hopeless, dead-end battle for its survival.

Every donkey understood that the Expulsion was a bad idea – nobody argues otherwise today – but the vision-less people that rode on the back of the public then could not see the truth. Those same people still ride on our backs, today. They still cannot see and they still continue with their ill-conceived series of blunders.
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Even donkeys understand that Israel's leadership has not even come close to distancing the Iranian threat from our country. Instead of strengthening its position, Israel is rapidly becoming an extraneous ship of lepers on the face of the globe. Only our leadership remains stubbornly blind to reality, relentlessly striking the nation upon which it rides instead of courageously protecting our country.

On our way to the faith-based revolution we must remember that the ordinary Jew with faith in G-d sees a lot more clearly than the faithless leader with the most sophisticated intelligence resources. When G-d is not in their picture, the most obvious facts are outside our leaders' field of vision.

The Missing Link between the Individual and the State

By Moshe Feiglin

Translated from the article on Ma'ariv's NRG website

We spent Shabbat at Avnei Eitan in the Golan Heights. Childhood friends who were driven out of Gush Katif now live there in a neighborhood of trailer homes. They have not yet received authorization to build a permanent home, but with no help from anyone, they did build three small guest cabins in their back yard. We packed up our extended family and set out to the north for some R&R in the small slice of heaven-on-earth that G-d has given our friends in the Golan Heights.

From the looks of things up north, tourism has become the main source of income for the farmers there. The state of Tel Aviv is in desperate search of some open countryside and clean air and farms that were once dangerously close to bankruptcy have a generous supply of both those commodities. Thank G-d, the tourism business up north is a success story. I pray that some of this prosperity will rub off on the Gush Katif refugees who I met in Avnei Eitan.

Where do these people, aged 50 plus, get the strength to start all over again, and in the Golan Heights, no less, which has been teetering on the edge of Israeli retreat for the past forty years? I did not ask them. Shabbat is not the time to open unhealed wounds. But clearly, a good part of the answer is that the Gush Katif refugees have an asset that most of the Nation of Israel lacks: Community.

Historically, Jews have always lived in structured communities. When we returned to our Land - and even more so, when we established our state - someone decided that the community was extraneous and its power and authority should be transferred to the centralized state of the Labor party (then called Mapai). The traditional communities were scratched and the Zionist melting pot boiled us all into one big "Mother of all Communities."

The lyrics to a popular song by the Dudaim Duo from about thirty years ago artfully depict the outcome: (freely translated)

Pushed and shoved into small cans of tin
Waiting for a bit of air
The people stuck inside knock and knock
They want to get out
The people outside want to get back in

We don't see the blue skies
We don't see the rainbow in the clouds
There are no more holidays, just ordinary days
The entire world is black and white.

The individual bereft of community is a very lonely and hopeless person. Somewhere out there, in the government offices, there are faceless people who have been hired to run his life. But these clerks, even if they have good intentions, have no real ability to understand the individual's needs and no convincing reason to really help him. Modern technology has exacerbated the problem; who dares dream today of calling a large office and talking to a real person? It is impossible to reach the heads of the Mother of all Communities. The government offices have websites and you, Mr. Cohen, can talk to the wall - or to the computer screen.

In almost every democracy in the world, elections are district-based. District-based elections encourage the development of local leadership and motivate that leadership to take responsibility. In the US, every citizen has his congressman, alderman or precinct captain. Even the local police chief and the local judge are elected by the community. An elected public official presumably wants to be re-elected, so he will make sure to answer phone calls and to do his best to attend to the needs of his constituents.

In Israel, the political parties are more like large corporations. The individual does not vote for people. Instead he must vote for labels, who sit on high with one hundred percent power and zero responsibility.

Israel is becoming a wealthy state. Nevertheless, it is not able to properly care for its weak and underprivileged. State social workers routinely direct the needy to charity NGOs. The centralized government has no way to know who really needs help and who has learned to cynically take advantage of the system. As a result, over half of Israel's social security budget is allocated to Israel's Arab population - which is working and living well - while truly needy people are forced to turn to charity organizations.

Israel must re-invent itself as a community-based country. It must encourage the formation of small communities, allowing them to retain a large portion of the local taxes collected from its members. If that were the case, we could be sure that the local needy would not be abandoned; their problem would become the community's problem and responsibility - not the state's.

Those people who have had the privilege to live in active communities, like the settlers, for instance, know just how well the community model works. When a person in the community hits a tough spot, the neighbors know and enter the picture with genuine care. Together with their local leadership, they find the ways to help.

Welfare is the first responsibility that must be returned to the community. But it is certainly not the last. In principle, the only responsibilities of the state are security, justice and national infrastructure. "The king makes wars and metes out justice," Maimonides writes in The Laws of Kings. Today, the state does just the opposite. It interferes in virtually every aspect of the citizens' lives while ignoring its main responsibilities - security and justice.

The community is the missing link between the individual family and the state. We must urgently rehabilitate it. It should be the privilege and right of every citizen of Israel.

Leftist Witch Hunt against Haredim

By Moshe Feiglin

Editor's note: Israel has been in an uproar this week over the Supreme Court ruling forcing Ashkenazi parents to send their daughters to (a private) school track where they will be in classes with Sephardic girls. The parents refuse to do so, and the court ruled that they must be jailed. The issue is being framed by the media as racism and antagonism is running high. Moshe Feiglin has a completely different view:

The demonization campaign against the Haredim is pre-meditated - no doubt about it. Suddenly, everyone is very concerned over what subjects the Haredim are teaching their students. Suddenly the leftist, secular, Ashkenazi elites wake up and bemoan the small numbers of Sephardic girls in the Chassidic schools.

It is not too difficult to figure out where the source of this ugly wave of anti-Semitism hides. Those people who have everything to gain from the "secular" name-brand are Tzippy Livni and media-personality and aspiring politician Yair Lapid. The politics of hate are very effective. Ehud Barak waged an anti-Haredi campaign and became prime minister. Tommy Lapid won an amazing election victory with anti-Semitic tactics, Tzippy Livni also won over incited voters in the last elections and Tommy's son, Yair wants a piece of the action, as well.

The promotional firms and their well-funded clients are cooking up a political big-bang for the Israeli public. Recent history has proven that when Israeli society moves Right, hatred for the settlers does not bring in the votes. So who will be the bad guy? Which witch will the raging mob learn to hate and hunt down? Who else but the Haredim?

The problem in Emanuel is not Ashkenazi discrimination against Sephardic Jews. 30% of the students in the school in question are Sephardic. The real question in this case is: Who determines what education our children will receive - the parents, who ostensibly have the right to educate their children according to their beliefs, or the State and its justice system?

Manhigut Yehudit has always been an egalitarian movement that does not differentiate between Ashkenazic or Sephardic, observant or non-observant Jews. But this open approach must be a product of free choice and not of coercion. We believe that schools should unconditionally accept all children who would like to learn. But we can certainly honor the desire of parents who, in this age of permissiveness and rebelliousness, choose to keep their children in a more closed learning environment.

In Israel today, the Education Minister is the supreme authority over our children's education and can expropriate the parents' rights to determine the type of education they want for their children. This abnormal reality creates distortions, such as the attempt to force parents to send their daughters to an educational track that does not meet their educational/spiritual standards under the threat of fines and imprisonment.

There are thousands of children who illegally do not attend school in Israel. Some of them even illegally work for their parents, or work with their active consent. But these children are mostly Bedouin or Arabs, so no public storm clouds will burst over the issue and the "rule of law" will not have its way. But when the parents in question are Haredi and are doing their utmost so that their daughters attend school, the court will not hesitate to show them who is the boss. The media will accuse the parents of racism, the war drums will beat and the public atmosphere will become hateful and closed-minded.

Essentially, we are all in the same boat. The Supreme Court, which has nowhere near 30% representation of Sephardic Jews on its lofty bench, should not be allowed to force its values on the parents of Emanuel. Manhigut Yehudit is not in favor of segregation, but we are totally opposed to coercion of values in any realm - and certainly in the all-important educational realm.

The educational "seminar in jail" that the Supreme Court has imposed upon the Emanuel parents for their refusal to send their daughters back to school is reminiscent of the "educational seminar" to which the Jews opposed to the Expulsion from Gush Katif were treated by the courts. Now, when the media is hunting down witches and the flames of hatred are being fanned high, we must stand united with the Haredi public. This struggle is the struggle of every Jew who cares about individual liberties and the Jewish nature of this country.

Alone Again, Naturally

By Moshe Feiglin

14.And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: So said your brother Israel :
17. We will pass through your land, we will not pass through the field or the vineyard and we will not drink the waters of the well. We will walk on the main road, we will not veer right nor left until we pass your borders.
18. And Edom said to him: You shall not pass through me, or I will come out with a sword to greet you.
19. And the Children of Israel said: We will traverse on the main highway and if we or our herds drink your water we will pay its price. It is no matter, we will just pass through on our feet.
20. And he said: You will not pass through. And Edom came out to meet them with a horde of people and a strong arm.
21. And Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through its borders, and Israel turned away from there. (From this week's Torah portion, Chukat, Numbers 20)

21. And Israel sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites, saying:
22. I will pass through your land, we will not turn into the fields or the vineyards and we will not drink the waters of the well. On the main highway we will walk until we pass through your borders.
23. And Sihon did not allow Israel to pass through his borders and Sihon gathered all his nation and he went out to the desert to meet Israel and he came to Yahatz and he fought against Israel. (Numbers 21)

The entire world vs. Israel. Suddenly, we were completely alone. What happened? Why did they blacklist us? After all, the Israelites were offering the two kings a business opportunity that doesn't come up every day. They were even willing to buy their water. Why threaten war?

It is all because of Amalek. Some nations of the world are better and some are worse. For the most part, they are a mixture of good and bad. They acknowledge that G-d is King of the world while simultaneously rebelling against Him. Take England, for example. England was the first European country to expel the Jews from its land and the first to require them to attach a yellow badge to their clothing. It is also the breeding ground of Nazi racist philosophy (Houston Chamberlain). On the other hand, England is home to Zionist/Biblical romanticism, the Balfour Declaration and Orde Wingate. England also laid the physical foundation for the nascent Jewish state.

When the nations saw the miracles that G-d performed for Israel in Egypt, they remembered the King of the world and honored the children whom He chose to testify to His existence. Until Amalek came along and jumped into the boiling bathtub. Although he got burned, he cooled the water. Now the rest of the nations realized that it was possible to fight against Israel just as they would fight against any other nation. The magical aura had burst. Natural fear of G-d dissipated and in its place came anti-Semitism, pure and simple. If not for Amalek, the Edomites and Amorites would have been honored to allow Israel to pass through their territory.

Then as now, when the current Amalek announced his intention to destroy Israel, he got slightly burned. But the Israeli magical aura burst. The existence of the Nation of Israel is no longer a given and on the surface, it has no special connection to G-d to protect it. That is the point when all the nations of the world reject us. Their anti-Semitic nature surfaces and we are left "a nation that dwells alone."

When we will open our hearts and souls to make G-d our King, the next part of the verse will also come true: "And it does not reckon with the nations".

Shabbat Shalom

There is Still Hope

Last week I spoke at the Haifa's Technion University before a large group of Technion graduates.
During the question and answer session after my lecture, two people asking questions defined themselves as atheists. They wanted to know how they would fit into the Jewish State that I dream of. An interesting discussion followed. I explained that there are more than a few people in Manhigut Yehudit who define themselves as "secular" and I even know a few Manhigut members who define themselves as atheists. Paradoxically, the only place where they can live according to their (lack of) faith is in the Jewish state that we propose - because the State of Israel that disassociated from its roots is in an advanced state of collapse.

The leaders of all of Israel's major parties have been sucked into the black hole of the ideological vacuum known as Israel's "center" and are incapable of dealing with this process of collapse. In the state of "Palestine" that will inherit us there will be no room for "infidels" - or for atheists.

After I assured the audience that in a genuinely Jewish state, as opposed to the Big Brother state that we have today, the loftiest value is liberty - and first and foremost freedom of thought, including the freedom to deny one's faith - I wanted to know to what extent these two "atheists" represented the views of the audience. "I would like to ask you a question," I turned to the elite of Israel's young intelligentsia. "Please raise your hand if you believe in G-d." There were not many kippah wearing members of the audience, but the sea of hands raised high in the air was the irrefutable evidence I was looking for.

Despite the collapse of Israel's current leadership, Israel's society is strong. It is just a matter of time until it rejects the current corrupt leadership in disgust and turns to the Jewish leadership alternative. Manhigut Yehudit will be there when that happens.

The Jewish Leadership Alternative to Flotillas and other Threats

By Moshe Feiglin

Israel is in acute distress. The bulwarks upon which we have predicated our security - America, Western Europe, the IDF - are all melting away. Even our mythological navy commando has been humiliated in a live broadcast. Slowly but surely, reality as we know it is changing its face. The ground is rumbling under our feet.

I look at all the good Jews demonstrating for Israel and my heart goes out to them. They feel that they are right, but cannot explain why. They have nothing more to lean on than Israel's explanations that exchange "justness" for humaneness. After all, we bent over backwards to be humane in Gaza. We even expelled our own brothers from there. So why is the entire world against us?

The protestors of the Left, on the other hand, have an apparently moral claim: Israel conquered a land that is not hers, they assert. Israel's right wing is offering nothing more than healthy emotions. If it cannot counter the Left's claims with solid moral reasoning, its protests will dissipate and the Left will once again sweep Israel from one defeat to the next.

The Marmara is the Exodus of the terrorists. International law supported the British army - not the ma'apilim, the "illegal" Jewish immigrants during the British Mandate. But the British were defeated because the world felt that the Jews were right. Today, the same game is being played out, but we are the side enforcing the blockade.

We claim that we need the blockade because they are shooting; they claim that they are shooting because of the blockade. There is one simple question that determines who is right: Whose land is this, anyway? When Israel recognized the "legitimate claims" of the Palestinians on this Land and even retreated from parts of it, it lost the moral high ground from which to claim the remaining parts of the Land. We did not receive international recognition in exchange for our "good will," but rather more international pressure, more isolation, more demonization and a new type of war that we cannot win, because we have lost our sense of justice.

Last week's fiasco on the high seas is just one more stage in the disintegration that Israel's leaders have no idea how to stop. What will we do when the next flotilla will include war ships from Turkey, or Britain or even the USA (as soon as the elections for Congress are finished)? Ultimately, the blockade will be forced open because from the corner into which we have backed ourselves -denial that Gaza is part and parcel of our Land - the Arabs are simply right.

We have two alternatives. We can come to terms with the "Palestinian" narrative, as the leftist demonstrators would have us do, wave a white flag of surrender and enter negotiations with the hopes of being granted the status of dhimmi in the new Palestine. The other alternative is to revolutionize Israel's basic values, rebuild our national ethos on Jewish foundations, return to our Jewish sense of justice and re-invent ourselves as proud Jews in the Jewish Land.

Let us imagine an Israeli prime minister who was elected on the basis of our Jewish values: "The Nation of Israel has returned to its Land after 2000 years of exile as per Divine directive," he would explain. "We do not wish to harm those non-Jews who are currently in the Land of Israel. We will honor all their human rights if they choose to fully recognize and respect the Jewish State. In addition, we will be happy to help those Arabs who prefer to pursue their national aspirations in any other country in the world. To that end, we have established an international fund to solve the problem of the refugees in Gaza. We have allocated five billion shekels for this project, with two billion shekels to be allocated to the fund annually. The fund will provide generous aid to any Arab who will sell his possessions in Israel and emigrate with his family to any other destination in the world. An Arab who chooses to remain in Israel and remain hostile to the Jewish Nation will be regarded as an enemy of the Jewish State and will be dealt with accordingly."

Does Israel have the money for this proposal? Absolutely. We spent much more on the Expulsion of the Jews from the Gaza area. Would the Arabs agree to leave? According to statistics publicized over the last years, approximately 70% of the residents of Gaza would be happy to leave. A budget of five billion shekels would convince the heads of many extended families to leave and provide an enticing example for all the rest. Photos of Arab families enjoying their new lives abroad would spark the imaginations of their Gaza brethren. A hot debate would develop in Arab society for and against the emigration. The terror organizations would fight against those who chose to leave and forget all about the Jews. No incentive to kidnap soldiers, to launch "freedom flotillas" or to use other methods and ploys to challenge Israel's sovereignty.

Only leadership that has a clear ideological platform and solutions for Israel's existential problems will inspire the nation to follow its lead. Manhigut Yehudit is offering just such leadership. We are confident that ultimately, Israel will make the right choices.

Moshe Feiglin Draws Large Crowd at Technion University

The audience that crowded the Canada Hall in Haifai's Technion University belonged to the prestigious club of Technion graduates, replete with their prestigious degrees. They meet periodically to hear speakers from all facets of society. The title of Moshe Feiglin's lecture, "Who's afraid of Moshe Feiglin?" piqued the interest of the Technion's students and the turnout was much larger than usual. The evening was a great success, with a lengthy question and answer session afterwards. Clearly, the general public represented by this forum is open to the ideas of Manhigut Yehudit. It is particularly in times of crisis that the longing for new leadership that gets to the root of the problem becomes much more pronounced.

Now more than ever, it is important to arrange Manhigut Yehudit events for the general public. To arrange a meeting in your area, please contact Dovid Shirel (Israel) 02 996 1123 (US) 516 620 2475

I Rule or G-d Rules?

By Moshe Feiglin

Is it not enough that you have brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that you also want to rule over us? (Datan and Aviram demanding justice - This week's Torah portion, Korach, Numbers 16:13)

It is clear that the Dynamic Duo, Datan and Aviram, are actually highlighting their own faults in the verse above. They call the death camps that they had just left in Egypt a "land flowing with milk and honey," making it clear that in the rest of the verse they are also not speaking the truth. In other words, they have an ulterior motive - in this case, power.

The drive for power is not necessarily understood by people who are not in leadership positions. It is commonly believed that the strongest human drives are survival and propagation of the human race. But the urge to rule supersedes all others. Kings murder their sons, sons murder their fathers - the drive for power is difficult to comprehend.

"How is it that the leaders of the Right always change their minds when they come into power?" the betrayed voters ask themselves time and again. The answer is that they change their policies so that they can remain in power. Do they care about themselves more than their Homeland? Not at all. They simply believe that if they remain loyal to the Land of Israel and lose their jobs, somebody worse than them will replace them. In this manner, the fine line between personal and international integrity is blurred. In their minds, they are not power hungry, but simply acting in the nation's best interests.

The strongest form of government is an interim government. An interim government cannot be overruled and voted out (because it has already finished its job). It cannot be pressured. The world always waits for Israel's interim governments to finish their term before renewing its pressure on the newly elected government. Why? Doesn't a short-term prime minister have national interests that can be threatened?

Not really. What really pressures prime ministers is a threat to their power. The prime minister that has already lost his power does not buckle under outside pressure.

True Jewish leadership takes responsibility. It conquers the drive for power. And that is no simple task. According to Maimonides, a king must bow every time he says the Amidah prayer in order to break his heart. A Jewish leader who governs with Jewish values is humble before G-d. This humility before the Creator, so sorely lacking in Israeli politics today, bolsters him against all the pressure in the world.

Shabbat Shalom

Manhigut Yehudit joins the entire Nation of Israel in mourning the passing of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, of saintly and blessed memory. He will be sorely missed by all lovers of Torah, the Land of Israel and the People of Israel. May we be comforted in the building of Zion and Jerusalem. Click here for more on Rabbi Eliyahu.

A Leader for Israel's Future

By Shlomo Vile

One of the most common misperceptions of Moshe Feiglin is that he’s a right-wing politician. The media is accustomed to calling him an "extreme" right-wing politician. In truth, however, Moshe Feiglin’s policies transcend the typical left-right dichotomy that divides Israeli politics. Moshe is first and foremost Jewish, and just as the Torah itself is neither left or right, so too, Moshe Feiglin is neither left nor right.

I’d like to illustrate this point by summarizing Moshe Feiglin’s views in five key areas that are not at all typical for a "right-wing" Israeli politician.

1) The Arab-Israeli conflict and the "search for peace" are not a main focus of Manhigut Yehudit. Feiglin is much more focused on how to build Israel as a Jewish state than he is on how to deal with or make peace with the Arabs. As he constantly reiterates, peace with the Arabs will be a positive side-effect of making Israel more Jewish, but it’s the Jewishness of Israel that is the main goal, not peace with the Arabs.

2) Jewish education, in Moshe Feiglin’s view, is a much more important issue that the Arab-Israeli conflict and should be absorbing much more of Israel's time and attention. In his view, providing a basic Jewish education to every Jew in Israel is an existential issue. Without it, Israel cannot continue.

3) Israel’s foreign policy should be guided by Jewish morality. Israel should be a "light unto the nations." We brought morality to the world and the Jewish state should lead the world in this area. For example, Feiglin came out strongly against Israel’s participation in the Chinese Olympic games in light of the overwhelming evidence that China was harvesting organs from prisoners, including political prisoners. Our moral compass is the Torah, which is an inseparable part of us and our Jewish identity. Israel’s reluctance to provide moral leadership on issues like Chinese organ harvesting is a symptom of the deeper problem – Israel’s reluctance to embrace its own Jewish identity.

4) Israel’s state-run welfare should be replaced - where appropriate - with community managed welfare based on Jewish values. According to the Torah, all Jews are responsible one for another. The Jewish State should be encouraging this natural Jewish sense of mutual responsibility through community-based responses to the welfare needs of its citizens. Instead, Israel has built a bureaucratic state welfare system that discourages the expression of this basic and positive Jewish value.

5) We should be model environmentalists, not just to protect "Mother Earth," but as a concrete expression of our Jewish identity. The people of Israel and the Land of Israel are one. Our Jewish environmentalism should flow naturally from our love for and sense of connection to our land. How could we pollute or destroy that which we feel to be part of us? Furthermore, this intimate sense of connection to our land that motivates us to harmonize our relationship with that land should in turn lead the Jewish state to play a leading role in the global environmental movement. The "greening" of Israel through the loving care of its native people should be the model for all of humanity to reconnect to and nurture the soil from which all life sprouts. Our "back-to-the-land" journey should be the trail that all humanity seeks to follow.

There is a common thread to all these issues - nurturing Israel’s Jewish identity. According to Feiglin, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the "quest for peace" are a huge distraction from this key task which should be the main focus of Israel’s energies.

In order to be successful, the unconventional political movement of Manhigut Yehudit faces two big challenges but offers two great opportunities.

The first challenge is that the mass media constantly characterizes Moshe Feiglin as an "extreme right-winger."

The second challenge is that even when we get past the media caricature, read the Manhigut Yehudit program with an open mind and agree with it, there’s an impression that "the powers-that-be" will never allow Feiglin to be elected. To counter that, you have to bear in mind the fact that Moshe Feiglin has already succeeded in becoming the only political challenge that the existing Israeli power structure takes seriously. That he’s accomplished so much without any of the official political titles or positions should make it even clearer that he’s the leader we need to follow.

Lined up against these challenges are two tremendous opportunities. The first is that when enough people read the Manhigut Yehudit plan and support Feiglin based on the conviction that he is right, we will finally have a leader in Israel with the power to transcend and start healing the right-left/ secular-religious polarities that currently divide the Jewish state.

Secondly, when we finally have a truly Jewish state, we will bring the whole world closer to its fulfillment at well. G-d gave us a role to play, not just to have another country, but to lead the world towards that bright future that we call the age of Moshiach. By strengthening Israel’s Jewish identity, we will make huge strides towards fulfilling the role that G-d and the rest of world expect of us.