I really tried. Yes, I really tried to like and trust Hatikvah, but I could no longer lie to myself, nor to those of you who read my blogs for information you can't get any where else.
My report about their Yom HaAtzmaut-Independence Day Reception didn't tell it all. I left out the lack of professional organization, no registration of participants to get their names, numbers and what they volunteer to do. I didn't mention the horrendously boring program, the history lecture by the university professor, nor the fact that the organizers made no efforts to meet and greet the attendees unless I was intentionally snubbed.
To put it very simply, there are tested and proven techniques for establishing successful ideological and political movements. None of them were used, and without them, the movement hasn't a chance.
But I gave them another chance, so desperate for a political party with an ideology I could support. The same person who had invited me to the reception then invited me to a parlour meeting. The host was a name I had read many times in "letters to the editor." I was encouraged. So I went there to meet the founder/organizer of Hatikvah.
I didn't let the paltry number of participants bother me, nor the fact that I was younger than all by a couple of decades. I was impressed that those very elderly people managed to walk up all the flights of stairs. Then the speaker began... to lecture us. He started off bragging about how many generations his family has lived in Israel. I couldn't get the significance of it unless he's anti-immigrant. I tried to cut off some personal tangents by the other participants about their experiences in the pre-state undergrounds, very politely wondering what that had to do with the subject at hand.
I even stayed after the speaker said that Hatikvah was established because their study showed that the only group of Israelis who didn't have a party to support was the secular right. I disagreed and tried to explain that for people like me, religious-right who in principle don't vote for religious parties, there isn't a reliably right wing party. He looked at me blankly, unable to comprehend my point.
But half-way (or less) through the very detailed university lecture about the history of the State of Israel I begged the speaker to get to the main topic. He insisted that we wouldn't understand anything until we heard his entire speech.
That was too much and I left.
There is no political party, nor leader I trust to get us, the State of Israel, out of this dangerous mess we're in. So since I love politics and won't be teaching this year, I've decided to create a "pretend" party, the one I'd want to vote for.
Zot Shelanu!
It's Ours!
2 comments:
The major problem with HaTikva is the same with all the right-wing parties, namely that they are trying to be shtieblach rather than attain political power. That is to say, people are more interested in making themselves feel good than accomplishing something concrete. That is similar to what happened three years ago in Gush Katif when the "leaders" of Moetzet (turn the other cheek) Yeshu chose to create the most wonderful protest rather than fight to defend the homes of our brothers and sisters. Aryeh Eldad is a good man who says things that the NRP dorks are afraid to say, but his cronies seem to be making a right-wing secular shtiebel. It is possible that they were just insensitive and not on the ball, but it is equally possible that they snubbed you because you didn't fit the profile. They are trying to get the secular right-wing voters and they don't want the picture of you at their rally to queer the deal.
So what do you do? You retreat into fantasies with a nice name and no intention of doing anything. Meanwhile the real evil guys are planning to bulldoze your house in Shiloh and mine in Kochav Hashachar and we do the same ineffectual things. Our kids laugh and cry. Come to the shabbaton in Kochav Yaakov Shabbat Parshat Nachamu and we'll talk.
I understand that Hatikvah gave up. That's why I finally wrote this. I didn't want to be considered the "killer."
You are right that most right parties think/thought small and not national.
I want a Jewish party for all of us.
I emailed you privately about the reasons I don't think I can go on the Shabbat. We must continue to talk.
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