Musings #87
December 6, 2004
The 24th of Kislev
A Bird’s Eye View
Close Up
A Peek Behind the Scenes
Even though I’ve been living in Israel for almost thirty-five years, speak and understand Hebrew, follow the news and politics, sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on things. Names appear on the news, and they’re strangers to me. And for an Israeli, that’s not good. Yes, one of the big differences between the America I was raised in and the Israel I live in is that Israelis “know everybody.” It’s not only because Israel’s a small country, it’s also because there’s a social and class fluidity like nowhere else on earth. Even most politicians and their families are accessible, at least compared to other countries.
Regardless, I certainly don’t know everybody, so when my husband suggested that we go to a Shabbat organized by Arutz 7 where MK Effie Eitam was to be the special guest speaker, I immediately said “yes!”
I was very curious. Only a very, few years ago Effie Eitam was expected to become the big power in Israeli politics, the person who due to the dynamics of his life bridged the religious, secular and the army, would unify, inspire and rescue us from “the situation.” A number of political parties vied for his support and were willing to offer almost anything if he would only join. I remember learning that 1951 in the United States, there was similar excitement and competition for Dwight D. Eisenhower, who became a popular U. S. president. Would Effie Eitam be Israel’s Ike?
The winner was the “Mafdal,” the NRP, the National Religious Party. Within a short time, it became clear that MK Eitam was not proving himself a national political leader. He was not the first former general to find that national and party politics are much more complicated than the army hierarchy.
Until that Shabbat I had never heard him speak and only knew about him what was written in the papers. I listened carefully, and it all began to make sense. It’s no secret that I believe that a leader must have “vision.” He or she must be someone who strongly believes in something and can attract people to follow. MK Eitam gave a long speech, which began with some personal and family background, and he was glowing; he was riveting. You could easily see his personal strength. But then he continued by detailing all of the difficulties Israel is presently facing. His solution: “We must get together and find a solution.” Honestly, this is close enough to a translation of what he said for me to frame it in quotation marks.
Everything was suddenly clear. He’s a wonderful, talented person but not a national political leader. He was depressing the minute he got into political topics. We, or more accurately, he’s in a classic Peter’s Principle bind; he has risen to his level of incompetence.
There was another featured speaker that Shabbat, Rabbi Yigal Kaminetzky, the Rabbi of Gush Katif. I knew very little about him, but I was curious for a different reason. He’s my neighbor’s brother. Where Effie Eitam radiated confusion and uncertainty, Rabbi Yigal radiated confidence and pride. Listening to him, it was easy to become convinced that living in Gush Katif is an enviable privilege. He personified the stories my friend tells about their mother.
My friend tells of how when she was a child, not only did she not have any idea that they were poor, but the school teachers thought that they came from a very wealthy family. Once a teacher visited their home to tell her parents that it wasn’t right to flaunt their wealth. My friend and her siblings were much better dressed than their classmates, during a time of great poverty in the early days of the State. The teacher was speechless when she walked into their home, which was too small to be called a proper apartment. The late Mrs. Kaminetzky used to take apart the second hand clothes sent to them, and then she sewed the fabric into beautifully styled, perfectly fitted “new” clothes.
Rabbi Yigal’s “spin” on the admitted difficulties facing Gush Katif and the rest of the country were so positive and optimistic, like the attractive, stylish clothes his mother sewed from others’ rejects. Rabbi Yigal’s confidence and plans were the antithesis of MK Eitam’s. He is a leader. I have no doubt that he’s one of the main reasons Gush Katif is strong and vibrant today.
I returned home with added confidence and optimism. As the political situation gets more complicated and difficult, it’s good to know that there’s someone to follow.
Batya Medad, Shiloh
Shilohmuse@yahoo.com
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/
http://me-ander.blogspot.com/
http://www.shilo.org.il
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