Strange kind of democracy we have here in Israel.
Much less from a majority of the people want Olmert to be Prime Minister. Totalitarian dictators have more popular support.
At the same time, Bibi claims that Feiglin's vote in the Likud, of over 20% is "an insignificant minority," and Feiglin wasn't even allowed into Likud headquarters to congratulate Bibi after the primaries. Now, I'd take that as a hint that Bibi doesn't want our vote in the Knesset elections.
His attempts to delegitimize Feiglin should backfire like a couple of decades ago when Labor leaders called the North African Jews supporting Menachem Begin, "riff raff."
Consider the history of the Likud, it's absurd to say that it's the party of Jabotinsky-Zionist Revisionism, because it's a merging of various parties, and only one, Cherut, could make that claim. This process has been going on for over thirty years. Israeli politicians are notoriously fickle.
Bibi is not acting like a national leader. Trying to be "moderate," "center" is just a way to fall through the cracks. The public is looking for answers, for leadership, not a cat chasing its tail.
There was something very interesting I read about the relative popularity of the various post high school yeshivot. (I can't find the link and would be grateful for it if someone has it.) The yeshivot whose Roshei Yeshiva were firmly against Disengagement, encouraging its students to refuse orders, are now more popular than those like Atzmona and Eli, whose rabbis preached compromise and cooperation.
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"The public is looking for answers, for leadership, not a cat chasing its tail.
The yeshivot whose Roshei Yeshiva were firmly against Disengagement, encouraging its students to refuse orders, are now more popular than those like Atzmona and Eli, whose rabbis preached compromise and cooperation."
The "public" has been "looking for answers" all along, I would suggest; but not for answers that have to do with truth and righteousness and courage, for those answers place demands upon individuals as accountable to G-d.
Nevertheless, when the crisis becomes severe enough, and the cost of indifference and/or indulgence now appears too great in terms of the consequent suffering, then more (but by no means 'all') of the "public" will be humbled to seek unto G-d for their "answers".
Your example involving the yeshivot, I believe, is testimony to that fact.
In another post, you wrote, "I voted for Feiglin, but for the wrong reasons".
But, you did vote for Feiglin, right? Moreover, you also wrote in that same post, that "Feiglin may 'have G-d', but not much else". If, in your judgment, Feiglin has NOT MUCH ELSE BUT G-D, and you say you voted for Feiglin (albeit for the wrong reasons); then it must be true that your vote was, EXPLICITLY, IN FAVOR OF FEIGLIN'S G-D.
Granted that, in your view (evidently), Feiglin's G-d is not a good politician; at least you must concede that neither is Feiglin's G-d a dishonest and conniving usurper of power over the people. Thus, Feiglin appears unthreatening--not to the corrupt powers that be, but to the people.
Now, why, I ask you, does not such a man actually DESERVE to be supported wholeheartedly? Is it because he (you think) can't gather enough votes to actually win? Did the few rabbis who favored resistance to orders, give their advice hoping to win popularity with the people (for, that was an outcome, as you said)? Or, did those courageous rabbis give their counsel in spite of the known risks to their popularity?
What I mean is, when men (and women) speak with courage and according to the truth, in times of crisis their voice resonates within the hearts of those who are, indeed, "looking for answers, for leadership", and not "for a cat chasing its tail".
Judaism, unlike other religions demands integrating kodesh and chol, holiness and profane.
A leader must be in touch with G-d and know how to work with people.
Well said Batya, but to continue my theme on your blog, it shouldn't mean compromising ideals.
I think that the orange people are sick of the old guard. Too many elections have seen the mafdal, ichud leumi, moledet, and others take the orange vote and then go sit with the governments, for more or less the same reasons that the Haredim sit in the government (except that the Haredim seem to always get more money proportionally then the 'orange' politicians).
I think that there was a poll recently reporting how many votes Kahane would get. Kahane-like 'loners' scare the other politicians. Marzel, Kliener, Feiglin scare the rest of them cuz they can't be bought with blood money to shut up and join the government like the others.
And now that Bibi seems the shoe-in (I wonder what Hashem really has planned for us), we'll see who keeps friendly with him and who stand by their ideals.
Thanks, some great points. Glad you commented.
And we'll also see which Kadima opportunists try to return to Likud.
Never dull
The Terrified Israeli Politician
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