Follow Up to " The Orange Ray of Hope"

To My Reader in Montreal, Shalom,

First of all ... thank you for your long and detailed response!

I think it is also important to remember that Western democracy is far from perfect and the fact that the West maintains that their democracy is the "way" to go in the Middle East, is just not right. How can the West assume to even think that they have the market on correct forms of government? I know the answer there, (because of the christian preoccupation with dominance!)

My dear friend, there is a world of difference between an imperfect form of "democracy" where at least the basic principles of "accountability of the elected to the elector" are at least in place, and the grotesque illusion of democracy of most Middle Eastern regimes (unfortunately more and more Israeli itself)! Brian Mulroney might have gotten away with highway robbery when his party exploited every parliamentary loophole to push through the NAFTA without adequate review and debate ... but his party suffered the most resounding defeat in the history of any western democracy as a result!

Living in the U.S. for so long and immigrating to Canada 5 years ago, I have learned a few things. I don't think there we know what a correct form of democracy is, whether it be in the U.S. format or a Parliamentary format.

I agree, although after careful consideration I personally prefer the British/Canadian/Australian parliamentary system to America's or France's republican system.

In my religious studies I've become quite cynical of where I have come from, and I believe that in order to finally attain "Peace" someone must come forth and create a "zone of truce and peace" where everyone must realize what is truly at stake. This is not about the holy sites, and keeping them for whomever, this is about giving the next generation of children a place to live, in a hopeful world where humanity matters and the killing Stops!

Cynicism is the first step to true understanding - you learn to question all alternatives equally! ;-)
Unfortunately there is evil in the world ... people who deny the principle that all men are created equally. As long as this is true, the "superior" will always seek to dominate and/or eliminate the "inferior". It does not matter whether that superiority stems from ideology or what passes as religion. Remind me to share with you my personal insight on this question.

I saw a report on CTV tonight about a policeman in Ramallah and the fact that masked/armed gun men walk the streets as they do is so foreign to me.

Welcome to the insane world of western media - they are touting these masked men as "the hope of Palestinian democracy". Like our tubby little Chinese friend once said, if this is democracy, it is democracy that realizes that all power comes from the barrels of rifles!

We all - at some point - must agree on one point, that Peace and Co-existence is a viable Possibility. How we are to achieve this is beyond my comprehension.

I wish I could ... unfortunately after living in the reality of the Middle East for thirty five years I have come to realize that "Peace and Coexistence" are only possible where there is mutual respect. As long as the predominate Arab/Muslim population denies the rights of non-Muslims, there can be no real 'peace' and definite not a coexistence of equals!

Sorry friend!

Yoel

Technorati : israel orange dissengagement politics

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The Orange Ray of Hope

I sometimes ask my wife how she feels about being Jewish. The question isn't as facile as you might think. When your Jewishness is the result of your personal decision and not an inheritance from your parents and grandaparents, the very idea of Jewishness takes on an additional flavour and import. I like to ask my wife (and somethimes my children who don't have patience for their father's introspection) to have a basis of comparison, or perhaps to benefit from the "grounding" she/they provide.

Most Torah knowledgeable Jews know that classically, wantabe converts to Judaism are discouraged. When a candidate for conversion comes to the Rabbinic Court (Beit Din), traditionally the Beit Din describes the difficulties of life as a Jew, the persecutions, the exiles and the general insecurity of life as a Jew in a hostile world. If the candidate demonstrates a good knowledge of Judaism and is sincere in their desire to become a Jew, but especially despite the Beit Din's exhortations the candidate still asks to be accepted, normally the Beit Din accepts them.

Converting and making Aliyah in 1972, before the Yom Kippur War and quickly identifying with the 'National Religious' movement shortly after my arrival in Israel, the dire warnings of the Beit Din seems some how anachronistic and out-of-step with the reality in which I found myself here in Israel. Israel survived the three major challenges to her existence, the War of Independence, the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. As an economy Israel succeeded in branching out beyond the initial exporter of agricultural products toward the exploitation of the Jewish People's most valuable commodity - Jewish intellect! Moreover, as a Jew who valued Jewish tradition and scholarship this period marked the greatest expansion of Torah learning of any time in Jewish history.

Today, with the approaching showdown between those Jews who came to Israel to live Jewish lives and those Jews who appear bent on turning Israel into a secular "democracry of all its citizens", I seriously wonder where my family's future lies. The systematic effort on the part of the anti-Jewish forces to dismantle the system of religious services in the state by closing down the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The systematic disenfranchisement of not only the "Ultra Religious" (non-Zionist) but also the National Religious camp by cutting funding to religious schools by 70%, when the per-capita funding was lower than that to non-religious schools before the cut! The systematic effort to make it increasingly difficult to both serve in the IDF and remain true to the ideals of Jewish faith. The systematic recruitment of the media in the promotion of one side of the great nationa debate and the effective silencing of all voices of opposition. And then finally, ultimate challenge to the realization of the Jewish People's millenium old aspiration to live in the Land of Israel, the exile and destruction of the communities of Gush Kastif, and the growing threat of the exile of similar destruction of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

With all due respect to the befuddled Israeli's who do not have a deep and meaningful Jewish identity, I would never have fought in three wars, nor will I encourage my children to risk their lives to defend a travesty of democracry which systematically promotes values antithetical to those we believe in. If the "Israeli's" and their Christian and Muslim friends want to defend the right of the ruling oligarchy to continue to disenfranchise them and to exploit the resources of the state to enrich the few while the many grow increasingly impoverished ... there is no logical reason why I should join them. I was willing to live with Israel's "imperfections" as long as I had hope that eventually we would gradually succeed in correcting the many "deficiencies", as long as I felt there was a genuine dialogue between the "Jews" and the "Israeli's". With the growing one-sidedness of the "debate" and the systematic exploitation of government sanctioned force to enforce government decisions not arrived at through a popular vote - my hopes for a more Jewish, more democratic more just State of Israel are rapidly waning.

The one real ray of light in the growing struggle between those who want a Jewish state and those who want a state devoid of anything except empty lip-service to Jewishness, are the "Orange". These, predominately youthfull, passionately idealistic people just might have the key to saving the soul of a Jewish Israel.

Our Youth Do Not See Democracy

by Yehudit Tayar

There was a time when we were excited and proud to be a part of the democratic process of elections. There was a time when we knew which party was which, and what the platform was for each candidate. The out-going government today not only stole our heritage, destroyed flourishing communities and congregations, turned heroes into refugees, and our army, police and courts into collaborators in the form of political tools, but it has also caused our youth to not want to participate in the elections. Our children, serving in elite units in the army, do not wish to be a part of the charade of elections. "It doesn't matter anyway," they say. "Look what happened with Sharon - he stole all your votes after he betrayed the very platform he was elected on. Why should we vote at all? What difference does it make when there is a decadent, corrupt government that is collaborating with the enemy and endangering all of us?" Usually, I can find an argument with my children to convince them. This time, I find it hard to argue with them since they are right. These young citizens of our beloved land, who volunteer for the elite units in the army to serve our land and protect Jewish lives, feel betrayed. To tell them that each of us has the right and responsibility to participate in the elections is a fallacy, since the parties have blurred their platforms so that it is hard, if not impossible, to point out a candidate who will actually serve the interests of the people of Israel. The same slogans each election - "Only ____ Can" - are plastered all over the country. "Can what?" I ask myself. "Can deceive better"? "Can betray us and capitulate to the enemy"? "Can manipulate and steal and get away with it, because the courts and police are cooperating"? Our children are born and grow up in a community where we are all actively involved in seeking responsibility. We have seen them actively involved in youth groups, volunteering for community responsibilities, training and volunteering for the most elite units in the Israeli army - with the feeling of patriotism and loyalty to the land. We have seen them determined to be a part of the struggle for our beloved Gush Katif. They were not only there with us, but they fought to overcome every obstacle in their way in order to stand by our brothers and sisters in this nightmare of betrayal; a betrayal by leadership that was elected to protect the same communities it now bulldozed into oblivion and destruction. We are all angry, frustrated and hurt that we are lied to and manipulated by a government that acts like a dictatorship, and mocks us using words like "democracy". Our youth able to participate in this election have been given the once-thought-of-as-privilege to vote now, but feel that this is a useless charade; not only not a privilege, but an insult to each of us. I still say that we must vote. We must convince these youths, who will be the future leaders (hopefully true leaders, unlike today) of our country, that they must be involved, must try to get the most honest and loyal party into the Knesset, in the hope that, in the future, Israel will have a government worthy of their votes and our trust. It will take a long time to rebuild any trust in the elected officials who serve in the Knesset. It will take longer to actually see candidates who are worthy of our vote.

Technorati : Democracy, Israel, orange israel politics

The Time is Now

We enter the period of the year where the book of "Devarim" is read in the synagogue each week. I've heard the book called "The Book of Numbers" (or have I confused it with something else?). The last few weeks has been a building crescendo of numbers:

• The Rally in Netivot : 50 to 70 thousand
  
• The March to Kefar Maimon 30+ thousand
  
• The Siege of Kefar Maimon 50+ thousand
  
• The Rally in Shederot 70+ thousand
  
• The Assembly at the Kotel 100+ thousand
  
• The Demonstration Tel Aviv 250+ thousand
  

What must be understood is that all these events took place over the past three weeks! No one could participate in all these events. Even when one or two members of a family managed to take time off of work etc. there almost always remained someone at home to "watch the fort". That means if fifty thousand participated, at least one hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand support and agree with the issue.

With each encounter with brutally violent police; with each arrest in the middle of the night of someone who organizes public demonstrations; with each child held in jail yet another week because they are "a danger to society" because they stood on the sidewalk and cried to the police officers not to harm their friend/parent … the People are waking up!

The speakers at these various rallies state in a language that can not be misunderstood - the struggle is not over Gush Katif and the North of the Shomron. The struggle is for the "soul of the State of Israel". Nothing less than a non-violent democratic "revolution" ('mahapacha' in Hebrew) can be accepted as the resolution of this crisis.

I wait for the day that the "authorities" send their thugs to arrest the leaders of this movement. These arrests will not lead to investigations and trials. No in the "democratic" state of Israel there is no need for that. These will be "Administrative Detentions" designed to isolate "people dangerous to the public good". I wait for this day because hopefully it will be the day that the "rest of Israel", those who still sit at home and watch all these events through the screen of their television, will wake up and realize the time is "now"!

If we want a country that reflects the values of the Jewish People, a country that strives to realize the millennium old aspirations of the Jewish People - the time to start affecting the necessary changes is now!