The More Things Change.....

Dalia Kibbutz, Yokne'am Maggido Region, 11 pm (3 pm CST)

So mostly I've been writing of my experiences observing things that have historically defined the Jews, Israel, Jerusalem. But today, only hours after the polls have closed in Israel on this Election Day (and national holiday; many get the day off), it seems appropriate to reflect on things of a more modern nature. And how the past manages to catch up to and confront Israel in even the most current of events.

As we've progressed through our trip we've gotten briefings about all sorts of matters affecting the country. Politics, social welfare, government, media. And also the way the United States and Israel relate to one another. Not just at a government level, but from a Jewish community perspective. Do we as Jews in America really tell the full and complete story of Israel, or do we reduce the conversation to the romanticized version -- the natural beauty, the Biblical significance, the entrancement of a nation in which it's actually possible to feel not only assimilated, but assimilated into the majority.

The "truth" of Israel is that there's not one truth. There's not one narrative. It's a complex nation with a formidable history and tremendous aspirations for the future. But those hopes could readily be dashed by problems that plague any number of nations... an underfunded and pedagogically challenged education system; an increasing split between the rich and poor (hmmm...does that sound familiar to any of you fellow Americans out there?); racial disparities between Jews and Arabs, and myriad assimilation issues for Jews who have emigrated to Israel from Russia, Ethiopia and elsewhere.

On the other hand, there's the great number of exceptional achievements. The country is a major creator and exporter of technology. Its cultural and arts institutions are highly regarded. The growth of the economy over only 61 years of national existence, despite big bumps along the way (such as the recession of five years ago) is extraordinary.

But vile and seething hatred threatens to derail the nation's future prospects. Never was this so evident as in today's elections. At this hour, the moderate Kadima party appears to have gained a modest and surprising victory over the rightist Likud, led by former PM Bibi Netanyahu. But this means nothing, because the party that will end up in power is the one deemed capable of creating a majority bloc, forging alliances with other parties with smaller numbers of seats won in the Knesset.

And therein lies the rub.

It is believed that Likud and Netanyahu will end up in power by building an alliance that includes a party called Yisrael Beitenu. Its leader, Avigdor Lieberman, has...um, how shall we say it...somewhat biased tendencies?

That's putting it mildly. Read this excerpt from today's London Telegraph:

"(Liberman)'s campaign slogan, 'No Loyalty, No Citizenship' has been seen as a rebuke of Israel's Arab citizens, who make up some 20 per cent of the country. Their solidarity with their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, especially during the recent war in Gaza, has made some Israeli Jews increasingly suspicious of their loyalties...
His platform called for citizens to take a loyalty oath. Those who refuse would lose the right to vote or to run for office. Another party tenant called for Israel to redraw its borders so that areas with large Arab concentrations would fall under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.(Emphasis added)."

So there is no confusion here, the party and party leader expressing the above view of the world will control over 10 percent of the seats in the Israeli parliamentary government, AND will have a major say in who becomes Prime Minister.

This is Israel, folks. Remember Israel? The nation established for the benefit of Jews, 6 million of whom perished in the Holocaust? Jews who have been persecuted throughout history because of their ethnic origins, their religious beliefs, what they look like, who their mother was? And now someone who is relying on ugly and insulting innuendo, on "it's either us or them" jingoism, is seen to be an effective player at a national level?

Yes, there was just a war. Yes, the the Jewish-Palestinian issues are real, terrible and have resulted in large numbers of deaths. Yes, there must be focus on finding effective solutions, solutions that include the permanent cessation of terrorism. But as yet, no one has explained to me in any sane manner how the way to combat racial and religious divisiveness is by creating more of it. This defies both logic and instinct. And it's patently offensive to boot.

I realize that a war has just been completed and security is top of mind for many Israelis. As with 9/11, this kind of environment musters support for hawkish views. But the best of Israel's future is in its hope and optimism, not in the ball and chain of hatred. Security, yes. A firm commitment to peace, yes. A fair debate about the best tactics by which to get there, yes.

But not at the expense of respectful and moral governance and public dialogue. If the conversation is dragged into the gutter by leaders who evoke visceral responses of hate, particularly hate based on ethnic background, then haven't we pushed ourselves back over a half century to when those same arguments were being used to kill us?

As Jews, I hope and pray we're better than that. Israel's future peace and prosperity depends on it.