The Bayit Yehudi became the first party running in the January 22 election to
produce an English campaign video on Monday when it uploaded a new clip
featuring its chairman Naftali Bennett and other candidates to
YouTube.
In the video, Bennett says his parents are from California and
chose aliya out of Zionism and love for Israel.
“The Bayit Yehudi is your
home because it represents the same values and ideals that led you to make
aliya,” Bennett said in the video. “It’s time to take the message of your aliya
to the entire country.”
The video also includes quotes from candidates
Ayelet Shaked, Moti Yogev, Yoni Shetbon and Jeremy Gimpel. The party promised
that more videos would follow ahead of the election.
“Growing up in
America, a Jewish education was a luxury for a select few,” Gimpel said in the
video. “If you believe that every Israeli child deserves a quality Jewish
education, the Bayit Yehudi is your home.”
Bennett boasted about Gimpel,
who is 14th on the list, saying he was proud to have an Anglo representative in
what he said was a realistic spot.
“We’re gearing our party to be the
primary address of the English-speaking community in the country,” Bennett said.
“Coming from that background I fully understand the contribution they add to our
society.”
Bayit Yehudi’s English campaign will be chaired by Gimpel and
managed by Jeremy Saltan, who was an aide to National Union leader Ya’acov Katz,
but Bennett will also play a primary role.
Saltan promised to court the
English-speaking public like they have never been courted before.
Gimpel
said the party was developing an aliya department that would cater to the
English-speaking community and offer direct user-friendly access to the party.
He also said the party would offer a new level of representation and
transparency in Israeli politics.
“We are revolutionizing the way our
party communicates with the Englishspeaking community,” Gimpel said.
“The
Jewish Zionist values of the Bayit Yehudi would attract any Western oleh
[immigrant], but now for the first time we’re reaching out to them, in their
language, in a medium accessible to everyone. This is just the
beginning.”