As we approach Israel’s forthcoming election, to what extent do we recognize the significance of this period?
Yes, we have become accustomed to wars and the reality that Jews – both here and abroad – are not the flavor of the month. Yet I cannot recall a period such as this, where we in Israel are consistently considered the aggressor.
What is particularly reprehensible is that on the third anniversary of the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 – the day when the world witnessed the barbaric slaughter of 1,200 Israelis, the sexual abuse of countless women, and the abduction of 251 people who were taken hostage – we witnessed some 40 countries holding large demonstrations against us, the victims of the barbarism.
This year, on Oct. 7, US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries attacked Israel and called for “a dramatic shift in Middle East policy, demanding the establishment of a Palestinian state and work to end the settler violence.”
While I concur that we need a government to address the unacceptable settler violence, yet Jeffries – on this, of all days – did not have one word of condemnation for those responsible for an attack on Jews that has seen no precedent since the Holocaust.
We are experiencing a situation that just a few years ago we would have thought was impossible. I refer not only to those who refuse to accept that Jews have a right to live in their historic homeland, or those who have chosen not to recognize the UN Partition Plan of 1947, to which Israel adhered but the Arabs did not.
I also refer to the countries in Europe and the free world who, with each passing year, find reasons to condemn us rather than condemn those who wish to destroy us – and them.
If only they would open their eyes. How tragic that their non-acceptance of the Jewish people’s right to their historic homeland appears more important than what, ultimately, might be the end of their respective countries.
Some will argue that we Jews have no need to worry; in spite of the above, America is on our side. True, it would appear so at this moment.
However, the wind is blowing in a different direction with the forthcoming midterm elections to be held on November 3. There are predictions that the Republican majority might be eliminated in both houses of Congress. This possibility, together with the election of a new US president in 2028, does not bode well for Israel.
As if this were not enough, far too many American Jews of all ages are turning away from Israel. In recent elections, for instance, AIPAC did not have the same influence as it had in previous years.
We are told that the anti-Israel mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, was elected with the help of many young Jews. In addition, the country my grandparents referred to as “The Goldener Medina,” where Jews felt completely at home, is now experiencing antisemitism.
We need to find a way to project the factual reality of the one Jewish state
THERE IS also the worldwide negative perception of Israel that seems to worsen every day. We need to find a way to project the factual reality of the one Jewish state; currently, we are paying the price of not recognizing the significance of the battle of the word.
Yes, we have won military battles but, tragically, consistent Israeli governments have ignored the prime battle: to ensure that our side of the story is projected rather than leaving our enemies to present their distortions and lies. Our leaders have also ignored the reality that the world now receives its information 24/7 online.
As a vital part of hasbara (public diplomacy), we must recognize the important part that should be played – but is not – by our embassies throughout the world. Unfortunately, during the past decade-plus, the government has severely reduced the Foreign Ministry’s budget. This has resulted in the closure of Israeli embassies, the loss of several potentially excellent diplomats, as well as severely restricting the vital activities of embassies abroad.
In addition to ensuring the truth, rather than the lies projected worldwide, the embassies should reach out to young Jews – many of whom have adopted the Palestinian narrative. Hasbara is vital if we wish to receive the support of the younger generation of world Jewry.
The government’s unbelievable financial allocations to the haredim would be better spent ensuring we create a society with correct values. It requires a far greater investment in our education system which, according to official surveys, finds Israel’s education strategy at an all-time low – a dangerous phenomenon for a country that relies heavily on its brainpower.
We need to invest more in public relations and find funds for additional medical training schools based in Israel. This would stem the flow of medical students who are forced to study abroad and, in many cases, do not return here after their studies.
It means improving the lives of our hard-working doctors, to ensure they remain in Israel rather than find work in other countries, as did 1,370 doctors during the past three years.
What are the priorities for the parties that want to form a government?
WITH THE ELECTION for a new Knesset just days away, we must recognize the challenges Israel and the Jewish people are facing. What are the priorities for the parties that want to form a government?
Three years after Oct. 7, the time is long overdue for a full state commission of inquiry to investigate how Israel’s leaders were caught by surprise when our enemies – apparently with the greatest of ease – simply crossed over from Gaza to murder men, women and children. This attack must have been planned for months, if not years. If we fail to learn from our mistakes, a similar disaster could be repeated.
The government we elect must urgently redirect the state’s resources. No more financial benefits to haredi schools that do not teach core subjects. No more funds to enable some 80,000 haredi men of enlistment age to avoid conscription, at a time when we are told the IDF is dangerously short of soldiers.
It is four days to the election of a new Knesset. Before entering the cubicle to vote on October 27, we must ask ourselves which party, and which leader, chooses to rely solely on extremist parties to form a government.
It is the extremists who continue to demand exemption from conscription for haredim, resulting in too many of our soldiers returning home, exhausted, overwrought, and psychologically damaged.
The country does not have sufficient psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors to deal with the fallout of this ongoing war, where too few bear the responsibility of ensuring a tomorrow for our beloved state.
Let us never forget those prepared to give their lives in defense of Israel and its citizens. They deserve a far better leadership than those who have been steering the country in recent times.
The bottom line: We should be voting for leaders who comprehend the priorities facing Israel and the Jewish world rather than those whose prime aim is to stick to their seats.
It is incumbent on us, the electorate, to appreciate the urgent necessity for change at this most challenging time for Jews since the Holocaust. The time for new leadership is now.
We – who are privileged to live in the one Jewish state – must live up to our responsibility to ensure its continuity as the strong and vibrant Israel we love.
Am Yisrael chai! ■
The writer is the president of Israel, Britain, and the Commonwealth Association, and has chaired public affairs organizations in Israel and the UK. The views expressed here are her own.