In an articulate and witty speech, Gal Hirsch of the Magen Party described the feeling of many citizens through the eyes of Chaim Kuznicki, one of the founders of his party.
Kuznicki, a Holocaust survivor who reached Israel on an illegal immigrant ship and fought in the War of Independence, is today 90. He remembers the country in its early years. Hirsch said Kuznicki mourns the rifts in today’s Israeli society and the country’s loss of morality.
“There is a loss of boundaries, values and the policy of ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ that has been replaced with ‘every man for himself,’” said Hirsch, noting that there are no longer standard levels of morality or even modesty, which are the cornerstones of every public servant and certainly leadership.
“We have completely lost our way,” he said. “Just before the state is completely derailed, the time has come for a new reality, for a new generation with a vision and values, a new and moderate generation ready to enter the Knesset with a sense of responsibility, with new blood, innocence and values.
“Not leaders who are attentive to the advice of Ahithophel [a counselor of King David] and various other advisers with interests, but those who bring themselves to lead in good faith.”
Looking at Israel through the eyes of Kuznicki, he called on society to return to the good old days when Zionism and love of the land were not cynical words.
“Vote according to your conscience for a party that will take care of your socio-economic needs,” Hirsch told the audience. Magen could be your “social commando” in the Knesset.