2 Days to Elections: No Time for Another Kaddish  

 By my reckoning I have recited kaddish (the central family of Aramaic-language prayers in Judaism that praise and sanctify God’s name, rather than mentioning death or the deceased, even though normally recited by mourners during prayer services, funerals, and memorials as part of Jewish mourning tradition) over 8,000 times in the last 50 years.  I’ll spare you the details here but, for sure, it is more than enough times for anyone to have done so and I am committed to not doing so yet again by my actions at the polling station here on Tuesday.

I do not believe that it is an exaggeration to say that voting to keep the present government in power sets us up for the possibility of our having to recite kaddish for the Zionist enterprise in the not-too-distant future and we should, therefore, want no part of that.

To many of us the elections here on Tuesday are about far more than who will occupy the Prime Minister’s office, and how many Knesset seats each party will receive.  Rather, it is about the character of the State, the future of Zionism, and the relationship between Israel and Jews around the world.

The question before all of us as we choose which ballot to place in the envelope is: Will Israel strengthen democracy, embrace equality, religious pluralism, and the rule of law? Or will it continue down a path in which territorial maximalism, religious coercion, corruption, taking care of one’s own friends and Jewish privilege are elevated above other Jewish values?  In a word, will we choose to be productive partners in God’s plan for our people or, by our actions, show ourselves not to be worthy of the gift our generation received with the creation of modern Israel in 1948?

Yesterday, in synagogues throughout the world, we read God’s direction to Abraham (who was still known as Avram):

“The Eternal said to Avram: Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)

God’s purpose in issuing this request of Avram, was not simply to have him leave his home and travel to a new land.  Rather it was to be the progenitor of the Jewish people in a land that would be our own and in which we would be sovereign.  It did not mean that we would become Sparta, but rather that through our example we would become a “light unto the nations” (Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6) who would then be inspired by our example.

For those who like to remind us of the passage in Numbers 23:9 where the non-Jewish prophet Balaam describes the Israelites thusly: “This is a people who dwell alone, not reckoning themselves one of the nations”.  Commentators like Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Ramban all viewed the phrase “dwelling alone” as a sign of endurance rather than a political curse—meaning that we. the Jewish people, can maintain our distinct moral code, tradition, and identity without completely assimilating into surrounding cultures.

To be sure, no election will automatically resolve all the challenges that confront us.  It is also true that not every Israeli who votes for a right-wing party endorses every position of the far right. Israelis have different fears, priorities, and visions for our country.

Nevertheless, coalitions matter. Their composition matters. The demands of their partner’s matter. The question is not simply who wins the most votes, but what kind of government those votes make possible?

Our current government is the same one that was in power on October 7^th and which refuses to either take responsibility for the security lapses or even authorize a State Commission of Inquiry to determine once and for all what went wrong! Leadership that fails to do so, neither deserves to remain in power nor understands God’s message to Avram on that fateful day in Haran.

None of us can guarantee what a different government will actually do once elected.  Yet the message must go out that enough is enough.  That democracy is threatened when leadership remains in power too long.  That the longer we say there is no one else who can do the job the more that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that discourages new people from wanting to serve.  That the time has simply come to give others the opportunity to govern.

I would urge my fellow citizens to consider voting for the opposition bloc so that they will appear strong enough to convince President Herzog to ask them to form the new government.  Specifically….

• Yashar headed by Gadi Eisenkot (my personal favorite) whose identifying party symbol will be Derech (דרך) which translates to “the way.”
• B’yachad jointly led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, whose symbol is Rak (רק) which translates to “only.”
• Yisrael Beytenu headed by Avigdor Lieberman, whose symbol is (ל) which is simply the letter Lamed in the Hebrew alphabet.
• The Democrats headed by Yair Golan, a hero of October 7^th, whose symbol is (אמת) which is the Hebrew work for Truth.

We have all recited kaddish too many times.  Therefore, let us hope that on Wednesday morning we will feel more like reciting Hallel, the Hebrew prayer of praise and thanksgiving (Psalms 113-118) in gratitude for our supplications having been answered and in anticipation of the rejuvenation and reenergizing of our body politic.