The Blogs: 5 Reasons I Love the Rivon Harevii

Rivon Harevii (“The Fourth Quarter”), the grassroots movement dedicated (in my own words) to taking the sting out of Israel’s public discourse, announced a decision last night to run as a political party in the upcoming elections. I’m deeply moved by this decision.

I’ve never had any sort of political home in Israel. In most election cycles, I lose sleep over who to give my vote to, even as I deeply cherish the right to participate in Israel’s democratic process.

So this is quite new for me: I fully identify with the Rivon’s work. Because the movement is focused on identifying long-term, innovative solutions to Israel’s most pressing problems, solutions that are built carefully to earn the support of the majority of Israelis. Here’s part of why I’m such a big fan:

“Start-up Nation” chutzpah applied to politics. Israel’s “Start-up Nation” is famous for its out-of-the-box solutions. Yet, the famous quote about “insanity doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results” could easily describe what we hear day in and day out on Israeli radio. The Rivon takes a different approach. The movement excels at developing in-depth, non-traditional, cross-party approaches to Israel’s most substantive challenges: ideas that don’t fit neatly into any political camp and genuinely have no other political home. See for example my post about the Rules of the Game, the Rivon’s proposal for resolving the judicial crisis.
Connecting with women and men of real character. Every time I participate in Rivon activities, I am impressed and even inspired by the caliber and openness of the individuals I meet. Holding and promoting unpopular political opinions takes grit and confidence. For example, Rivon activists from the right promote views unpopular with their own circles, like the idea of a unity government which could potentially unseat Netanyahu; Rivon activists from the left do the same, championing the Rivon’s vision of a more Jewish yet more democratic Israeli experience.
Passion for democracy. With over 14,000 active members, the Rivon held one of the largest digital elections in Israeli history this week, on the question of whether to launch a new political party in the spirit of the movement. 69% voted in favor, 31% against. The vision is that both organizations will work in parallel, something like Bnei Akiva alongside the old Mafdal, or Hashomer Hatzair alongside Meretz/Mapam.
Diversity and mutual respect. To quote Druze Israeli officer, academic, and fellow Rivon member Dr. Ala Abu-Roken, who spoke at last night’s event: our diversity is our strength, not our weakness; the many cultures and ideologies within our small country contribute to its richness. At the Rivon, you’ll find people from strikingly different backgrounds deep in conversation about the country’s future. A small group discussion I participated in last night, for example, brought together about seven of us (from the geographic periphery and Center) spanning Charedi (ultra-Orthodox), secular, and national-religious perspectives.
Respect for Jewish tradition and history. It’s relatively rare to hear self-defined secular Israelis quote Jewish history and Jewish texts. The current social polarization tends to mean that many secular Israelis prefer to present themselves as more humanist, “citizens of the world,” while many religious Israelis tend to present themselves as more particularist, focused on Am Yisrael (at least, that’s the stereotype). Some politicians in Israel speak about religious practice in ways that, as a religious Jew, make me genuinely uncomfortable. I love that Yoav Heller, who is secular and will be heading the new political party, continuously quotes Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and draws on Jewish sources, treating tradition as something that grounds and enriches our national story.

These aspects of the Rivon give me real hope.

In the videos and photos (all courtesy of the author):

Charedi Rivon activist Yair Zechuta speaking about the need for Charedi integration into Israeli society. “I am a Charedi who promotes the national interest (“mamlachti”) and a full partner,” he told us.
Druze Rivon activist Dr. Ala Abu-Roken: “I define myself as 100% Arab, 100% Druze, and 100% Israeli. The multiple tribes in Israeli society are our strength.”
The big reveal: 69% of Rivon members voted in favor of launching a new political party.