The Blue and White Party leader has several thing he can start [and stop] saying that hopefully could enlarge his Knesset representation.
[No more saying that you’re more honest and reliable than Bibi. That doesn’t distinguish you from many other candidates who claim that but are as dishonest as him.] We’re more honest than almost any (former/prospective) parliamentarian.
[No more saying that you’re against Bibi. Who’s not claiming that?] I want to stress that we were the only ones who could stand up to him in deeds instead of wasting your vote by just whining in the opposition.
[No more saying that you contrasts so well with Bibi.] We contrasts so well with the whole of the Left that never takes any responsibility anymore and restricts itself to complaining and “being right.”
[No more attacks on Bibi.] Bibi is right not to trust anyone. And I learned from him to do the same. I thank him for training me the hard way. For teaching me to go slow, never trust a promise, no matter how reasonable, to negotiate ruthlessly, and get everything legislated and on paper.
Let’s point out we’ve shown to be pragmatic and principled, over dogmatic and populist, and hard-working over taking it easy (at your expense).
Don’t look at what everyone says; look at what everyone did, contributed. All the so-called Left-wing parties and all the Right-wing ex-Likud critics (Lieberman, Bennett, Sa’ars) who have such big egos they can’t even sit together in one party. Big mouths, small hands.
Sick of being lied to? You can have a home with us.
Sick of all the drama and whining? You can have a home with us.
Sick of all these men dominating politics? You can have a home with us.
Sick of the only option being for or against Bibi, for the Left or the Right? We’re the political Center. We know to cooperate and not be outsmarted. We’re not just a home for idealists or even realists. We’re the home to people who dare to compromise to have a seat at the table for the people. Instead of a tax-funded expensive seat at the Knesset just to make noises.
The question is not if a party will sit with Bibi. The question is, will it stand up and work effectively for what it believes in? That’s us. We felt forced by circumstance to break our promise and sit with Bibi, but we didn’t betray our political principles or goals. We will continue working for you, not us.
No one may want to sit with us. But they may have no choice if they want to govern. We won’t be picky on partners, only on principles and ideas.
We’re the new Left. We’re the new Right. We’re the new Center. Because we deliver while the others only talk and argue.
Do you like a strong Israel under Bibi? There we agree with him. And as Minister of Defense, I’ve practiced what I’ve preached. The IDF is in top condition, well-practiced, and well-equipped, with more stuff coming.
We deserve to reap the praise and fruits of taking responsibility when others bolted the battlefield. Vote for Blue and White in numbers the pollsters never saw coming. Politics/life is not fair; but you can be.
Do something with the political power you have. Vote for people who will use it to your advantage, not just for their own egos and glory.
Full disclosure: I’m not paid for the above in any way whatsoever, I’m not a member of or contributor to Blue and White, I just like honest people. I have written many blog posts defending Netanyahu against what I saw as unfair or untrue bullying by media or critics. I’m a Likud member for years. Now, I’ll vote Bibi or Benni; not a couch potato with a giant ego and mouth.
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
