United Behind Bibi

I’m talking about Bibi’s AIPAC speech today of course. Did you see the adulation on people’s faces? The standing ovation, the friendly manner and joking around at the beginning of his speech, his wife’s genuine tear in her eye when he praised her – why don’t we get this nice cozy feeling right here in Israel? Why does our Prime Minister have to overcome a mountain of adversity, fly across the world, stand in front of 16K Jews who fully support him and give a heartfelt speech in English to feel at home? Why can’t he feel at home right here in Israel?

For the first time in my life, I was ashamed to be Israeli today. Even though I fully support Bibi and he has my vote, I was ashamed for my country. Over the last few weeks the Netanyahu’s have been through hell here in Israel, and attacked from all sides. But by some miracle they held their ground and went for it. And now I know why. They knew they would eventually stand in front of this united group of Jews who are totally behind them no matter what. Undivided in their love and support for Israel. In Israel their faces are full of tension and uncertainty, and today they were elegant, glowing and completely at ease. All the tension of the last few weeks was gone because they were surrounded by friends, and you could even say family.

Right now when the world is going through such a critical transition from the old to the new and there is confusion everywhere, all eyes are on Israel. Like Bibi said, his speech tomorrow before the US congress is the most talked about speech in the world – before he has even given it! Why is the whole world watching us? They are waiting to receive something good from us but all they keep seeing and hearing is this insane division in Israeli society. This election is the height of our separation. In all my years in Israel (here since 1978) I have never seen everyone here so divided.

And for what? How is this unsettling and abnormal division benefitting us or anyone else? To make a long story short it isn’t and we’ll either find that out the hard way or the easy way.

This week of Purim especially is a time to remember that it was our unity that saved us from annihilation.