Why Israel’s Election Left Me Hopeful
Watching Israel’s election from New York, I’m struck by something beyond the battle for 61 Knesset seats: nearly 78% of Israelis went to the polls, the highest turnout since 1999. Whatever the final outcome, it is a blessing to see such a broad range of voices participate in the democracy of our Jewish homeland.
And what a range of voices it is. Right and left. Religious and secular. Haredi and Religious Zionist. Ashkenazi and Sephardi. Ethiopian and Russian-speaking. New immigrants and native-born. And beyond Israel, Jews in the Diaspora who remain deeply invested in its future. Different backgrounds, traditions and convictions, yet bound to one people and one destiny.
Perhaps this is also a window into what it means to be the Chosen People.
In Parshat Vayera, God explains that Avraham was chosen so that the nations of the earth would find blessing through him, and his descendants would practice tzedakah u’mishpat—righteousness and justice (Genesis 18:18–19). This shows that “Chosenness” is not a claim of superiority, but rather, a call to responsibility.
The parsha presents two models of society. Avraham opens his tent to strangers. Our Sages describe him welcoming travelers who disagreed with him – people who did not yet recognize the one God – bringing them closer through kindness.
The second model, Sodom, rejects the outsider. The Talmud describes a bed that every guest was forced to fit: those too tall were cut down; those too short were stretched. A terrifying image of “unity” through coercion.
The Jewish ideal is Avraham’s open tent—not Sodom’s bed.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks called this the dignity of difference: God chose one people to teach the world that difference need not be a threat. Real unity isn’t uniformity. We can vote differently, argue passionately, and practice Judaism differently while recognizing that our future is shared.
An election allows us to disagree without erasing one another. But achdut asks even more: to care for one another beyond the ballot box.
May Hashem bless the next government with wisdom, every citizen with dignity, and all of Am Yisrael with a love that can hold our differences—and make us a blessing to the world.
