We are going to the elections for the third time in a year. We are all tired of the smear campaign, the spin, the changing of positions according to the polls, and especially the reality of the lack of a stable government in Israel.
But now things are becoming clearer and clearer. The current election campaign places us all at a crossroads, and we are required to go to the polls and choose where we are headed. There is a decision here that is much more significant than personal aspects and political loyalty to any particular party.
Two blocks, two ways
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The decision now required is between two blocs. One bloc unites around itself those who believe in the importance of the Jewish character of the state, in the value of observing the Sabbath in public, in instilling Jewish values in children and youth, and in a tough immigration policy that will prevent the country from being flooded with non-Jewish immigrants of all kinds.
This bloc also represents a firm belief in our right to this land and the need to present a proud stance in the face of world pressures. It believes that peace will not be achieved through concessions and retreats, but by establishing facts on the ground, and by taking advantage of the window of opportunity that has opened before us to apply Israeli law to the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.
Opposite this bloc is a bloc that holds opposite positions. The leaders of all the parties that are members of it openly declare that they strive to expand public transportation on Shabbat, which in practical terms means pushing tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of Jewish workers to work on Shabbat. They want to interfere in matters of kosher, conversion, and religious services – things that could wreak havoc for generations.
On the issue of the Land of Israel, this bloc represents a weak position, one of fear of the world and of the Arabs. Some of its spokesmen try to hide this, but what is the practical meaning of 'sovereignty through dialogue'? And will the Arabs agree to this without surrendering to their demands? And will a coalition of the parties of this bloc be able to go on a campaign in the Gaza Strip (from which there is apparently no escape)?
Every voice is critical.
Those who believe that this is the way to achieve peace and that this should be the image of the Jewish state will vote for the lists that make up this bloc. We will argue with them and try to convince them of their error, but from their perspective, this is the obvious choice.
However, if it is important to you that the state be Jewish; that the Sabbath will not become a weekday; that conversion will not be a worthless process for registering non-Jews as Jews; that you can believe a "kosher" sign posted in a business or a kosher seal on a product; that hundreds of thousands of children who come from traditional homes will receive at least a little Judaism in schools; that the government will present to the world a firm stance on our right to the land - you now have only one other way to influence, and that is to vote for the opposing bloc.
In the face of the close struggle, every vote is truly critical. Each and every one must feel that the decision depends on their ballot. We do not now have the privilege of wasting our vote on gambling or showy protests, by voting for lists that will not pass the threshold. We do not have the right to stay home. We must vote and decide, out of a prayer to our Father in Heaven that He will guide us on the right path – "And choose life, that you and your descendants may live.".
