Friday, October 29, 2010

It's Not Enough to be Right


By Moshe Feiglin


"And the man looked wondrously upon her, silently waiting to know if G-d had made his journey successful or not." (From this week's Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, Genesis 24:21)

Reality is turning out to be just as we predicted. All of our prophecies of doom have turned out to be exactly what happened. The rockets actually did crash into Ashkelon. Part of Israeli society actually is turning its back on the Land of Israel and its associated values. Israel really has lost its legitimacy as a result. We can only look on in wonder at how accurately we were able to portray what would take place.

We said that ultimately, the High Court's scorn of our Nation's Jewish values would become a double edged sword that would bring about its loss of legitimacy in Israeli society. That is exactly what has happened.

The annual days of incitement against the Right on the anniversary of Rabin's assassination have brought the leaders of the Labor party to find ways to disassociate themselves from Rabin - or face the disdain of the public.

We look on in wonder, as reality plays out the scenarios that we predicted.
But despite the clear proofs that his plan is working, Eliezer the servant of Abraham remains unsure if G-d has made his mission successful or not.

The fact that we were right in no way ensures that we will succeed. As of now, the opposite is true. We look on in wonder, but nonetheless reality continues to march along the Oslo path. Being right does not guarantee results. We have to work to realize our goals.

If we do not introduce Israeli society to an alternative to Oslo, it will continue to march down the only path it knows.

And we can continue to look on in wonder.

Shabbat Shalom

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Abraham and Ahmadinijad



By Moshe Feiglin
20 Cheshvan, 5771
Oct. 28, '10

Translated from Ma'ariv's NRG website.

Listening to the Torah reading this past Shabbat in the synagogue, I realized what Ahmadinijad was looking for in his highly publicized visit of Israel's border with Lebanon. After all, Ahmadinijad is not stupid. Why would the president of a large and powerful state come to a dingy Lebanese town to yell into loudspeakers that could be heard all the way to Tiberias? If we dismiss his actions by simply pronouncing him a toy soldier with an ego problem, we are not being serious. Ahmadinijad is a head of state who does not lack attention.

Haman-dinijad could have made his speech in his sheltered parliament in Tehran, far away from the IDF's UAVs and from the risk that somebody in Israel would nevertheless decide to eliminate him. What exactly did he gain by sticking his head into the lion's mouth? What was the gain that justified the risk?

"Go forth," the King of the world says to Abraham; go to the Land of Israel. And Abraham goes forth - no questions asked. Abraham's nephew Lot comes with him, eventually settling in the Biblical predecessor to Las Vegas - Sin City - Sodom. In the meantime, Abraham continues his journey through the Land of Israel. True, he had a promise from the Master of the Universe, Himself. But in the meantime, he was nothing more than a new immigrant, bereft of clear territory and certainly unimpressive relative to the ancient cultures residing in the Land.

Then war breaks out - a war in which the new immigrant has no part:

And the king of Sodom and the king of Amorah and the king of Admah and the king of Tzvoyim and the king of Bela, which is Tzo'ar, went out and waged war with them in the Valley of Sidim. With Kdarla'omer the king of Eilam and Tid'al the king of Goyim and Amrafel the king of Shin'ar and Aryoch the king of Elasar - four kings against the five. (Last week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha, Genesis 14:8-9)

Lot, who had settled in Sodom to make money, finds himself on the wrong side of the battle and is taken captive. The modern-day, strong and sovereign State of Israel is not capable of releasing a soldier held captive for years just a few kilometers from its border. But Abraham does not wait for a minute:

And Abram heard that his brother was captured and he led his trained men, born in his house, forth; three hundred and eighteen, and he pursued until Dan. And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants and he smote them and chased them until Hova to the left of Damascus. (Genesis 14:14-15)

What happened to Abraham? Did he go completely crazy? Why did he and his tiny army of 318 pursue the triumphant alliance of regional armies all the way to Damascus? And all for Lot, who had cast his lot with the evil city of Sodom? Why didn't he just look the other way?

Abraham understood something that is currently completely outside our frame of reference. He understood that if the locals would see that he did not respond after his relative was taken captive, he would never attain the status of landowner in his new home. True, G-d had sent him to this Land, but that did not absolve him of fighting for it when necessary.

There are situations in which pragmatic, rational considerations must be sidelined in favor of long-term concerns. Abraham would never be able to shake off his dependant foreigner status if he would not prove that whoever harms his family would have to pay a steep price. The question of victory or loss in the war was secondary in this case to the necessity to prove that he was willing to fight for his sovereign existence.

Sure enough, Abraham's victory over the Northern Kings Alliance - a victory described by military historian Uri Milstein as one of the greatest strategic triumphs in military history - is followed by the Covenant of the Pieces and inheritance of the Land:

On that day G-d made a covenant with Abram saying: To your children I have given this Land, from the river of Egypt until the great river, the river Euphrates. And the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite. And the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim. And the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite. (Genesis 15:18-21)

Now let us return to last week's events and what Ahmadinijad was looking for. The keen Persian villain understands that we have forgotten Abraham's lesson. He wasn't just looking to come to our border and inflate his chest. Ahmadinijad was well aware that nobody in Israel would dare harm him. That is exactly what he wanted the world to see. 3,748 years after Abraham's war to redeem Lot, it is possible to take Israeli captives, to openly plan Israel's destruction, to dare Israel and its mighty army to attack the chief villain - and to emerge safe and sound.

Ahmadinijad's message to the world is clear: Abraham's achievements were temporary; his children really do not belong in the Land and are not sovereign there. They are simply immigrants living there on borrowed time. This is the achievement that he brought back with him to Tehran.

Leadership and Vision


By Moshe Feiglin

As part of its Yitzchak Rabin memorial project, Ma'ariv's NRG website asked Moshe Feiglin to write an article to analyze if there are any leaders or potential leaders in Israel today who can match Rabin's "leadership and charisma." The following is Moshe Feiglin's essay, translated from Hebrew.

20 Cheshvan, 5771
Oct. 28, '10

It is difficult to separate reality from myth. We build myths to serve our needs in the present. But in no time at all the myths turn into historical fact that defies challenge.

Our natural yearning for real leadership creates the myth of the leaders of the past. But the truth is that the only real leader that the State of Israel has known was David Ben Gurion.

I do not know where Ben Gurion is right now - in heaven or in hell. Ben Gurion, the schemer who crushed anyone in his way, the man responsible for the
Saison and the Altalena, who handed his brothers over to the enemy and weaved a small civil war against them to consolidate his power - was also Ben Gurion the private who understood military strategy better than all the generals, the man who truly built the IDF and without whose learning ability, perseverance and historical vision - we would clearly not have a state today.

In other words, I am certainly not a big admirer of Ben Gurion - but the man truly was a leader. I cannot say that of any other leader who came after him. Not even of Menachem Begin, toward whom I feel much more amity.

Many fine and talented people have led our state. Some contributed more and some less. But they were not true leaders. The reason for that is simple: They lacked the most basic requirement of any leader: Vision.
The most experienced driver who does not know what his destination is should really leave the driving to a less experienced person who knows where he wants to go.

Ben Gurion was a leader, not only because of his personality but first and foremost because his goal was clear and simple: To turn the Jewish settlement in Israel into a sovereign state. If he had come into power ten years later, it is doubtful that he would have been able to fully express his leadership potential. The goal, the destiny, the vision - are what leadership is made of - not the opposite.

The leaders who succeeded the first prime minister no longer enjoyed the advantage of having a clear and simple existential goal from which to draw their leadership. They provided maintenance for Israel's existence and ignored its destiny. But as the State's physical existence - military and economic - solidified, the need for a vision outside Israel's sovereign, physical existence became clear. Israel's leaders have preferred to flee this vision. This makes them 'non-leaders.'

Some claim that Yitzchak Rabin and Shimon Peres were leaders because they were the first statesmen since Ben Gurion to establish a new vision: The "peace vision." But this is nothing more than deception. The "peace vision" falsely portrays existence as destiny. It turns the de facto situation into the choice option. "Peace" in this vision is a situation of non-belligerence and serenity. This is certainly a worthy state, but it has nothing to do with vision. On the contrary - it perpetuates and glorifies the lack of vision and effectively expresses the non-leadership/populism of the person who conjures it up.

A quick glance at the values of the French Revolution or the American Constitution reveals concepts like liberty, equality and brotherhood. Peace as a goal does not appear there and cannot appear. Nations go to war for liberty, equality and brotherhood. Peace is the result of these goals - not the goal itself. When peace turns into the goal - when existence turns into destiny - the result is terrible bloodshed and the loss of legitimacy that we are experiencing today.

The peace aspirations of the Western nations cleared the way for the rise of Nazism and led to the most horrific of wars. The simple fact is that the "peace" process has brought us to the point where Israel's leaders can no longer travel freely to Western capitals; some of them even have arrest warrants waiting for them in Europe. The very legitimacy for the existence of a state that is incapable of establishing a vision for which it is willing to fight - is disappearing before our eyes.

Beginning from Yitzchak Rabin's second term, the built-in lack of leadership of the Israeli regime became even more sophisticated: It began to iconize its lack of destiny. Not one prime minister who succeeded him managed to establish true goals and to change Israel's direction. Binyamin Netanyahu, who brought up the issue of the Jewish State for public debate, has a chance to do so and to become a leader - as long as the Jewish State issue will be a strategic statement and not just a political tactic designed to throw the ball to the other side of the court.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Israel's Front Porch


By Moshe Feiglin

12 Cheshvan, 5771
Oct. 20, '10

Translated from Ma'ariv's NRG website.

I get to Elmatan almost every morning - on my mountain bike. The dried creek beds and mountains on the way there and back provide me with half an hour of solace and physical fitness that are the dream of every mountain rider. After ten years of riding here and playing catch with the sun's first morning rays, I thought that I had already seen all the different views from Elmatan. Nevertheless, it is important for me to share this picture of the Elmatan synagogue with you:


Elmatan is a "mixed" outpost - a neighborhood of the Ma'aleh Shomron settlement that is open to everyone - with or without a kippah on his head. They built the synagogue pictured here about a year ago. Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the synagogue to be sealed off. Mosques are popping up like mushrooms after the rain in this entire area - which is under Israeli jurisdiction - and nobody dares touch them. But the synagogue within the boundaries of the Elmatan settlement unhinges the "rule of law" clan. Their norms dictate that the Arabs here are permanent while the Jews are a passing phenomenon. I am talking about Tel Aviv, of course.

Due to the fact that last week it looked like the government was going to seal off the synagogue, the residents of Elmatan asked the residents of Ginot Shomron, where I live, to come and boost the regular prayers there. And so, after my bike ride and shower, I picked up my son and we drove over to Elmatan for the morning prayers.

There are more panoramic views of the country than from Elmatan. From Moshe Zar's house at the top of the mountain, for example, the entire State of Israel is laid out on the palm of your hand; from the slopes of the Carmel Mountain all the way down to the shores of Gaza. I stood there once on a clear day and watched the unloading of coal for the power plant in Hadera through my binoculars. In his better days, Arik Sharon would bring US senators to the home of his buddy from Israel's famous battles and explain the strategic importance of Judea and Samaria to the American lawmakers from Moshe Zar's back yard. "Israel's front porch," he would call it.

I do not believe in basing our claim to the Land of Israel on security interests. It simply does not work. We are here in the Land of Israel because it is ours, because this is our Land and our home and this is our life. Without it, we have no ability to build, strengthen our character and fulfill our destiny. We are here in the most simple and natural way and whoever tries to take this Land from me will have to kill me first. If
you are not feeling up to the task of keeping and guarding this Land, you can leave. But nobody has the right to uproot Jews from their homes and their Land. This is very simple and has no connection to the welfare of Tel Aviv with or without the Shomron.

Nevertheless, when a photographer arrived in Elmatan, I asked her to take a picture of the view glittering before my eyes at 6:30 a.m. from the synagogue that the High Court ordered sealed.

Never mind the fact that from here they will fire Katyushas at Tel Aviv, just like they fire them now at Be'er Sheva from the ruins of Gush Katif. That is really not the point. I just felt that there is so much symbolism in this surrealistic sight of the state of Tel Aviv spread out below the small synagogue from which - among other things - it draws the justification for its existence - and which it insists on destroying.

All the towers there, at the feet of the small synagogue, all the modern interchanges and even the permanent cloud of pollution over Tel Aviv that can be detected in the photo - all this amazing achievement of Zionism is planted on shifting sands. The more that we have disengaged from our Land and our identity, the more we have lost the legitimacy for the very existence of a Jewish state on the face of the earth. We have all the military prowess necessary to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat. But we lack the fortitude and courage to do what we must for the coming generations because deep down, we have lost our faith in the justice of our existence here.

If it is illegal to build a synagogue in Israel's heartland, then certainly the Azrieli Towers there on the coastal lowlands are not legitimate. Soon there will be Congressional elections in the US. Afterwards, the cat in the Oval Office will come back to derisively torment the Israeli mouse and invigorate world anti-Semitism. And then what will we do? On whom and on what will we rely after we have invalidated the justice of our existence here with our very own hands?

Physically, Elmatan hinges on Tel Aviv. But the opposite is also true. Just look at what happened to the State of Israel after the destruction of Gush Katif. Just look at how our international legitimacy has eroded, how the dangers surrounding us have intensified and how the ability to defend ourselves has been abrogated.

This week the sealing of the synagogue in Elmatan has been postponed. Tel Aviv can breathe a sigh of relief.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Recognize Us Pleeeaaase!


By Moshe Feiglin


At the beginning of the week the headlines announced that Israel's Prime Minister is willing to renew the building moratorium in Judea and Samaria in exchange for "Palestinian" recognition of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish nation. On the surface, this is another successful maneuver for Netanyahu. It was obvious from the start that the Arabs would reject the proposal and that Israel, in its great wisdom, would be able to roll the hot potato back to the opposite team, saving Judea and Samaria from a building moratorium in the process. If so, we should thank Netanyahu for his brilliant efforts and "strengthen him," as the loyal Likud MKs suggest.

But this is where the problem lies. On the plane on which Netanyahu, Lieberman and many other good people from the national camp work, it is impossible to initiate any position. All that we can say is: "When you finish dealing with the problems in Europe, we will talk." Or "When you recognize us as a Jewish state, we will halt the construction."

"Israel has no foreign policy - only internal policy," said a smart but disloyal Jew, Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State during the Yom Kippur War.

In truth, Israel cannot have a foreign policy predicated on a nationalism that has no content. The result is a "coincidental" foreign policy that can react but never initiate. "They will give and then they will get. If they don't give, they won't get," in the words of Netanyahu. This is not the product of the weakness of any particular leader. Instead, it is a fundamental weak point that we have carried on our backs since we returned to our Land. We returned to our nationalism - but we left G-d outside.

The surrender of our destiny has cast a long shadow over our existence. "Recognize us,
pleeease! We will give you everything if you stop threatening us and let us live in peace without having to deal with our destiny." But the shadow is persistent. "If you are not you, then I am not your shadow. In fact, you are my shadow, and I will absolutely not recognize you."

It is difficult to think of a more humiliating proposal than our offer to the nobodies in Ramallah to take the Land of Israel off our hands if they will just be kind enough to recognize us. Somebody in Jerusalem has forgotten the first verse of this week's Torah portion. Our entire existence as a nation leads to the Land of Israel and is informed by it.

Proposals such as these necessarily lead to loss of our national honor and to the loss of the political gain that the proposed surrender was supposed to garner. International pressure to continue the building moratorium will not decrease. It will intensify, as it has after every retreat. For if you were willing to stop construction in exchange for the lip service of a murderer (Abu Mazen) then you have shown that his demands are just.

Our demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state will melt away, of course. Because between us, all that we really want is a safe place under the sun - the Singapore of the Middle East, in the words of Shimon Peres. Nobody will really stand up to the determination of the shadow and make a fuss over definitions that to us - are meaningless.

Once again, we come face to face with the facts: The problem is not a particular leader, but rather the frame of reference in which the parties play the game. Slowly but surely, the new arena is being built. Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburg explains that the opening words of this week's Torah portion,
Lech Lecha shares a root with the Hebrew word for "dirt." We are getting dirty on the political field. But from this dirt we are building the new consciousness for authentic Jewish leadership for Israel.

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Land of Israel: Destination and Destiny


By Moshe Feiglin

"Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from the house of your father to the Land that I will show you." (From this week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha, Genesis 12:1)

The first Torah portion in the Bible is dedicated to creation and the second to humanity. From this week's Torah portion, we embark on the grand epoch of the Nation of Israel.

"
Go forth to the Land." From the very first sentence that defines the Nation of Israel, the Land of Israel is designated as the goal and the irreplaceable tool; everything passes through it and everything hinges upon it. The entire sojourn of the Nation of Israel to its destiny is played out on the backdrop of the Land of Israel. The Land is not only the stage. It is the final destination and the destiny.

"Have you already finished solving all of Europe's problems?" Foreign Minister Lieberman justifiably asked his European counterparts.
Technically, Lieberman is right and it is a relief to finally hear an Israeli official make a remark on an international stage that retains a bit of national pride. But in practice, Lieberman's remarks will make no difference. The drive of the nations of the world to snatch the Land of Israel from our hands has nothing to do with "peace" and not even with conflict resolution. They are simply afraid of the connection between the Nation of Israel and its Land. This connection poses a threat to the evil parts of humanity. They are afraid of the settlements like darkness is afraid of light.

National pride is a vital foundation. That is why the national camp that progressed from socialist universalism to the Israeli pride of Jabotinsky is our relevant arena. But whoever gets stuck in simple national pride finds himself at a dead end. Ultimately, he will do more harm to the connection with the Land of Israel than the Left. Nationalism alone is capable of motivating the nations of the world. But for Israel, it is a means to a holy end. When the holy goal is missing, the tool falls apart.

Manhigut Yehudit's goal is to bring the content into the tool. We look on in wonder at the sea change in the thought patterns of the faith-based public. We understand that the widespread registration for the Likud in the past few months is much deeper than simple political tactics.

With G-d's help, we will merit to speedily complete this process and to lead the Nation of Israel to its universal goal: "
And all the nations of the world will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3)

Shabbat Shalom

Palestinocchio


By Moshe Feiglin


6 Cheshvan, 5771
Oct.. 15, '10

Translated from the Makor Rishon newspaper

Pinocchio to Gepetto: Who am I?

Gepetto: You are the President.

Pinocchio (astounded): The President? How can I be President? I am nothing more than a marionette!

Gepetto (angrily): We already agreed that we will speak logically and genially. If you have two legs and two arms and you call yourself "President," then you are President. Only the people who belong to yesterday dare decide for you who and what you are.

Pinocchio: I am President? President of what?

Gepetto: The President of the State of Palestinocchio. How many times do I have to explain that to you? Look - here is the flag that I hung in the living room in your honor.

Pinocchio (crying): No! No! (Kicks Gepetto with his cute stick legs).

Narrator: Pinocchio was not really the President. He wasn't even a person.

Gepetto: Ouch!

Narrator: But Pinocchio had no chance. His situation was dismal. Outside, Hamascat was waiting to throw him off the tenth floor if he would dare detach himself from the string that connected him to Gepetto's finger. Poor Pinocchio didn't know what to do. But Gepetto was determined:

Gepetto: I will give you the storage room and you will establish Palestinocchio there! Great idea!

Pinocchio (wailing): No-o-o! No-o-o!

Narrator: Because he very well knew that without Gepetto's string, he would once again be nothing more than a pile of old sticks.

Gepetto (irritated): Ok, you can also have the guest room in the cabin.

Pinocchio (pokes Gepetto in the eye): No-o-o! No-o-o!

Gepetto (hand over eye): If you end the violence and begin to speak with logic - I will give you half the living room, including Mother's candlesticks.

Narrator: Pinocchio immediately used violence, hoping that Gepetto would not keep his word. He hit, kicked and stabbed with all his might. He also shot Gepetto with the rifle that he had received from him as a sign of his good will. But nothing helped. Gepetto continued to establish the State of Palestinocchio.

Pinocchio didn't know what to do. Every time that he made a more outrageous demand, Gepetto agreed. His life at the end of the secure and comfortable string seemed shorter than ever. But suddenly, a brilliant idea formulated in his wooden head.

Pinocchio ( triumphantly): You don't exist at all!

Gepetto (angrily): Really? So who exactly is holding you at the end of the rope?

Pinocchio (smiles): It is me who is holding you! I am real and you are nothing at all. You exist only because you stole the cabin from me! I am not willing to recognize you or your right to one millimeter in this cabin - or in any other place in the world.

Narrator: Now Gepetto was in a fix. He really wanted to let go of the miserable piece of wood and to send it the way of all rubbish heaps. But Pinocchio - that nothing, discovered - albeit a bit late, but he discovered - Gepetto's deep-held secret.

Gepetto had invested his entire life in the cabin just so that he could stop being "ostracized old Gepetto". But it didn't help. Even after he built the cabin, he remained alone. Pinocchio was his last chance to escape his ostracism. If Pinocchio would only agree to live side by side with him as an equal, everybody would love him - or so Gepetto thought. He was willing to give everything to find his place among his neighbors - even to a marionette.

Gepetto (angrily): If you do not recognize my existence we will not be able to negotiate!

Narrator: And then he summarily entered negotiations.

Background noise: Exploding buses, restaurants blown into the skies, missiles on Beer Sheva and Haifa.

Narrator: Pinocchio was not concerned. As soon as he figured out Gepetto's secret, he regained his self-confidence. Now, the big bluff was clear. It made no difference how violent he was. Gepetto would always come crawling back to him. Because it was really not he attached to Gepetto's string. It was just the opposite! Pinocchio was holding the entire purpose of Gepetto's existence - and all his dreams - on his little wooden finger. Now that he had triumphantly announced that he did not recognize Gepetto's existence, there was no way in the world that Gepetto would let go of the string. For after all, Pinocchio was no longer holding on.

Gepetto attempted to get back to discussions on what Pinocchio would get. He prayed that Pinocchio would agree to take almost the entire cabin in exchange for his recognition of Gepetto's right to exist. But Pinocchio had no intention of giving up his insurance policy. For as soon as he would recognize Gepetto's right to exist, he would lose his lifeline.

Poor Gepetto. What happened next he couldn't have imagined even in his worst dreams: More and more neighbors adopted Pinocchio's position.

Neighbors (angrily): What do you mean, you are only willing to give Pinocchio the living room? If you took it from him then give it back! Who are you at all to even negotiate?

Narrator: They prohibited Gepetto from landing in London and the international court in The Hague convicted him of war crimes. Millions of termites assembled to eat his cabin and nobody at all came to help.

*

I do not know the end of the play. Perhaps it is written in the Prophets portions that we read on the holiday of Sukkot.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Goat and the Building Freeze


First, a quick synopsis of the story of the goat: Once there was a pious Jew, who lived in dire poverty with his wife and ten children in a small, dilapidated shack. The Jew's life was difficult and crowded in their tiny shack. He decided to go to his rabbi to ask his advice.

"How do you make a living?" asked the rabbi.
"We have a small goat in our yard, which just barely provides us with milk for our children," the Jew answered.
"Take the goat and bring her into your house," the rabbi ruled.

Now the Jew's life was even harder than before. When he could bear it no longer he returned to his rabbi and woefully said, "I did as you said, and now things are worse than before!"
"Now, take the goat back out to the yard and you will see how much better your life will be," the rabbi answered.
The Jew did as his rabbi said and - wonder of wonders - life really did improve!

***

The building freeze was another blow in an already difficult situation in Judea and Samaria. Now, maybe the goat will be removed and maybe not. Maybe they will take it out the door and put it back through the window. It really does not make much of a difference. The Right is focused on the goat as if that was the source of the problem. We at Manhigut Yehudit do not busy ourselves with goats and you will not hear our reaction to this situation.

Since the Oslo Accords and the recognition of the Movement to Liberate the Land of Israel from the Jews (a.k.a. the PLO) the notion of Jewish sovereignty in the (entire) Land of Israel has lost its legitimacy in the eyes of the nations of the world. The world, justifiably, does not accept our presence as robbers in the Land of Israel. Time and again, the puppet that we created so that we could give it the Land declares that it does not recognize us. The world sees this as a legitimate position and we continue to negotiate with the puppet. The real significance of this is that we have lost the fortitude to protect our lives from the Iranian threat - or from any other threat.

The only alternative that we have is to completely change our mentality and our political direction. Manhigut Yehudit has already begun to lead the political change and with G-d's help, we will tirelessly continue to foster true political change. Now the time has come to work for a change in mentality. We have chosen to start with a newspaper that will soon be ready for distribution.

Many goats will still go in and out of our tiny shack. We will continue to focus on the strategic goal that we have taken upon ourselves. And when the time comes, we will be ready, with G-d's help, with real solutions for Israel.