In the aftermath of the Israeli election, one thing appears clear: Benjamin Netanyahu will assume his fourth term as prime minister because a majority of Israelis – albeit a slim one – believe he is the best person for the job. But after a gruelling campaign, there remains a litany of unanswered questions: How will U.S. President Barack Obama react to his frenemy’s victory? Will Bibi’s continued leadership hinder Israel on the international stage? Is there any hope for peace with the Palestinians? How will Israel’s Arab citizens react to Netanyahu’s controversial comments on election day? What’s next for the leftist camp?
The list is long, and the answers are not apparent. In some cases, they may not become clear for years to come. In others, the solutions will likely appear naturally over time. Some questions could become moot with the shifting of political winds (Obama may yet have enough time to strike a nuclear deal with Iran, but two years hence there will be a new face, and perhaps a new approach, in the White House). Netanyahu himself will be called upon to find answers as well – and if he can’t, Israelis may decide his time has passed for good.
There is, however, an important question that must not be left unanswered: How do we as Jews move forward? For all the uncertainty this election has produced, one thing is plain: we must not allow it to divide us as a people. There is too much at stake for all of us, for Judaism in Israel and around the world. When we are divided, we are weakened, and there is no time for weakness.
Judaism does not require uniformity. As Rabbi Dow Marmur writes in this week’s CJN, “No individual, however exalted her or his office, and no organization, however pretentious its title, can claim to speak for us all, or even for most of us.” This is one of our religion’s great strengths. It explains why Israel remains an island of democracy in a region characterized by extremism and intolerance (and why Netanyahu’s remarks about Arab voters stung so many, including those who might otherwise support him).
Jews don’t need to all think the same way, and clearly we don’t. We can have our own disagreements – about how we interpret our sacred texts, what religion means in a modern world and, yes, whether Bibi Netanyahu is the right man to lead Israel. Debate is healthy for us, and it’s in our nature.
But when all is said and done, we ought to try to centre ourselves, to reaffirm the ties that bind us together. Because we need them – we need each other. There’s no better reminder how crucial it is that we stand together than the coming Passover holiday season. This is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of the Jewish nation, when we remember how we walked shoulder to shoulder out of slavery and into freedom.
The turmoil of this election will pass, just like all the others before it and those to come. Politics is ephemeral. Judaism is not. Let’s make sure not to confuse the two.
