A group of left wings academics and authors have publicly voiced their objection to the pending “Deri bill,” which is meant to stop the former Shas chairman from returning to political life.
Aryeh Deri announced in June that he is returning to politics and will form a new party. Deri, once considered one of Israel’s most powerful men, was forced out of politics in 1997 by a criminal conviction.
The bill states that someone convicted of an offence carrying moral turpitude – as Deri was – would be unable to run for office.
The “freedom to vote” movement has distributed a letter among some Knesset members, stating that it has launched an “anti-‘Deri bill’ campaign.”
“We cannot allow for such legislation is Israel,” Shani Cohen, one of the movement’s heads, said. “This bill is electorally motivated by rightists, who are simply afraid of Deri.
“Every person has the right to be elected and to vote and everyone deserves a second chance.”
Though the majority of those backing the campaign are affiliated with the Left – like author Amos Oz and former Meretz MK Mosi Raz – Cohen stressed that the campaign is not trying to garner support solely form the Left.
“We would welcome anyone who wants to support the campaign,” she said.
Deri, however, seems wary of the Left’s unexpected support. Close associates told Yedioth Ahronoth Tuesday that while Deri’s new political stand “inclines somewhat to the left” he is trying to position himself at the center of the political map, so not to lose this appeal to voters from the right.
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11 Responses
I think you mean to say “Leftists Block”
The left now regrets that their bigotry against both Hareidim and Sefardim led to them prosecuting Deri for being successful, forcing many frum Jews into the arms of far right nationalists who while tolerant of frumkeit, are primarily interested in a chauvanist foreign policy.
For all their hatred of Torah, Israeli leftists have more in common with Orthodox Jews than they do with the ultra-nationalist secularists who typically want to emmulate Euro-American culture (and are accomodating the Orthodox only because they need their votes).
Most Orthodox Jews tend to be left wing on economic issues (we like receiving benefits from the government, and are from a culture where the “powers that be” have a duty to make sure everyone is taken care of), and the gedolim for generations have been critical of land-based nationalism. Given that a socialist Israel is for all purposes no longer possible, it is logical that the Israeli left would prefer an economic (welfare oriented) leftist, who is not a fanatic anti-Arab racist, even if it forces them to resign themselves to Israel being a Jewish state.
quote by apukerma: ” even it if forces them to resign themselves to Israel being a Jewish state’. do you agree to the language “being resigned to israel being a jewish state” is there any other one?
The Torah community is neither left wing nor right wing. It is guided by the Torah. Sometimes that seems leftist and sometimes it seems rightist but all that is an illusion. The Torah values of Tzedaka and Chesed seem superficially to be like those of the welfare state. While our fulfillment of the Mitzvah to live in Israel and give Jews a special status here may seem like nationalism. None of this is correct. The Torah is its own system with its own values and rules.
On the issue of Rabbi Aryeh Deri, it should be remember that when he was in office he made a special effort to foster good relations with the politicians both on the Left and on the Right. As a result he made good friends in both camps. He did so because this is the way of the Torah to seek out those far from the tradition and try to bring them back. He tried to show them their common ground.
#2 Most orthodox jews pay taxes so are not left leaning, i think you mean Chareidem
#5 – left-leaning in economics is not a function of paying taxes (it seems neither left not right are anxious to pay taxes),but of wanting the government to provide a high level of services. At least from an American/Western perspective, a conservative prefers a small government and a less comprehensive level of services, whereas a liberal prefers that the government provide a high level of services. Most Orthodox Jews are economic liberals. We like services. We like to receive subsidized food and housing, and never seem to worry about the ramifications of being dependent on government largess. Have you ever heard a gadol tell of politicians seeking frum votes to stop spending so much money on our community since it corrupts us???? Someone like Von Hayek or Freedman would never get a following in the frum community – we are more Keynesian than the Keynesians (or ever Obama, who thinks he is a Keynesian though I doubt he ever read the book since he’s much more liberal spending money than Keynes ever was)
#1 – No. Leftists BACK.
There is a so-called “Deri Bill,” which would BLOCK Deri’s political comeback.
The leftists are against that bill. Hence, the leftists BACK Deri’s political comeback.
Got it?
It is a known fact that Deri’s peace initiatives are inline with the Leftist Israeli parties. That is the one and only reason that they are backing his return to the government.
Haifagirl: yes I got it. The taynis got to me, selicha
I’m frum and I’m a big fan of Hayek and Mises.
This bill would not be an issue in the United States: It is what is called an ex post facto law, changing a penalty to something that was not authorized at the time of the crime. The US Constitution prohibits both the federal and all state governments from passing such a law.
Regarding Left vs. Right, it is easy to see how the Torah is much more consistent with welfare-state high-tax high-regulation economic policies, and very conservative social policies. The trend in much (most?) of the western world, including the United States, is in the opposite direction for both.