Labor Party leader Shelly Yacimovich has begun her campaign and announced that it should be obvious to all that the issue of religion & state is going to dominate the upcoming general election.
According to recent polls, Labor is expected to increase significantly in the election, possibly even earning over 20 seats. Kadima, the largest party in Knesset today is expected to fall to 10 seats; Likud is expected to reach 30+ mandates, so Labor may very well become the second largest party.
Speaking to Kol Chai Radio on Sunday, the Labor leader stated she views the chareidi tzibur as a viable partner in a coalition with Labor.
While polls show Netanyahu will emerge the clear winner in the premiership race, Yacimovich is not throwing in the towel and she is working to grain popularity in the hope of becoming a serious candidate for the nation’s top post. Many analysts feel such a possibility is however simply too unrealistic since she lacks leadership experience and is therefore unsuited to run the nation. She added that she is very realistic and to her sorrow, it appears Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will emerge the victor in the premiership race. She quickly added that while it is not likely, there is a possibility that Labor will have an opportunity to form a coalition and she sees the chareidim as part of such an arrangement.
KC: Will you try to assemble a coalition with chareidim viewed as a natural partner?
SY: It depends on the political constellation. They are certainly suited partners in my eyes. There is a big divide between our ideologies, with mine being secular, humanistic and social democratic but there is also much that unites us and I believe a leader must be capable of bridging gaps — the chasm that exists towards creating unity. I believe that we can live together and to find good working solutions for the State of Israel.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
“…secular, humanistic and social democratic but there is also much that unites us and I believe ”
That means, if it serves her interests of getting a coalition. We should not help these people in any way to represent the Jewish people. The Chofetz Chaim said it is not aloud to join with non religious elements that pretend to represent the Jewish people.
In many ways, the Hareidi parties are closer to the socialists in terms of economics and foreign policy. If Israel is going to survive, at some point the hilonim will have to switch from trying to make Israel into a secular society in which frum Jews are marginalized or excluded, into a Jewish society in which frum Jews can fully participate, and the hilonim are tolerated only so long as they keep their hilonios “in the closet” (or at least, in their own neighborhoods).
I don’t understand the headline. It doesn’t add up. The headline seems to imply that Sheli will be bad for the Charedi parties. Well I don’t see it in this article. Rather the contrary, she seems to be willing to quite generous to the frum. Frum parties do seem to entertain and a socialist humanistic platform too.
Jews have always been liberal thinkers, socialist and humanistic in policy. That is why the Democratic party is the victor in primarily Jewish neighborhoods.
The supporters of Labor are usually anti-frum.
If the head of Labor says she wants to form a coalition with the chareidim, Labor will lose plenty of its native support.
The Chareidim are not going to vote Labor as Labor is anti-frum.
Announcing that she intends to form a coalition with the chareidim, regardless of what her actual intentions are, is insuring a loss and shows that Shelly Yacimovich is really not fit to lead.
#3, what don’t you understand? What doesn’t add up? How could you possibly read the headline and think that it “seems to imply that Sheli will be bad for the Charedi parties”? Tell me what deep chain of pilpul you went through to get that implication from the headline.
#4, no, Jews have not always been leftists. Only American Jews who were brainwashed by the Jewish communists in the early part of the century, and have passed on this brainwashing to their children and grandchildren like some genetic disease. Russian Jews don’t share this problem, and nor do Jews in most countries.