Statement on Israeli Elections
The statement below was adopted as an organization-wide OHALAH and RPA resolution on April 3, 2015.
OHALAH Statement on Israeli ElectionsThe Board of OHALAH, the international association of rabbis, cantors, rabbinic pastors, chaplains and students of these professions committed to the principals of Jewish Renewal, has today issued the following statement regarding the recent elections in the State of Israel. For further information about our organization visit ohalah.org.
As a vibrant democracy, the Israeli electorate has freely chosen to award the Likud party the largest number of seats in the Knesset, earning current Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu the right to form a new government. We congratulate the Likud party and the Prime Minister on their achievement, as well as the citizens of Israel, who exercised their democratic rights reflecting a broad spectrum of political interests.
At the same time, as an organization foundationally committed to advancing values inspired by R. Zalman Schacter-Shalomi z’l, we remain profoundly concerned about balancing the pursuit of the legitimate aspirations of the Jewish people for sovereignty and safety in its ancient homeland while at the same time respecting the historical presence of others who also have long lived on that land- Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, and Christians. As Reb Zalman encouraged us to remember, may this new Israeli government be mindful of the loving values of Torah, including the notion that vengeance is forbidden and that Jews are commanded to Love the Other.
At this important moment, we also wish to express our deep concern about the Prime Minister’s statements towards the end of the campaign that there will be no Palestinian state on his watch. We are also pained by the perception that there was an attempt, especially toward the end of the campaign, to generate increased turnout in a certain segment of the electorate through the use of incendiary language, though we are heartened by the Prime Minister’s clarifications and his statement that he regretted some statements that were, in hindsight, inappropriate. Looking ahead, we join our voices with all those praying for progress in resolving the struggles that have so long plagued this region of the world. We urge that the leadership of Israel and of the Palestinian people overcome the many obstacles and move toward peaceful coexistence.
We rejoice in the strength of Israel’s democracy where it is estimated that close to 72% of the Israelis who were eligible to vote actually live in Israel voted in this election. Additionally, we take pride that there will be 28 women and 17 Arabs in the new Knesset. Both of these are all time high numbers.
We further urge the unwavering support of the United States, its government and its people, for Israel and for the rights of all people in the Middle East to freedom from harm, from oppression, and from need. We dedicate ourselves to strengthening the US-Israel relationship. We dedicate ourselves to keeping support for Israel within Congress as bi-partisan. We dedicate ourselves to doing our best to strengthen the element of civic society and pluralism in Israel, and to giving all citizens of the State of Israel an equal voice in determining their future.
The statement below was adopted as an organization-wide OHALAH and RPA resolution on April 3, 2015.
OHALAH Statement on Israeli ElectionsThe Board of OHALAH, the international association of rabbis, cantors, rabbinic pastors, chaplains and students of these professions committed to the principals of Jewish Renewal, has today issued the following statement regarding the recent elections in the State of Israel. For further information about our organization visit ohalah.org.
As a vibrant democracy, the Israeli electorate has freely chosen to award the Likud party the largest number of seats in the Knesset, earning current Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu the right to form a new government. We congratulate the Likud party and the Prime Minister on their achievement, as well as the citizens of Israel, who exercised their democratic rights reflecting a broad spectrum of political interests.
At the same time, as an organization foundationally committed to advancing values inspired by R. Zalman Schacter-Shalomi z’l, we remain profoundly concerned about balancing the pursuit of the legitimate aspirations of the Jewish people for sovereignty and safety in its ancient homeland while at the same time respecting the historical presence of others who also have long lived on that land- Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, and Christians. As Reb Zalman encouraged us to remember, may this new Israeli government be mindful of the loving values of Torah, including the notion that vengeance is forbidden and that Jews are commanded to Love the Other.
At this important moment, we also wish to express our deep concern about the Prime Minister’s statements towards the end of the campaign that there will be no Palestinian state on his watch. We are also pained by the perception that there was an attempt, especially toward the end of the campaign, to generate increased turnout in a certain segment of the electorate through the use of incendiary language, though we are heartened by the Prime Minister’s clarifications and his statement that he regretted some statements that were, in hindsight, inappropriate. Looking ahead, we join our voices with all those praying for progress in resolving the struggles that have so long plagued this region of the world. We urge that the leadership of Israel and of the Palestinian people overcome the many obstacles and move toward peaceful coexistence.
We rejoice in the strength of Israel’s democracy where it is estimated that close to 72% of the Israelis who were eligible to vote actually live in Israel voted in this election. Additionally, we take pride that there will be 28 women and 17 Arabs in the new Knesset. Both of these are all time high numbers.
We further urge the unwavering support of the United States, its government and its people, for Israel and for the rights of all people in the Middle East to freedom from harm, from oppression, and from need. We dedicate ourselves to strengthening the US-Israel relationship. We dedicate ourselves to keeping support for Israel within Congress as bi-partisan. We dedicate ourselves to doing our best to strengthen the element of civic society and pluralism in Israel, and to giving all citizens of the State of Israel an equal voice in determining their future.