#otzma

Today marks 10 months since I said goodbye to my family and walked through security at Newark Airport into the unknown with a group of strangers. From my vantage point in Jerusalem, I can look back over the past 10 months and say, “Damn, where did the time go?”But I can also appreciate the incredible wealth of experiences that this year has given me and when I look back on events from the beginning of the year or even my parents’ visit in March I can say, “That feels like so long ago!” I’ve been a part of a lot of groups in my life. Countless sports teams, school clubs, the trips I’ve staffed, etc. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING can come close to touching my OTZMA experience. Not with a 10-foot pole. It’s not even a little bit of a stretch to say that it changed my life. Just a few short months ago I thought I would head back to the States and get a Masters in Physical Education. But now, as my friends have started to pack up and head home, here I am, employed (well, hired), making Aliyah and playing on Israel’s National Lacrosse team. This year has been a series of amazing gifts, and now I’ve been given one more – the chance to pass this gift on to another group of OTZMAnikim.

But while the job is nice, I think the biggest thing I will take away from this experience are the people and the relationships.  Day in and day out I’m surrounded by people who love me and care about me. There’s always someone to eat dinner with and the sense of community is just incredible. Second to none. I can’t wait to share these traditions with others and incorporate my OTZMA traditions into what ever community I may join next (or in 10 years). It is absolutely what inspired me to change careers and find a job in the Jewish community. 

Well the polls changed this week. There was a meeting between three leftist parties (HaAvodah, Yesh Atid, and Hatnua) and apparently it was a disaster so it’s looking pretty glum for a liberal alliance to control Israel. Because Netanyahu’s Likud party has such a strong lead over any other the real question is will Likud join up with a centrist party or a coalition of conservative parties. Either way it is really interesting to see the political drama unfold here in Israel. The election season is very short here, from just over a week to one month long. However, there is an average of one election every two years. Also, because there are so many parties, well over a third of likely Israeli voters still do not know who they are voting for. Besides the chaos on the left there have been two small political dramas and one moderately sized political drama unfolding. All three controversies are around the definition of Israel. In order to run in the Knesset you must agree to keep Israel both a Jewish state and a Democratic state. Shas is a moderately large political party that is considered religious. All the parties have their own way of creating their lists (the people that they will put into government from first choice to last choice). Most hold primaries amongst their members, others are appointed by the party founder,still some are appointed by different groups or special interests. Then there is Shas who does not have to go through all those beurocratic methods to find out who will be on the list. They have a Rabbi who is so spiritual that not only is he in direct contact with G-d, but the Lord actually tells him exactly who to put on the list and in what order. Apparently G-d told him that it is immodest to put women into the Knesset. A couple of the liberal parties found this to be undemocratic so they sent them to the Supreme Court. The second instance is with Balad. On Balad’s list there is a woman (the first arab women in the Knesset actually) who repeatedly calls for the end of Israel and the destruction of the state, she also was aboard the infamous/famous flotilla that breached the Gaza embargo. So many of the conservative parties sent her to the Supreme Court because they see her as against the Jewishness of the state. Then you have Otzma which is a political party that repeatedly calls for Arabs to be deported to Jordan or worse. I see their signs all over Ramle telling Arabs (In Arabic) “enough” and “Get out.” It was actually Meretz and Hadash that sent Otzma to the Supreme Court because they said Otzma through intimidation was undermining democracy. Anyway we will see what happens to those three parties before the week is out. Below I have the new figures with the percentage of Israelis that support them. At the end I have a symbol that means either the party lost support over the last week (-), gained support (+), or remained the same (~). The parties are listed from largest to smallest and remember: One third of Israelis still are undecided, you must have 2% of the vote to enter the Knesset, parties must form coalitions in order to establish a government and choose a prime minister.

27% Likud: Capitalism and Security -

19%: HaAvodah: Socialism and social justice party +

16% Habayit Hayehudi: Hebrew and Jewish Nationalism party +

8% Yesh Atid: Economic equality and affordability -

7% Shas: Sephardic Judaism with religious and ethnic nationalism -

4% Meretz: Environmentalism, LGBT rights, Minority rights and the status of women ~

4% United Torah: Religious Judaism as law ~

3% Raam: Arab and Muslim nationalists ~

3% Hatnua: Two state solution and moderate economics -        

2% Balad: Arab interests party -

2% Hadash: Communist, environmentalist, and equality party -

1% Am Shalem: Reconciliation between religious and Secularn Israelis -

1% Otzma: Hebrew nationalism Party -

1% kadima: Centrist economics, two state solution, and settlement evacuation -

1% Ale Yarok: Environmentalism, the legalization of Marijuana, and libertarianism ~

Karmiel, Israel. 

Here's to you, Ashkelon.

My, am I going to miss this city.