Why is Oded voting Labor?

My name is Oded, and I am currently working as a JAFI Shaliach in the US. I have been living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the past year and a half. Since the '99 elections I have been taking an active role in every campaign, and this is going to be the first time I'll miss it. I wish I could be there, obviously. I think that elections in Israel are always exciting, and I see them as an opportunity to shape the future of Israeli society. However, there are some upsides of being in America during the Israeli elections. Working with the American-Jewish community is giving me new perspectives and points of view of Israel.

As I said, I was always involved in politics and social issues in Israel. But coming to the U.S. helped me understand more what we should be trying to create. The nature of this future we are fighting for is becoming clear.

Only when I came here did I realize: I don’t want Israel to be a state just like all other states. We, as Jews, are not looking to replicate what we can find in other places. We are looking to create something of our own, in our image. We are looking to create a Jewish and Democratic state, which will feel like home for all of us – Jews and non-Jews.

Unfortunately, in the past few years I have been feeling that we are moving away from that vision. Israel is becoming less of a home for the poor and the weak. It's becoming less of a home for different minorities. It's becoming less of a home for me – a progressive Zionist Jew.

That is why I am going to vote for Avoda in these coming elections. I feel like Avoda is the only party that represents the home that I am looking for – one that has enough room for everyone, but not at the expense of anyone else. It's time to go back to our initial vision. We can't afford the huge socio-economic gaps. We can't afford anti-democratic legislation. We just can't afford the current leadership.

I love Israel. I want to see it flourish. Coming here, to America, and working in Jewish education only made me realize how much I love it.

But when I'm done here, I want to come back to a place that I can call home.

-Oded, an Israeli