A Vote for Labor is a Vote for Israeli Democracy

Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party celebrated its first anniversary the other week. As absurd as it seems, that is quite an achievement.

It’s a shame that the Israel public has been so easily fooled into treating voting for the Knesset like making a choice at an ice cream parlor. There are so many options to choose from, the nuanced differences between them often negligible or simply fabricated. They have different faces and are painted up in different colors (though in the case of Kadima and Tzipi Livni's Hatnua even that is barely true). The national aspiration for stable, rational government has dissolved in face of the pomp and glitter of an entirely consumerist approach to democracy. I'm not sure who are more to blame: the egoists who flash fry new political parties like they are start-up companies knowing they will eventually sell out to the bidder with the deepest pockets, or the Israeli public for letting it happen in front of our noses, encouraging it even by offering up our precious votes. 

Here are a few key points to consider:

• A full 10 % of seats (12) in the current Knesset are held by parties that did NOT contend in the last elections (what?). One of those parties Atzmaut (Independence), holding 5 seats, will not contend in the coming elections, nor will its founder and leader, Ehud Barak.
• More than 1/6^th (23) seats could be won in the coming elections by parties that did not even exist two years ago (Hatnuah, Yesh Atid, Otzma LeYisrael, Eretz Chadasha, Am Shalem). Hatnuah, slated to win about 8-11 seats, did not even exist two months ago.
• Kadima was formed at the end of 2005 and less than 6 months later won 29 seats in the elections. Eight years later, according to some polls at least, the party is set to receive at best two mandates. With no historical or ideological foundation to stand on, we will not be seeing them in the next elections.
• Bayit HaYehudi, founded five years ago, holds three seats in the current Knesset. Their current leader has held that position for two months, and is set to bring them an additional ten seats in the coming election. A year ago he was a member of the Likud.

In the face of this sweeping whirlwind, it is no wonder that more than a quarter of Israelis, ten days before election day, still didn't know who they would be voting for—it's hard enough just to keep up with the names of all the parties and which leader belongs to which. I've had a number of conversations with Israeli-born acquaintances who in a matter of two weeks have told me about three different political parties that they are voting for, from as distant ideological poles as the left-wing Eretz Chadasha to the right wing religious Bayit Hayehudi (the same person had considered both of them as options).

Amid the debris of crumbling democratic rationality, one party stands alone as having the necessary experience to lead this country, and the true vision to justify it in doing so. Avoda, the Israeli Labor Party, formed in 1968 from the merger of three older parties: Ahdut Haavoda, Mapai, and Rafi, the first two having formed in 1919 and 1930 respectively, and both of them having formed from mergers of even older Labor Zionist political and youth groups dating back to the beginning of the 1900s. 

The Labor Zionist regime oversaw the establishment of the early pre-state agriculture and industry, absorbed the successive waves of olim, developed the infrastructure of the future state, established all the social, cultural and economic institutions upon which the state was to be founded, developed the Hagana , the earliest incarnation of the IDF. Under Labor Zionist leadership the Jewish community fought and won independence from the British and brought the dream of Jewish statehood to fruition. They went on to win the War of Independence, establish and defend the borders, and win another miracle victory in the Six Day War of 1967. The Labor establishment managed to create and develop a mighty military force feared by our enemies and revered throughout the world, while at the same time developing a system of public services, healthcare and culture that radiated light to the Jews and all people of the world.

Labor and its predecessors have provided 8 of this country's 12 prime ministers.

Simply no other party in the center-left bloc has the same historical clout to guide us through the many social, economic and strategic challenges that we face as a country now, and will face in the years ahead. Certainly no other party in the entire political gamut has the gumption to face said challenges while having us strive to be an exemplary state, a full member of the family of nations, accepted not for buckling to external influences, but for managing to uphold the principles of justice, equality, democracy and good governance in the face of grave and difficult obstacles.

Shelly Yachimovich has vowed not to join a government with Netanyahu and Likud Beitenu. This is because she is serious about either running the country, or leading a conscientious opposition. Labor will not become a flavor in an ice cream parlor, to be added and subtracted according to the whims of an ever-more sectorialized public. Every citizen serious about ousting Bibi and returning sanity to this country must resist the urge to vote for a niche, boutique party that looks nice today, but will vanish tomorrow like an ice cream cone under our Levantine sun. Only Labor seeks real responsibility for our country and our future. Choose whimsically and risk seeing your vote evaporate into nothing with a party that doesn't cross the threshold or will change its tune (and name) with the changing weather.

The law and my conscience allow me just one vote—that vote will be, has to be, for Labor.

 --Gabe

Why is Avital voting Labor? Women's rights

As a woman who expects, and demands, to be seen as any man's equal, I highly value the Labor Party's platform on advancing women's rights in Israel.

Upon perusing the Party's platform on civil society, democracy and the rule of law, I came across an entire section entitled Gender and the Status of Women. I learned that the Party intends to advance gender equality in a few key ways:

·  Increasing representation of women in all areas of government through legislation ensuring representation in various positions, Party institutions, and Knesset lists

·  Considering the influence of law on mainstream gender roles when setting Party policy

·  Closing the wage gap through enforcement of existing labour laws, as well as adjusting working hours to be better suited to raising a family, both for men and women

·  Bolstering female participation in the workforce with **free education from age 3 months**, as well as investing in public services with typically high female employment such as education and geriatric care.

·  Equal investment in the field of health – a vital issue in the fight for women's rights!

For anyone who loves and respects women, and who is frightened and dismayed by recent threats to basic gender equality in Israel, a vote for Labor demonstrates the hope and belief that We can Do Better

In the words of Labor chair Shelly Yachimovitch,

“We can't go on with business as usual. It's time for change.”

-Avital, an olah from Canada

Why is Adam voting Labor? Keeping public services public

              When I made aliyah in the fall of 2011 I knew I was coming to a country that had undergone serious changes in the past forty years. Even for Jews outside of Israel, it has been clear for some time that the country is not what it once was. The conversation has changed. For my mother, growing up at a Zionist summer camp in Canada, Israel was a modest society comprised of pioneering kibbutzniks who worked the fields by day and danced the hora into the night. For myself, raised in the same community forty years later, Israel was sleek, sophisticated, and high-tech savvy. A ‘Start-Up Nation’ that could compete on the international market and lead the world in medical and defense research. A nation whose children, just like me, wore Levis, ate McDonalds and listened to the newest MTV star. Celebrated in synagogues, at community events and on Israel advocacy displays in Hillel Houses throughout North America, this transition has been hailed as a great success and source of pride throughout the Jewish world. The fact that Israel developed ICQ, ‘a marvel display of Israeli ingenuity’ my dad told me, was something to brag about to my friends. And it is.

Nevertheless, the transition in Israeli society that has taken place over the last forty years has not been entirely positive. The changes in Israel have produced a much more negative – and widely unknown in the diaspora – trend of privatization. The current government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to cut social services, health care, and welfare while refusing to interfere with corrupt tycoons who exploit their workers and the public at large. Unlike what those in the Likud would tell you, this trend is not simply economic. It is not just a ‘changing of the times’ or a necessary step that every country in transition must take. The trend towards privatization is a dangerous turn that, if left unchecked, could have disastrous long term effects on the future of the country.

As an oleh, nothing makes the nature of this trend clearer than the continual attempt of the government over the last ten years to privatize ulpanim. As educational institutions dedicated to absorbing immigrants and teaching them the Hebrew language, ulpanim have functioned as essential institutions since the founding of the country. They, perhaps more than any other institution in Israel, are the practical manifestation of the Zionist dream of the “ingathering of the exiles” laid out in the Declaration of Independence. They are essential to the future of the country as a home for olim and as center of the Jewish People. 

However, beginning in 2007 when a study about deficiencies within the ulpanim was released, the ulpanim have been under attack. Successive governments have complained of failures within the ulpan system – mainly poor teaching and results – and have called for the breaking apart of the system into a private service that is not run by, or accountable to, the state.  As Leora S. Fridman explains in her article in Haaretz, this shift in government attitude shows a deeply unsettling trend. 

“Placing the ulpan on the budgetary chopping-block raises serious questions, not only about Israel's relationship with Hebrew, but also about how the state relates to its immigrants and their role here. If even the minimal common denominator of a single language is no longer a top priority, the country's population will become increasingly segmented.”

        For myself, for all the future olim chadashim, and for the country as a whole, it is essential that our government be one that will push back against the all-encompassing trend of privatization. A push which, left unchecked, threatens services as basic, crucial and essential to the Zionist definition of the country as the ulpanim. Netanyahu and the Likud, sitting at the forefront of privatization for the last forty years, have continually chosen to place funding cuts and privatization above all else.

We need a change in priorities. We need Avodah.

·       Adam, an Oleh from Canada

Vote Labor, Vote Green

     I was lucky enough to have been asked to translate parts of the Labor Party platform (yes they have a platform - which is a lot more than most of the other parties can say), including parts on the environment. In case you are considering voting for the Green Party, the Save-the-Beaches Party, or the Stop-Mistreating-Farm-Animals Party I ask you to please read the Labor Party's environmental platform first.

     

    Here we have a major political party speaking of the desire to re-create Israel's environmental legislation in the spirit of Seattle. While terms like "open-spaces", "green lungs", "walkable cities" and "mixed-use zoning" may just sound trendy in the US, they are so underused in this country that they come off as extremely sincere.

The entire English version platform is available here! But I'll leave you with some quotes from the sustainability section, available here:

"…a healthy environment and environmental justice are cornerstones of the foundation of social justice."

"The Labor Party will advance comprehensive social-environmental legislation which will first and foremost guarantee the rights of all to a healthy and clean environment and will defend the natural resources which belong to the general public."

"…legislation which will allow for the establishment of facilities to produce solar energy panels for the roofs of every building in Israel…"

"The Party will advance formal and informal education that raises the environmental consciousness of the next generation a carbon tax…"

"The Labor Party will work to ensure the welfare of wild animals, pets, and livestock. The Party will work to prevent animal cruelty, harassment, and torture."

-Ilan

Why is Daniel voting Labor? Not afraid

I am desperate, not afraid!  

As we get closer to voting day, the day we Israelis have the opportunity and obligation to vote for who we believe should lead Israel and the Jewish people, too many politicians are trying to scare me: whether it's about Iran, Haredim, Arabs, Palestinians, Settlers, Mizrachim, Ashkenazim, education, army … the list is long. But I don’t want to vote because I am scared. I want to vote for a vision, for an alternative to the last four years and an alternative to what seems inevitable—another four years of the deterioration of the Zionist dream. I am tired of politicians trying to scare me into voting for them. I will not vote out of fear. I believe Shelly Yachimovich and the Labor Party are the only alternative to fear.

I may be desperate but I am not afraid, I'm voting Labor because I believe.  

-Daniel, an oleh from Australia 

Why is Nora voting Labor? Real choices in this election

A few days ago I was talking to a friend of mine from ulpan about the elections. When I told her how I was voting, her earnest reply was, "But why not Bennett?" Bennett, is of course Naftali Bennett, the (apparently) unthreatening face of the National Religious Right. His Habayit Hayehudi (The Jewish Home) party has taken this election season by surprise by nabbing votes of disillusioned Likud supporters and moderate youth alike.

A cursory look at the party list shows, for the most part, a compilation of settler rabbis and settler leaders who have vehemently opposed classic threats to the Jewish state such as gay soldiers serving in the IDF (and rights for gay people in general), the Knesset committee for the status of women, and human rights groups. All are DTATWB (down to annex the West Bank). So how has the party earned a reputation for being centrist?

Bennett, whose name in the news is often accompanied by the epithet "charismatic," boasts Californian parentage, sports a clean-shaven face and what some have described as "a very small kippah." He made this innocuous ad targeting English-speaking olim:



In short, he seems relatable. But the fact is that Bennett wants to annex the 60% of the West Bank known as Area C (his plan is to build bridges between Palestinian areas so that Jews don't have to encounter checkpoints) and "believes that, ultimately, the world is busy with the economic collapse of Greece, the United States' fiscal cliff and the slaughter in Syria, and thus it is possible to bring the world to come to terms now with facts on the ground and firm Israeli decisions." (http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/the-success-of-naftali-bennett-is-the-failure-of-the-israeli-center-left.premium-1.490536). His wanton disdain for a sustainable relationship between Israel and Palestine, and cavalier dismissal of the international community should terrify anyone who cares about the future of the Jewish state.

In my encounters with Israelis and other olim, I have, to my surprise and dismay, met many who are deliberating between voting Habayit Hayehudi and Labor. But while Bennett's party represents extreme right views on social and diplomatic issues, Labor's list is one of people who are speaking out against the racism, sexism, and homophobia that are the trademarks of the religious right, and in favor of social and economic equality, and a sustainable, secure relationship with the Palestinians.

-Nora, an olah from the United States

Why is Ea voting Labor? Real change

When I made Aliyah a year and a half ago, it was because I wanted to make a difference in Israeli society. I wanted to restore the word "Zionism" to the meaning bestowed upon it by the chalutzim, the pioneers who built this country; A Jewish State as a home for a society which would constantly strive for equality and social justice. A People who would hold itself to a higher standard than the status quo of the exile from which it came.

I chose to impact Israeli society by being an educator – a decision that means investing many, many hours into other people; hoping and waiting for them to choose to change their own lives, and join me in this uphill mission. While I still am not disillusioned, even though the measure of my success in this endeavor is almost impossible to see, this is my chance to make a change today.

Today I can be heard.

Today I can support policies which will protect the most vulnerable members of our society.

Today I can insist that the peace process be made an urgent priority by the Israeli government.

Today I can be part of the change in Israeli society by voting Avoda.

In my definition of Zionism, opportunities to change Israel today don't come by that often. So I'm making the most of this chance, and I'm voting for Avoda.

                  -Ea, an olah from New Zealand

Why is Nathan voting Labor? Hope not fear

When Barack Obama won re-election in 2012, he said

"If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters... You make a big election about small things".

Americans should be grateful. At least they had an election about something. Instead, the Likud party, whose victory in the upcoming elections has the air of the inevitable, has distilled its raison d'etre into this advertisement, called "The absurd theater of the Left":

In it, the leaders of the center and left are represented by finger puppets. Zehava Gal-On of Meretz is portrayed saying “End the occupation” again and again, while a man mimics Shelly Yachimovitch of Labor harping endlessly about the convergence of “wealth and power,”

Fortunately for us, the leadership of the Jewish state has its eyes on the real prize, and doesn't need to bother itself with occupation and the economy when Iran might be developing a nuclear weapon. Never mind that Israel has one of the highest rates of inequality in the OECD. Never mind that it's been occupying another nation for nearly fifty years. Never mind that tens of thousands of African asylum seekers live in limbo in South Tel Aviv, in permanent fear of deportation. The important thing is to keep people afraid, because then they'll vote for the 'strong leader'.

Surely Israel's had enough of this? Surely it's time to try something else? How long can a nation be led on the basis of fear and isolation, instead of values of equality, freedom and justice?

I’m supporting Shelly Yachimovich because I know that there are many aspects of Israeli society that need to change. I believe that change is possible and I refuse to let my country be paralyzed by fear.

-Nathan, an oleh from Australia

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

Why is Naomi voting Labor? Anti-prejudice

Yesterday the campaign broadcasts for the Israeli elections started. Two weeks before the elections, each party gets air time in accordance with its size to promote itself by showing what it will do, attacking other parties, or telling personal stories about the party leader. Some of the broadcasts are funny, some are annoying, some are...

Even though I already decided who I’m going to vote for, I really like to watch these broadcasts and see the messages of each party, so yesterday I was really excited that it started.

Most of the broadcasts were what I expected, but one made me really angry – It was a Shas broadcast, showing a couple standing under the chuppah. The bride is an Olah from Russia, while the groom is an Israeli-born Jew (non-Russian). During the ceremony, the bride tells the groom about the fax machine she received as a gift from “Beiteinu,” referring to Avigdor Lieberman’s political party, Yisrael Beiteinu. When the groom is confused about why they need a fax machine under their chuppah, she explains that she can dial *conversion. When the groom is appalled that she’s not Jewish, she gets a fax with a conversion certificate and says that now she is. Then he refuses to kiss her because she is not Jewish.

Here it is (in Hebrew) - 

Why was I so mad?

As a person I was mad about the racist way that Shas is presenting the Olim from Russia and how the husband is disgusted to discover that his wife is “not Jewish.”

As a Jew I was mad because Shas doesn’t recognize non-orthodox conversions even though they are a very serious process.

As a Zionist I was mad because Olim who came here as Jews according to the Law of Return are not recognized as Jews in Israel, and cannot be married as Jews or even in a civil marriage, as there is no legally-recognized civil marriage in Israel.

Shas does everything it can to prevent the legislation of civil marriage in Israel and the recognition of non-Haredi conversions.

How does this connect to the Labor party?

One of the things I really appreciate about Shelly Yachimovich is that she is trying to promote politics that is not based on hating other sectors of Israeli society and attacking them. I think many parties, including Shas in this case, have much to learn from her.

Also, Knesset member Nino Abesadze, who is running for the Labor Party, filed a petition with the Elections Committee to disqualify the broadcast. Likewise, the Labor Facebook group 'Russian Street, corner of Labor' started a petition against this broadcast: http://www.atzuma.co.il/antishas

If you want to read more about it, this is a really interesting article:

http://www.haaretz.com/news/israeli-elections-2013/israeli-elections-opinion-analysis/shas-election-ads-using-jewish-conversion-for-incitement.premium-1.492923

-Naomi, an Israeli

Why is Hyla voting Labor? Knesset pay freeze

This January I find myself a spectator and confused critic of the election season. I have played these roles before during election campaigns in Israel. This January is quite different. As a recent olah I can now play an active role in this year’s election. While I find myself more critical than ever before of the current government and the election campaigns of the right-bloc parties, I am more confident in my support for Avoda and Shelly Yachimovich. There are many reasons why I am supporting the Avoda of today, one of which is Shelly’s demand for a government pay freeze. She has seen the salaries of Knesset members grow considerably faster than the salaries of average Israelis and promoting a government pay freeze is one step she can take to prevent the widening of an ever intensifying socio-economic gap in Israel.

-Hyla, an olah from Canada

Why is Shawn voting Labor?

      I was recently sitting in a restaurant with my grandfather discussing the thing we really never should, but always do: politics in Israel. The topic, the same one for the past year, is the merits of the Avodah Party versus Meretz (I’m a firm Avodah supporter in the Shelley era, he a Meretz supporter since it was established). This conversation centered on peace and security with the Palestinians and Avodah’s relative silence on the Conflict. For the first time in years, this match went to me. How, you ask? Well…

      A treaty with the Palestinians is in the long-term interest of Israel and the Palestinians from all angles. I believe that this is achievable if one of three things happens: a catastrophic event between Israel and the Palestinians; the presence of a leader who has the clout to strong-arm a treaty into happening (e.g. Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon); or at the behest of an Israeli public who insists on it. I’ll ignore the first option; after all, it is important to maintain one’s optimism when living here. Ironically, Bibi is the only leader who has the ability and political capital to push a treaty through. However, he has made it perfectly clear that he does not intend to do so. So the responsibility for making peace happen now firmly rests with the Israeli public.

      There is a plethora of polling data which states Israelis are in support of a peace treaty to create a Palestinian state along ‘67 borders with land swaps to deal with the “grey areas.” Yet seeing as how politicians are answerable to the people and since I do not see the vast majority of people in the streets calling for peace or many politicians placing it front-and-center, something seems to be amiss. So what’s happening here? A treaty with the Palestinians will require a lot of sacrifice and compromise on our part. It will impact borders, the economy, and water, cost a fortune to carry out and create huge social rifts within the society. This is in addition to placing a huge amount of trust in the Palestinians to curtail terrorism and extremism in order to maintain the peace. The Israeli public is not capable of doing this at the present time. This is evident by looking at the way we treat each other within Israeli proper. There is rampant racism, prejudice, discrimination and oppression. And here I’m only speaking about the Jewish population. If we can’t look at each other in an accepting, trusting and respectful manner, how can we expect to do it with our enemy?

      What I see in Avodah is a political party that is focused on tackling how Israelis relate to each other; who are actively working to repair the rifts within Israeli society and change its direction. The only way that the Israeli public will actively push forward peace is if we return to the values of equality and respect that this country was founded on and are laid out in the Declaration of Independence. I support Avodah because I believe they are the only ones capable of doing this and are actively doing so by shifting the conversation towards the issues that will effect this: the economy, education, health care, social infrastructure and the social safety net. Unfortunately, this means that peace and security won’t arrive tomorrow, but if we can change the situation it will once again be on the horizon.

 -Shawn, an oleh from Canada

What's wrong with the current Israeli political landscape

        On Sunday night, at a talk with Stav Shafir, number eight on the labor list and renowned social protest leader, she was asked whether the Labor Party was always her bayit politi (political home). As she responded about growing up in Hanoar Haoved, being disappointed by Ehud Barak, and being inspired by Shelli Yachimovich, I was reminded that this term, political home, so ingrained in the Israeli political mindset, is perhaps its biggest flaw.

         The term has come to mean a political party with a leader that looks like me, talks like me, and thinks like me.  This mindset has allowed Shas to claim that they look out for the lower classes while really only representing low income Mizrachi Jews, Yair Lapid to claim he represents the middle class while actually representing high income Ashkenazi Jews, Avigdor Lieberman to gain political clout by making fun of Polish women, and Hanin Zuabi to practice her dedication to Israel by participating in the Marmara Flotilla.

           In other words, the Israeli search for a political home is what cultivates a political landscape with dozens of little parties, each one happy to look out for (or at least purport to look out for) whatever small sector of the population they represent, while ignoring, offending, or otherwise neglecting the vast majority of the country. 

          For Israeli democracy to grow up it will need to shed this mindset. The electorate must realize that a legitimate political party worthy of a vote must represent not a small group of people, but a coherent political ideology and and a clear plan for a better Israel. All special interest parties (including the party representing my own sector of society) are damaging to our social fabric. In a healthy political system, political parties feel obligated to try to represent and look out for the entire populace. Only parties such as these should be worthy of a vote.
 
          The Israeli left likes to pounce on Shelley Yachimovich for refusing to bash the ultra-orthodox and settlers as cash-sucking enemies of the state. But a closer look will show that while she may not agree with their life-style choices, or the government decisions which support them, she sees herself as a future prime minister and them as legitimate citizens of this Israel. Potential future decisions about their fate in Israel will have to be done with a balanced responsibility towards them and the rest of the citizenry. Hate and character bashing will not help.

        
          To Ms. Yachimovich I say Kol Hakavod  for offering the Labor Party as a potential political home to nearly all Israelis.

         To the Israeli electorate, I say: stop searching for the leader who reminds you of yourself, and start looking of the party who will take this country in a better direction.

-Ilan, an oleh from the United States

Why is Shai voting Labor?

Election time has a special effect on any country; huge pictures of party-leaders looking down on the people from massive billboards, catchphrases dominating the public discussion, and media reporting on every sound bite for the news-hungry folk. In this up-coming elections jungle, it is easy to get lost between the sometimes nonexistent differences and weirdly similar sounding nicknames of politicians. But in my perspective these elections in Israel, more than anything are about the definition of Zionism. Is it about the land or is it about the state? Is it about democracy and the people or is it about Jewish religion?

In recent years the term 'Zionism' had been held hostage by the Israeli right. The Labour Party (with Yachimovich in the cockpit) will liberate it and bring it back home to the democratic, pluralistic, liberal and progressive side of Israeli society...and that is why I am voting Avodah.

-Shai, an oleh from The Netherlands

Why is Gabe voting Labor?

I will be voting for the Israeli Labor party on election day because I came to Israel with the wish of participating in a society that was run according to the universal human values, rooted deeply in the Judaic tradition, of justice, equality and enlightenment. Instead, I've found myself a citizen of a country plummeting ever deeper and faster into a squalid abyss of corruption, sectarianism, poverty and violence. Our current leaders seek to plunge us further into darkness as long as it secures their positions of power. Shelly Yachimovich and the Labor Party have promised to invest in, and look after, our greatest asset and most abundant natural resource—the people that live here. There is no other way to ensure the future prosperity, security and onward advancement of this great nation.

I am voting for the only party with the desire and ability to restore this country to greatness—the Labor Party.

- Gabe, an oleh from Australia

Who are we?

Who are we?

We're olim from various parts of the world and Israeli friends. We grew up in progressive Zionist youth movements and all chose to make Aliyah because we believe in the vision and dream of Israel and are here to make that a reality. We're speaking up because we love our chosen country and believe that Avodah (the Labor party), is the political party that's best equipped to return Israel to its founding values of justice and equality.  No matter what happens in the elections, come January 23rd, we'll still be here fighting for the dream to return to Israel and we hope it will be side-by-side with Avoda