Avodah English platform is up!

The English translation of the Labor party platform is online!

http://www.shelly.org.il/node/2011

Go check it out!

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Reading this platform, it's clear to me that the Labor party has taken to heart the demands of the 2011 social justice protests. Here are a few quotes that I was happy to see in the platform: 

"(The Labor party will) promote civil marriage and divorce in Israel and create civil cemeteries accessible to all citizens, while allowing for the possibility of various religious burial ceremonies."

It's time to take control of public Jewish life away from the hands of the Orthodox-only rabbinical court.
 
"(The Labor Party will) decrease inequality between Jewish, Arab, Druze, and Circassian citizens by allocating equal resources for all citizens in health, education, welfare, social services, infrastructure, housing, employment, industrial development, and personal security"

We can't have a society that allows some to prosper and not others. Funding public services for some communities but not others within our borders is racism.

"The Labor Party will work to eradicate racism against olim from Ethiopia which has taken root in parts of Israeli society and is expressed by unequal treatment against Israelis from Ethiopian origin in residential areas, workplaces, schools, and places of recreation. 
The Labor Party will work to implement the Affirmative Action Law in employing Ethiopian olim academics in government ministries, in government companies, and in local authorities.
The Labor Party will work to provide an extensive answer to the difficulties in the absorption of Ethiopian olim and integrating them into Israeli society in the best possible way."

 It is unacceptable that over half of Ethiopian olim to Israel live in poverty.

"The Labor Party sees the Supreme Court as the highest judicial institution in the State of Israel, responsible for maintaining the values of justice, equality, freedom, and the human and civil rights of Israel’s residents.

The Labor Party will work to fortify the institutional status of the Supreme Court and maintain its authority."

Netanyahu feels comfortable defying Supreme Court orders when it suits him to do so:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/13/isarel-evicts-e1-palestinian-peace-camp

Check the whole platform out for yourself!
http://www.shelly.org.il/node/2011

-Dafna 

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