A Guest Post by Dr. Harold Goldmeier
Dr.
Harold Goldmeier speaks for free to public forums about political and social
policy matters. He teaches international university students in Israel courses
in Business, Middle East Politics, Modern Zionism. Harold.goldmeier@gmail.com
Women own a political agenda
different from men. My review of platforms adopted by women first and foremost
address the “other” infrastructure having to do with improving the quality of
life. A slew of Israeli women candidates
for mayors and local regional council leadership positions running for election
in unlikely winnable races actually won. The story behind the events, to borrow
a phrase, is “fraught with background.”
The success of women in Israel’s local elections is
enthralling local and international media. Haredi women fielded candidates
following the August Supreme Court urging Haredi parties to lift their ban on
female candidates. Throughout the summer, Haredi women, “we are the last
suffragets,” demanded parity on the ballots. Hadassah Magazine (September 2018) ran an article titled, “No
Voice, No Vote, Say Feminist Haredi Women in Israel.” The ineluctable phenomenon is concomitantly
linked to the large number of women candidates in America and were elected.
Let me first tell my readers that
this election is our third casting of ballots since making aliyah nearly seven
years ago. It continues to be a manifest feeling of privilege and inspiration
to vote in a Jewish state. It is the ultimate act of ratifying homeland
sovereignty and democracy.
We live in notorious Beit Shemesh.
Despite palpable tensions between secular residents, Haredim, and Modern
Orthodox residents the voters and polling staff of every persuasion were
helpful and happy. The long lines were a beautiful sight. Sounds sappy but
true.
The morning we voted in our first
election I read a story about a family voting in Israel’s first election on 25
January 1949. The nation of Israel was newly independent. Voter turnout was 86.9%. The father woke the
family early. They prayed, ate a hearty breakfast, and he instructed everyone
to dress in their finest Shabbat clothes. Together they proudly marched to the
polling station wherein the rabbi and his wife cast their ballots. They exited
with broad smiles and beaming with pride to the wonderment of their children
and others waiting to vote. I pray we can all continue to honor the gift of
freedom with such joy and pride.
The 2018 local elections swept
eleven women into top offices. Some are cheering this as another landmark in
the advancement for women’s rising place and influence in a country whose
political landscape personifies the intersection of gender, religion and power
politics. Their election adds gravitas and energy coming on the heels of other
recent women’s rights advancements of
•
Women accepted into combat units and pilots in the IAF
•
The appointment of Esther Hayut to President of the Supreme Court
•
President Reuven Rivlin and
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked installing Hana Mansour Khatib as first-ever
female judge, or qadi, for Israel’s Sharia Court
•
Attorney Shira Ben-Eli appointed the first woman legal advisor to the
Rabbinical Court Administration
In America, “all politics are
local,” said the warmhearted, jolly, tough, and astute former Speaker of the
House, Tip O’Neill. In Israel, all local politics are staging areas for
playing-out national politics except this time.
For instance, Modern Orthodox,
Ashkenazi, Dr. Aliza Bloch of Beit Shemesh remarkably defeated Moshe Abutbol, a
Haredi, Sephardi male incumbent. Mayor Abutbol was backed by the
Ultra-Orthodox. National politicians and rabbinic leaders ordered their
followers to vote Abutbol back into office with the force of a religious
decree.
Abutbol’s protagonists allegedly
have a well-laid long-term plan to turn Beit Shemesh into a partner with Haredi
dominated cities Bnei Brak, Modi’in Illit and Betar. This block will become the
base of the Ultra-Orthodox in national elections. Residents of the three cities
are recognized by the government as among the poorest populations of Israeli
cities with the least amount of secular education. Adding Beit Shemesh raises
their profile, because of its substantial numbers of Anglo immigrants and
working Haredim. In this election, one Haredi candidate dropped out of the race
late supposedly at the urging of the claque, in order to consolidate support
behind the incumbent when polls showed the race tightening and Bloch a real
threat to the Haredi control of the city.
Religious affiliation and gender
were the overriding issues and most talked about. It was an “us” against “them”
kerfuffle. But Bet Shemesh voters most wanted a Mayor to improve the quality of
life in the fastest growing city in Israel. Sephardim and Haredim crossed over
to Bloch giving short shrift to the candidates’ heritages, national parties
affiliations, religious streams, and gender. Bloch’s victory depended on 4,000
or more Haredim voting for her beyond her natural base. It was heartwarming to
see a video taken when results were announced of Haredim, Sephardim, Modern
Orthodox, and secular Jews joyfully dancing together in unity.
To paraphrase one prominent modern
rabbi I’m giddy with joy over Bloch’s win. His three takeaways are, It’s a
miracle…a return to classic Torah, i.e., traditional Jewish concepts of Torah
and rabbinic authority away from the recent hijacking of it by political
interests, and…there’s a tremendous opportunity here to improve the city for
everyone not just the self-interests of the Ultra-Orthodox.
Like O’Neill warned, it’s all about
local issues, the usual concerns of roads, schools, garbage, rising property
taxes, etc. meant more than other considerations. One resident puts it this
way: “For some people in Gimmel (a new neighborhood built especially to pack
the city with more Haredim), this is why they didn't vote for Abutbol. To their
credit, the Irya (city officials) built a first-rate basketball court complete
with lights in Gimmel. Some religious extremists destroyed it within a week.
The court has been sitting unused for about a year. The lights have never been
turned on. Rather than upset the extremists and rabbonim behind them, Abutbol
did nothing. Currently, it's an eyesore and tremendous waste of taxpayer $.”
The big deal about electing women
to positions of leadership is they focus on the “other” infrastructure needs of
a community and not national agendas. That is Mayor Bloch’s platform and that
of two other women elected Mayors of their cities.
Voters re-elected the first female
Mayor of Netanya, Miriam Feinberg. Feinberg is a social worker and once served
as the head of Netanya’s welfare and health department. First elected Mayor in
1998, she was reelected in 2003, 2008, 2013, and again in 2018.
Feinberg is proud of her
achievements expanding art and cultural events, tourism, revitalizing the look
and accessibility of Netanya, using social media for city officials to better
communicate with residents. Her administration dedicates services for the
smooth absorption of immigrants constituting 35% of the residents from France,
FSU, Ethiopia, South America, and Anglos.
Netanya has become an upscale desirable community in which to live, and
the price of housing reflects the successes of Feinberg’s priorities.
Dr. Einat Kalisch Rotem was elected
Mayor of Haifa with aid from the endorsement by Ultra-Orthodox rabbis. Kalisch
Rotem reportedly won in a landslide victory capturing 57.8% of the vote. A good
win in politics is 52%. She earned a doctorate in architecture and urban
planning. She teaches at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s graduate
school.
Top concerns for Kalisch Rotem are
cleaning up the allegedly toxic environment from chemicals and preventing the
expansion of refineries in Haifa Bay. “We are ruining our bay, giving it up to
the industries instead of to tourism, sailing, water sports,” she claimed three
years earlier. Better public health services remain her priority including
investing more money to reduce air pollution, modernize monitoring stations and
standards, and make Haifa a cancer-free city from environmental causes.
On Facebook, I asked members of a Bet Shemesh
group their top agenda items for the new Mayor. The unscientific poll responses
largely fell to matters including
•
Better city planning, diversifying architecture, and reducing the urban
plight
•
Safer schools and more of them with better construction, smoke alarms
and exits
•
The quality of education, youth counseling and recreational services
must be upgraded for all children including special needs students
•
Expanding accessibility to local healthcare
•
Cleaning streets, garbage pick up and litter control
•
Expanding local art and cultural events
•
Building and maintaining parks, green strips, sports, and recreational
facilities, and youth centers for alienated and latchkey teens
Improving quality of life tops the
agenda of women elected officials. They don’t give short shrift to foreign
affairs, security issues or national political aspirations, but voters can
count on quality of life issues topping the agendas. Women are realizing what
men have known that winning elections is the tour de force for change. My wish
for newly elected city leaders is from Dr. Seuss in Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that
life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98
and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid(s), you'll move mountains.”
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I am not quite sure what Eli Yishai is trying to accomplish. Running on his own has already proven futile, and he has not made any arrangements to run on a joint ticket with another party list... so I do not know why he is about to put himself through this again. It might be time for him to start looking for another career, outside of politics. Until now I thought he was hanging around waiting for Aryeh Deri to be indicted and convicted so he himself can take over Shas again - though at this point it looks like even if that happens Shas will not take Eli Yishai back (though it could happen).
