Yisrael Beytenu is a Party with a Clear Message

Published on: July 15, 2012

For as long as I remember, I have been interested in Israeli history and politics. At a relatively young age, I became a great admirer of Vladimir Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, and am still in awe of these towering figures, who played such vital roles in the establishment of the modern day State of Israel.

 

As a “religious right winger” who made Aliya, the Likud party and the national-religious parties should have been a natural fit. However, over time I started to feel that there was a growing gap between the rhetoric and actions of these parties. I watched how the Likud drifted towards the left, trying to redefine itself as a “centrist party.” As for the national-religious parties, what had once been a proud and strong Mafdal party had now split into many small sections – I soon lost track of who stood for what. It seemed to me that the Likud and the national religious parties had “lost their way”, and, sadly, I began to question my allegiance to them.

 

Enter Avigdor Liberman, head of the Israel Beytenu party. Every time I read his comments or heard him in an interview, I found myself nodding my head in agreement. In his calm, but incisive and logical approach, Liberman simply “made sense”.  His straightforward, no-nonsense style was a refreshing contrast to that of so many of our politicians, who seem to be tiptoeing on eggshells, afraid of ruffling anyone’s feathers. I was also impressed with the team that Liberman had built around him, such as enlisting the well-respected figures of Uzi Landau and Danny Ayalon.

 

I had never joined an Israeli political party before, but I liked what I saw and decided to become join Israel Beytenu last year. At party meetings that I have attended, one can feel the energy, and optimism in the air. There is a sense of challenge, of building and improving our society and our country. Religious, secular, Israeli-born, immigrants – there is a wonderful camaraderie and feeling that working all together, our achievements are limited only by our imagination.

 

Contrary to what our critics allege, Israel Beytenu is not a party serving a particular sector with a narrow agenda. One only has to glance at the party platform to realize that the party is involved in a wide range of areas affecting all of us – security, health, education, constitutional issues, Aliya, the environment, and many others. Israel Beytenu is truly a national party, and I am proud to be a part of it.

 Kenny Fischer is originally from the United States and now lives in Ra’anana.