DOCSLIB.ORG

The Upside of Evil (Tetzave) by Rabbi Ben Tzion Spitz Moshe Feiglin On

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

11 Adar Alef 5779 – Feb 16, 2019 BSD from God and cleave to divine service, God is overjoyed, and it The Upside of Evil (Tetzave) causes a divine light to spread forth. By Rabbi Ben Tzion Spitz May we always overcome our negative natural impulses and turn our inner demons into radiant light. Evil is unspectacular and always human, and Moshe Feiglin on the Latest Yisrael shares our bed and eats at our own table. -W. H. Auden Hayom Poll: ZEHUT at 5 Mandates In describing the construction plans of the Holy Tabernacle, the Torah adds a short line about the fuel needed to light the Menorah, the golden candelabrum, which was one of the special fixtures of the Tabernacle. It states as follows: “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.” – Exodus 27:22 The Berdichever focuses on the choice of words of “beating” the olive to get light. He compares the olive in this case to one’s evil inclination. The evil inclination is constantly enticing us to follow our base desires, to indulge in what is forbidden and to separate us from spiritual and divine service. The solution is to “beat” that desire and then elevate that very same desire, to channel it into divine service. To use that passion, that interest, that energy, in holy ventures. We need to consider that if we have some physical yearning, how much stronger should our yearning be for the infinite, for God? If we have some physical fear, how much stronger should our fear and awe of the divine be? Dear Friends, When we’ve managed to convert that evil inclination, those base Yes, this morning it looks like ZEHUT’s sun is beginning to shine, desires into spiritual energy, into holy actions, then that evil has thank God. become a base, a powerful springboard for good. The Nation of Israel pines for a message, for vision, purpose and This is one of the reasons God has created some distance, some liberty. Our Nation has ZEHUT. obfuscation between us and Him. For if we constantly, diligently Who would believe that an Israeli political party would publish a served him without fail, with pure clarity and devotion, then God platform of 340 pages, sell it in bookstores and within ten days, it would not have the same level of satisfaction from our efforts, from would be first on the bestseller list? our struggle to overcome our evil inclination, by our conquest of Our Nation is not stupid. It understands who respects it and its our animalistic instincts and converting ourselves into more liberty. It understands who respects its intelligence and give it the spiritual beings. A state of constant bliss is not really bliss. Us opportunity to make a true choice. mortals need the ups and downs. We need the encounter with our Entering the Knesset with five mandates, however, is not really our evil inclination to appreciate good, to fight for good, to conquer goal. The in-depth analysis that we conducted unequivocally shows evil on a regular basis, predominantly in ourselves. that ZEHUT’s potential is at least three times that. So please, just as you did not despair of the polls, do not get carried When circumstances have us at a spiritual distance from God and away by them. We still have a lot of hard work ahead of us, and we we then “beat” the evil inclination, break the masks that hide us can still expect ups and downs. And time is short. Contact us: [email protected] Editor: Jeffrey Cohen www.zehut.org.il 9046 .org 2 The Nation of Israel needs a ZEHUT revolution. And ZEHUT a good or very good chance of crossing the voting threshold. needs you in every possible place. Why don’t the polls show this? It has already happened in Israeli politics that a candidate went to sleep as prime minister-elect and With a sign on your front porch. woke up as the head of the Opposition. With a sticker and flag on your car. The source of the difficulty in discovering the real number of By distributing our platform summary at your workplace, Feiglin voters is in the fact that Feiglin is an unconventional man to family and friends. who heads a party with an unconventional platform. The man has With the amazing work that you are doing on the internet. an orderly, stable and consistent agenda, which covers so many And yes, with donations as well. societal, religious, diplomatic and security issues that Feiglin voters can be found in every sector – even among Arab voters. We do not receive government funding. All that we have is you and The polling companies have gotten used to the easy life. Smotrich all the small donations combine to create a great, illuminating voters? Look for them in the settlements. Gantz? The White Tribe, revolution. of course. Bibi? The Teddy Stadium and Machaneh Yehuda I thank each and every one of you, who have stayed with me marketplace. United Arab list? Look in the Triangle. through all the rainy days, who have been the targets of scorn and Enough with these simplistic politics. Let us see you providing us aspersion. Now, we turn together toward the sun that is beginning with a reliable and realistic number of Feiglin voters. You have no to shine a new path upon us and our Nation. idea how to begin, right? ZEHUT’s “To be a Free Jew” #1 on Moshe Feiglin’s New Book, “To be a Israel’s Best-Seller List Free Jew” Convincing Tool Within only ten days, ZEHUT’s platform/book has risen to #1 on Israel’s best-seller list of non-fiction books. Clearly, Israelis want politicians who have a clear program and something to say. Israelis are willing to invest time and money to learn what a political party has to offer them. They are looking for vision and hope. They understand that ZEHUT is offering them something completely new. And they are listening. You can buy the book at your local The following is a message that I received this Friday: Tzomet Sfarim or Steimatzky’s book stores (if they haven’t run Shalom to the very dear Moshe Feiglin, out). Or on line at http://tinyurl.com/y37neh4t I feel a strong need to tell you about the intense day that I just had. Or the digital Hebrew version here: http://tinyurl.com/yx8ke7hv For three days, I have been searching for a copy of your new book News 1: How I Stopped Being Afraid in the Tzomet Sfarim shops in my area. This morning, I finally found one store that had the book. I immediately went there and and Learned to Like Moshe Feiglin bought 25 books. I ran with the books to my family, friends and By Yuval Cohen acquaintances and gave them the book for free. I feel that this is the least that I can do for our blessed party (with the emphasis on The writer is not associated “our”!!). Over the past months, I have been convincing the people with ZEHUT. The following in my area to vote for ZEHUT. I have no doubt that the book will are translated excerpts from the do the job well. article The very fact that I brought them the book and said, “Take the book http://www.news1.co.il/Archive/003-D-132423-00.html and read it. This is the platform of my party,” shocked them. “A …From an analysis of the stomach aches demonstrated by the platform in a book? I have to read this!” I am sure that they will political organism, which automatically sends antibodies to destroy pass the book on to others. I have no doubt that we will be the any pathogen in the form of a new party, it looks like the reaction surprise of the elections. The ground is on fire and I feel it well in of the immune system is more violent and aggressive in its war my city, Haifa. With blessings for much success. I have the utmost against Feiglin and his party, ZEHUT…This means that Feiglin has admiration for your work. Contact us: [email protected] Editor: Jeffrey Cohen www.zehut.org.il 9046 .org 3 Polls, Politicians, Peanuts and Popcorn 3) Let’s go to Brazil where, this past October, there was an election for President. The front runner was a guy who had By Shmuel Sackett already been president twice. He left office in 2010 and was now running for a 3rd term. His name is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. All polls showed him winning. Trailing close behind him was a woman named Marina Silva. Polls had her just 2- 3 points away. In 3rd place – at just 15% - was Jair Bolsonaro. Here is a direct quote from a Brazilian website; “Bolsonaro does not poll well, even for the number 3 man in the line-up…” Well, guess who won and is now President of Brazil??? Jair Bolsonaro, the guy who “does not poll well”!!! 4) Back to the USA: I don’t think I have to remind you of what happened in November 2016. Every poll had Hillary Clinton as the winner. All the “experts” predicted it and the polls backed them up. According to the polls, it wasn’t even going to be close. Sorry, Mrs Clinton, but just like the other examples above, the polls were horribly wrong.
Recommended publications
  • The Schocken Book of Contemporary Jewish Fiction 1St Edition Download Free

    The Schocken Book of Contemporary Jewish Fiction 1St Edition Download Free

    THE SCHOCKEN BOOK OF CONTEMPORARY JEWISH FICTION 1ST EDITION DOWNLOAD FREE Ted Solotaroff | 9780805210651 | | | | | The Schocken book of contemporary Jewish fiction Paula MacLeod. Schocken Books is an offspring of the Schocken Verlaga publishing company that was established in Berlin in with a second office in Prague by the Schocken Department Store owner Salman Schocken. Pass it on! When you buy a book, we donate a book. Our story opens in an Austrian city, two generations before the Holocaust, where almost all of the Jews have converted to Christianity. On the Pleasure of Hating. Where the Jews Aren't From the acclaimed author of The Man Without a Face, the previously untold story of the Jews in twentieth- century Russia that reveals the complex, strange, and heart-wrenching truth behind Community Reviews. Please try again later. Natalya added it Apr 01, Geraldo Rivera. Paperbackpages. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. We are experiencing technical difficulties. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Ended: The Schocken Book of Contemporary Jewish Fiction 1st edition 17, PDT. Read more His Panic. Skip to main content. Republics, Nations and Tribes. About The Schocken Book of Contemporary Jewish Fiction This landmark anthology brings together some of the best stories written in the last thirty years by and about American Jews. This landmark anthology brings together some of the best stories written in the last thirty years by and about American Jews. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Books by Ted Solotaroff. David Plouffe. Autodafe 2. Also available from:. Alfaguara Bruguera Ediciones B Santillana. Nina Shengold and Eric Lane.
  • Six Tikunim for Israel at 60

    Six Tikunim for Israel at 60

    For Educational Use Only Six T Six Tikkunim for Israel's Sixtieth Year In celebration and commemoration of Israel’s sixtieth anniversary, we propose six Tikkunim . The idea of Tikkun positions people in partnership with God, assuming responsibility for our world. By the same token, we invite Jews in Israel and abroad to share the responsibility for the present and future State of Israel, through meaningful learning and experience of current dilemmas of the sixty- year-old/young country. Halachah offers an educational frame for the number “sixty”, when it claims that food will be considered kosher even if it has a non-kosher ingredient, when the kosher ingredients of the food are sixty times greate r than the non kosher Thinking within this . ָטֵ ל ְִִ י ingredient. This is termed: Nullified by Sixty 1 framework as well as the framework of Tikkun Olam, led us to identify six Tikkunim for Israel’s sixtieth year. We hope that these Tikkunim will serve as an invitation for contemplation and action on that which requires mending and in turn become sixty times greater than other Israeli challenges. In the following document you will find six gates for six Tikkunim . Each gate is thematically inspired by one of the books of the Mishnah: Tikkun of Time תיקו הזמ – Zeraim (1 Tikkun of Shabbat תיקו שבת – Mo’ed (2 Tikkun of Gender תיקו המגדר – Nashim (3 Tikkun of Conservation תיקו השימור - Nezikin (4 Tikkun of the Sacred Place and Space תיקו המקו הקדוש - Kodashim (5 Tikkun of Social Ethics תיקו הכשרות החברתית – Toharot (6 1 " "ָ ל אִ רִ י ֶַ רָה [ ְטֵלִ י ] ְִִ י " ( תלמוד בבלי , קודשי , חולי , פרק ז ', ד+ צ" ח א ' גמרא) 1 Each Tikkun gate includes: a verse introducing the key issue, an essential question, a Jewish Text, an Israeli song and a contemporary Israeli thought.
  • 1 Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 5/19 Aktuelles Aus Israelischen

    1 Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 5/19 Aktuelles Aus Israelischen

    Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 5/19 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 1.-15. März Die Themen dieser Ausgabe 1. Versehentlicher Raketenangriff ...................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Israelische Parlamentswahlen ....................................................................................................................................... 3 3. Unruhen am Tempelberg ................................................................................................................................................. 6 4. Medienquerschnitt ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 1. Versehentlicher Raketenangriff heftigen Ausschreitungen bei Protesten in Gaza Israels Armee geht inzwischen davon aus, dass die gegen die hohen Lebenshaltungskosten und die zwei Raketen des Typs M-75 Fajr, eine Langstre- hohen Steuergelder, die die Hamas den Palästinen- ckenrakete aus iranischen Werkstätten, die Tel Aviv sern abverlangt. Demonstrant_innen steckten Auto- für einige Minuten den Atem anhalten ließen, unbe- reifen in Brand und blockierten Straßenkreuzungen. absichtigt abgefeuert wurden. Das Militär reagierte Die Sicherheitsbeamten der Hamas reagierten mit mit rund 100 Luftangriffen auf zumeist militärische harter Hand. Mehrere Menschen mussten mit Ver- Anlagen der Hamas. Vier Menschen trugen bei den letzungen ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert
  • Israel's National Religious and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict

    Israel's National Religious and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict

    Leap of Faith: Israel’s National Religious and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict Middle East Report N°147 | 21 November 2013 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i Recommendations..................................................................................................................... iv I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Religious Zionism: From Ascendance to Fragmentation ................................................ 5 A. 1973: A Turning Point ................................................................................................ 5 B. 1980s and 1990s: Polarisation ................................................................................... 7 C. The Gaza Disengagement and its Aftermath ............................................................. 11 III. Settling the Land .............................................................................................................. 14 A. Bargaining with the State: The Kookists ................................................................... 15 B. Defying the State: The Hilltop Youth ........................................................................ 17 IV. From the Hills to the State ..............................................................................................
  • Israel and the Middle East News Update

    Israel and the Middle East News Update

    Israel and the Middle East News Update Friday, December 13 Headlines: • Israel Hayom Poll: Center-Left Bloc – 61, Right Wing Bloc - 51, Liberman - 8 • Liberman Backs Pardon for Netanyahu in Exchange for Exit from Politics • Poll: Israelis Prefer a Two State Solution to One State • UK Chief Rabbi: Election Is Over But Worries Over anti-Semitism Remain Commentary: • Ma’ariv: “Netanyahu’s Life’s Work” − By Ben Caspit • TOI: “Why Israel’s 3rd Election Might Not Be Such a Disaster, After All” − By David Horovitz, editor of the Times of Israel S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President ● Yoni Komorov, Editor ● Yehuda Greenfield-Gilat, Associate Editor News Excerpts December 13, 2019 Israel Hayom Poll: Center-Left Bloc – 61, Right Wing Bloc - 51, Liberman - 8 Q: If the Knesset election were held today and Binyamin Netanyahu were Likud chairman, for which party would you vote? Blue and White: 37 Likud: 31 Joint List: 14 Shas: 8 Yisrael Beiteinu: 8 United Torah Judaism: 7 Labor Party-Gesher: 6 New Right: 5 Democratic Union: 4 Q: Who do you think is primarily responsible for the failure to form a government? Binyamin Netanyahu: 43% Avigdor Liberman: 30% Yair Lapid: 6% Benny Gantz: 5% The Haredim: 2% Q: Will the fact that Israel is holding elections for the third time in the span of a year make you change or not change your vote compared with the previous elections? Yes: 13% No: 60% Perhaps: 27% Q: What are the odds that you will vote in the upcoming Knesset election, which will take place in approximately three months? Certain: 59% Good odds: 23% Moderate odds: 3% Poor odds: 15% See also, “Poll shows Gantz’s Blue and White opening 6-seat lead over Netanyahu’s Likud” (Times of Israel) Times of Israel Liberman Backs Pardon for Netanyahu in Exchange for Exit Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman said Thursday he would back a deal in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is allowed to avoid jail in exchange for an agreement to retire from politics.
  • The Role of Ultra-Orthodox Political Parties in Israeli Democracy

    The Role of Ultra-Orthodox Political Parties in Israeli Democracy

    Luke Howson University of Liverpool The Role of Ultra-Orthodox Political Parties in Israeli Democracy Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy By Luke Howson July 2014 Committee: Clive Jones, BA (Hons) MA, PhD Prof Jon Tonge, PhD 1 Luke Howson University of Liverpool © 2014 Luke Howson All Rights Reserved 2 Luke Howson University of Liverpool Abstract This thesis focuses on the role of ultra-orthodox party Shas within the Israeli state as a means to explore wider themes and divisions in Israeli society. Without underestimating the significance of security and conflict within the structure of the Israeli state, in this thesis the Arab–Jewish relationship is viewed as just one important cleavage within the Israeli state. Instead of focusing on this single cleavage, this thesis explores the complex structure of cleavages at the heart of the Israeli political system. It introduces the concept of a ‘cleavage pyramid’, whereby divisions are of different saliency to different groups. At the top of the pyramid is division between Arabs and Jews, but one rung down from this are the intra-Jewish divisions, be they religious, ethnic or political in nature. In the case of Shas, the religious and ethnic elements are the most salient. The secular–religious divide is a key fault line in Israel and one in which ultra-orthodox parties like Shas are at the forefront. They and their politically secular counterparts form a key division in Israel, and an exploration of Shas is an insightful means of exploring this division further, its history and causes, and how these groups interact politically.
  • A Guide to Burial in Israel for US Members

    A Guide to Burial in Israel for US Members

    A Guide to Burial in Israel for US Members 1 Contents • Introduction 4 • Why Israel? 5 • Eretz Hachaim Cemetery 6 • Costs for a Funeral in the US Section at Eretz Hachaim Cemetery 7 • Purchasing a Plot at Eretz Hachaim Cemetery 7 • Transporting the Deceased to Israel 9 • Funeral & Burial Services 9 • Cemetery Maintenance Fee 9 • United Synagogue Members who have made Aliyah 10 • Israeli Funerals 10 • Sitting Shiva in Israel 11 • Choosing a Stone 12 • Stone Settings 14 • Halacha - While the Deceased is in Transit 14 • Useful Contact Details 15 • Glossary of Hebrew Terms 18 • Further Reading 19 2 3 Introduction Why Israel? Buying a burial plot can be an emotional act. Whether you are The place where we choose to be buried says much about the meaning purchasing one for yourself or for the burial of a loved one, we at the of our lives. Choosing to be buried as a Jew in any country is a United Synagogue wish you and your family strength, and Arichut declaration of our faith and loyalties. Purchasing a plot in Israel further Yamim as you embark on this process. links our destiny to the Jewish people, its land and its faith. At the outset of our nation, Abraham purchases a burial place for his wife Sarah at This booklet is a practical and halachic guide to the process of buying the Cave of Machpela in Hebron marking the start of a distinctive family a burial plot in Israel with the US and for arranging a funeral and stone tradition which would emerge into a nation with a profound connection setting there.
  • The Labor Party and the Peace Camp

    The Labor Party and the Peace Camp

    The Labor Party and the Peace Camp By Uzi Baram In contemporary Israeli public discourse, the preoccupation with ideology has died down markedly, to the point that even releasing a political platform as part of elections campaigns has become superfluous. Politicians from across the political spectrum are focused on distinguishing themselves from other contenders by labeling themselves and their rivals as right, left and center, while floating around in the air are slogans such as “political left,” social left,” “soft right,” “new right,” and “mainstream right.” Yet what do “left” and “right” mean in Israel, and to what extent do these slogans as well as the political division in today’s Israel correlate with the political traditions of the various parties? Is the Labor Party the obvious and natural heir of The Workers Party of the Land of Israel (Mapai)? Did the historical Mapai under the stewardship of Ben Gurion view itself as a left-wing party? Did Menachem Begin’s Herut Party see itself as a right-wing party? The Zionist Left and the Soviet Union As far-fetched as it may seem in the eyes of today’s onlooker, during the first years after the establishment of the state, the position vis-à-vis the Soviet Union was the litmus test of the left camp, which was then called “the workers’ camp.” This camp viewed the centrist liberal “General Zionists” party, which was identified with European liberal and middle-class beliefs in private property and capitalism, as its chief ideological rival (and with which the heads of major cities such as Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan were affiliated)­.
  • Gaza and the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood by Henry Siegman

    Gaza and the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood by Henry Siegman

    Expert Analysis August 2014 Gaza and the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood By Henry Siegman Executive summary The slaughter of Palestinian civilians and the Dresden-like reduction to rubble of large parts of Gaza by Israel’s military forces in the name of its own citizens’ security has exposed the hypocrisy at the heart of Israel’s dealings with the Palestinians. Israel’s claim to the right of self-defense in order to prevent its victims’ emergence from under its occupation is the ultimate definition of chutzpa. Without entering the debate over whether those rocket assaults were precipitated by Israel’s own violations of truces and cease-fire accords it negotiated with Hamas, as documented by various analysts (including Amira Hass, Peter Beinart, Nathan Thrall, Sara Roy and others), Israel’s claim to self-defense is based on a glaring falsehood. An occupying power is under obligation in international law to do two things: to end the occupa- tion, and until it does so, to protect the population under its occupation. Israel is in blatant violation of both of these obligations. The security threats to its own citizens it invokes to justify its assaults which regularly result in the killing of far more Palestinian non- combatants than militants are triggered by its occupation. An occupied people told by its occupiers its subjugation is permanent, and that they will never be allowed to exercise the right to national self-determination and sovereign existence on territories recognized by the interna- tional community as their rightful patrimony, has every right to resort to resistance, including violent resistance, to achieve its freedom, for they are reacting to the violence that is keeping them illegally under occupation.
  • Republication, Copying Or Redistribution by Any Means Is

    Republication, Copying Or Redistribution by Any Means Is

    Republication, copying or redistribution by any means is expressly prohibited without the prior written permission of The Economist The Economist April 5th 2008 A special report on Israel 1 The next generation Also in this section Fenced in Short-term safety is not providing long-term security, and sometimes works against it. Page 4 To ght, perchance to die Policing the Palestinians has eroded the soul of Israel’s people’s army. Page 6 Miracles and mirages A strong economy built on weak fundamentals. Page 7 A house of many mansions Israeli Jews are becoming more disparate but also somewhat more tolerant of each other. Page 9 Israel at 60 is as prosperous and secure as it has ever been, but its Hanging on future looks increasingly uncertain, says Gideon Licheld. Can it The settlers are regrouping from their defeat resolve its problems in time? in Gaza. Page 11 HREE years ago, in a slim volume enti- abroad, for Israel to become a fully demo- Ttled Epistle to an Israeli Jewish-Zionist cratic, non-Zionist state and grant some How the other fth lives Leader, Yehezkel Dror, a veteran Israeli form of autonomy to Arab-Israelis. The Arab-Israelis are increasingly treated as the political scientist, set out two contrasting best and brightest have emigrated, leaving enemy within. Page 12 visions of how his country might look in a waning economy. Government coali- the year 2040. tions are fractious and short-lived. The dif- In the rst, it has some 50% more peo- ferent population groups are ghettoised; A systemic problem ple, is home to two-thirds of the world’s wealth gaps yawn.
  • Likud Places a Strong Emphasis on Security and Presents

    Likud Places a Strong Emphasis on Security and Presents

    IDEOLOGICAL STATED POLITICAL POSITIONS PARTY PARTY LEADER ORIENTATION AND KEY FACTS Likud Benjamin Netanyahu Right Likud places a strong emphasis on security (Prime Minister) and presents Prime Minister Netanyahu as the only viable leader with a proven track record on security. Netanyahu has been on record in 2009 in support of the two-state solution although more recently he has displayed ambivalence. The party has a fiscally conservative economic agenda, though this is secondary to security-diplomatic issues. United Right Rafi Peretz Right Comprised of Jewish Home, the National Union, and Jewish Power, the party includes religious-Zionists and territorial nationalists, is staunchly opposed to a Palestinian state, and actively promotes the expansion of settlements and Israeli annexation of Area C in the West Bank. In December 2018, party leader Naftali Bennett announced he and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked would be leaving to form The New Right. In February 2019, the Jewish Home formed a technical merger with Jewish Power, who are adherents to the teachings of Meir Kahane. Kahane’s party Kach were banned from the Knesset in the 1980s for racism. Hayemin Hachadash Naftali Bennett Right New party formed by former Jewish Home (Education Minister) & (The New Right) ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Ayelet Shaked Shaked due to their long-held ambition to (Justice Minister) win more secular, middle-class Israeli voters – a mission hampered by Jewish Home’s affiliation with the National- Religious sector and the influence of settler Rabbis. Bennett and Shaked are opposed to a two- state solution, support the expansion of settlements and Israeli annexation of Area C in the West Bank Yisrael Beiteinu Avigdor Lieberman Right Nationalist party dominated by its leader, (former Defence (Israel is our home) Avigdor Lieberman.
  • Inequality, Identity, and the Long-Run Evolution of Political Cleavages in Israel 1949-2019

    Inequality, Identity, and the Long-Run Evolution of Political Cleavages in Israel 1949-2019

    WID.world WORKING PAPER N° 2020/17 Inequality, Identity, and the Long-Run Evolution of Political Cleavages in Israel 1949-2019 Yonatan Berman August 2020 Inequality, Identity, and the Long-Run Evolution of Political Cleavages in Israel 1949{2019 Yonatan Berman∗ y August 20, 2020 Abstract This paper draws on pre- and post-election surveys to address the long run evolution of vot- ing patterns in Israel from 1949 to 2019. The heterogeneous ethnic, cultural, educational, and religious backgrounds of Israelis created a range of political cleavages that evolved throughout its history and continue to shape its political climate and its society today. De- spite Israel's exceptional characteristics, we find similar patterns to those found for France, the UK and the US. Notably, we find that in the 1960s{1970s, the vote for left-wing parties was associated with lower social class voters. It has gradually become associated with high social class voters during the late 1970s and later. We also find a weak inter-relationship between inequality and political outcomes, suggesting that despite the social class cleavage, identity-based or \tribal" voting is still dominant in Israeli politics. Keywords: Political cleavages, Political economy, Income inequality, Israel ∗London Mathematical Laboratory, The Graduate Center and Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, City University of New York, [email protected] yI wish to thank Itai Artzi, Dror Feitelson, Amory Gethin, Clara Mart´ınez-Toledano, and Thomas Piketty for helpful discussions and comments, and to Leah Ashuah and Raz Blanero from Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality for historical data on parliamentary elections in Tel Aviv.