19 Av, 5769
August 9, '09

Translated from the NRG website

Lift up your eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you shall surely adorn yourself with them all as with an ornament, and gird yourself with them, like a bride. (Isaiah 49:18)

Last week, we were invited to the airport to welcome a young relative who was making aliyah from the US. I had heard a lot about the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization that helps North American (and British) Jews to make aliyah. But until you see it with your own eyes, you don't really understand the amazing work that this organization does. In truth, I really didn't want to give up my morning bicycle ride to hear Bibi speak at 7 a.m. This particular relative has been a guest at our home many times, and I didn't understand why the fact that this time he was officially making aliyah meant that I had to change my routine and show up at the airport. But fortunately, my wife dragged me by the ear. I'm really glad that she did.

The Nefesh B'Nefesh charter plane rolls into Terminal 1. The people gathered to welcome the olim are allowed to wait for the new arrivals literally on the runway. The band plays. Singing and dancing all around. Suddenly, all the cynicism and daily battles peel off and the old and good Zionism shines forth in all its glory. This entire scene plays on some of my rusty heartstrings. Out of nowhere, my eyes fill with tears – that I try to hide behind the daily edition of the Jerusalem Post distributed by Nefesh B'Nefesh so that the people waiting will G-d forbid not get bored until the olim emerge from the plane.

Afterwards, some short speeches by Bibi, Natan Sharansky and the heads of Nefesh B'Nefesh. Netanyahu mentioned something of which most people are not aware. In the upcoming year, with G-d's help, the number of Jews in the Land of Israel will be greater than the number of Jews in the Diaspora – according to Bibi, for the first time in 2000 years. It is nice that Bibi mentioned that, but he was off by about 1000 years. Even in the time of the Second Temple, the Jews in Israel were fewer in number than their Diaspora counterparts. In other words, we are at the threshold of a historic reality that has not transpired since the ten tribes were exiled prior to the destruction of the First Temple. This has far-reaching implications in Jewish law. Furthermore, what is both fascinating and gives me the goose bumps is the fact that the number we are talking about is six million Jews in Israel.

I do not generally write about the mystical significance of numbers. But it is crystal clear that the number 600,000 has special Jewish import. This was the number of draft-age Jews who were redeemed from Egypt and the parameter of 'public domain' in Jewish laws pertaining to Shabbat. In other words, a place through which 600,000 people pass is considered public domain in Jewish law. This number of Jews creates a new reality. When that happens in Israel, it is a positive new reality.

600,000 Jews lived in Israel when the State was established in 1948.

600,000 draft-aged men lived in Israel in the War of Miracles in 1967.

I do not know what the new reality of the majority of Jews in the world living in Israel will bring on its wings. Especially when the absolute number of Jews living here will be the significant 10 times 600,000 – six million. But the words of the prophet Isaiah, who prophesied more or less at the time that the majority of Jews in Israel was lost, strike a chord deep inside my heart.

Behold, Zion, see how your children are returning to you. And you, like a bride under the canopy, stand and watch as the lost diamonds return to you, one by one, to be embedded on the glorious necklace around your neck.

For those of you who want to know what will happen next, just look at Isaiah 49.

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This Sunday, Vice Premier Moshe Bogey Ya'alon spoke to a wall to wall audience of Manhigut Yehudit supporters in Jerusalem.

On Wednesday evening, Israel's Channel 2 news aired a clip of the meeting, in which Ya'alon refers to Peace Now as a "virus." His words triggered furious responses and were the top headlines in Israel. In response to the media hoopla, Moshe Feiglin commented that Ya'alon has said nothing new. His opinions are clearly outlined in his book, The Long Short Way. Feiglin added that "The Prime Minister is not serving in his role because he won the elections, but despite the fact that he lost the elections to Kadimah. The  Likud lost thousands of votes that were virtually in its pocket because of Netanyahu's hysteria with regard to Moshe Feiglin. The fact that Netanyahu has summoned Vice Premier Ya'alon to meet with him for clarification after he met with members of his own party is scandalous and will cost the Likud many additional votes."
  
The importance of the meeting was first and foremost the very fact that it took place. The meeting replaced the walls of suspicion and distrust on both sides with first person insight into the policies advocated by both Moshe Feiglin and Minister Ya'alon. In addition, the meeting seemed to have impacted significantly on Vice Premier and former Chief of Staff Ya'alon, who the next day toured the destroyed settlement of Homesh and announced that Israel must return to Homesh and that the very concept called "illegal outposts" is itself illegal. Ya'alon had voiced this opinion before, but never on Israel TV.

We hope that Ya'alon will continue to press an agenda loyal to the Land and People of Israel and that his meeting with the Manhigut Yehudit members, who have not succumbed to the national media brainwashing, has opened his eyes to the fact that a large and high-quality bloc of Likud voters will firmly support loyal Likud MKs and ministers.

Manhigut Yehudit member Rafi Farber attended the conference. The following are excerpts from his report, which can be read in full here.

The calm of the event and how normal it felt belied how unprecedented it actually was. The place was packed from front to back. There weren’t even enough chairs for everyone in attendance. Moshe “Bogey” Ya’alon, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Vice PM, took time out of his day to sit down with a group of "Feiglinites" working inside the Likud, and speak with them about his vision. Bogey showed guts in sitting down with Feiglin and his supporters since his boss, PM Netanyahu, is known to loathe this man, and fears him like the plague. To be caught sitting with Feiglin – you’ll take quite a media beating if you get caught. This may be why Feiglin sent no official word to the media about the event. Bogey’s lambasting of the Israeli media during his 40 minute speech to the group could have been another factor.

At the meeting, Bogey spoke about how peace is impossible for now, since the other side has not recognized Israel as the national home of the Jewish people. What he seemed to miss, however, is that to Feiglin, this is completely irrelevant. Whether the other side is ready for peace, willing to make compromises or anything else, plays no role in Feiglin’s thought. “Peace is not my objective,” he replied to Bogey. He continued, “There is no country on the entire planet, except us, that has peace as its national objective. The minute that peace is your national objective, you lose it.” The Zionism of old doesn’t interest him either. “Zionism has reached the end of its road,” he says. “It is time for the next level – the one based on faith and the God of Israel. If we don’t build the second level, we will lose the whole thing.”

Then what is Feiglin trying to do? He wants nothing less than a total revolution at the core of Israel’s consciousness, to redefine the purpose of her existence, to change everything at the very core, and he wants to do this by winning the Likud leadership, and then the leadership of Israel. The objective of peace, according to him, demonstrates that Israel’s current leaders want her to be a nation among nations, to simply be left alone to her own development, to live without having to launch a defense war every 3 years. Feiglin’s idea is much more basic than an absence of conflict. It is to be a uniquely Jewish nation through a national Jewish revival.

Jewish revival, for him, begins with the most basic common denominator – Jewish identity. With the sectoral mentality prevalent among pretty much every Israeli today, this type of unity is impossible. This is why operating within the Likud is much more than just a simple tactic for him and his followers. It is, rather, a statement of taking responsibility for the leadership and future of the country and the Jewish people, rather than the leadership of a sectoral party and the funding of your sector’s economic welfare.

Feiglin began with 3% of the Likud vote in 2002, 12% in 2005, and 24% in 2007. He is constantly recruiting new Likud members for this purpose, swelling his support base in the party. He does not back down despite any challenge, fair or unfair from Netanyahu and the Likud leadership.

This is something his political rivals should take to heart. Bogey’s arrival at Feiglin headquarters just brought him one step closer to his objective.
 

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