Because Israel Needs:
Simply Jews
We are
simply Jews, with no added definitions. We do not call ourselves
Orthodox, Conservative or Reform - neither "right-wing" nor
"left-wing." Like the overwhelming majority of Jews, we believe in
G-d, Who has brought us back to our Jewish home; the Holy Land of
Israel. In Israel, the natural predisposition of the Jewish People
to illuminate the world with God's light is brought to perfection,
enabling us to perform our task in the most consummate way.
Our aim is to create a genuinely Jewish consciousness in the Land of
Israel, motivated by the awareness that our faith and our country
are intrinsically woven together. An Israeli society predicated on
Jewish faith - the Torah - is an ethical and loving society whose
ultimate goal is to illuminate the entire world with God's
benevolence.
The Modern State of Israel in Crisis
The Zionist movement, which founded the modern State of Israel, was
a product of the millennia of longing for return to the Land of
Israel. However, it was also a product of the times in which it was
born. Basing itself on secular 19th century Western values, Zionism
came to fill the need for a safe haven for the Jews of the world.
Miraculously, the Zionist movement succeeded in building the
complete infrastructure of a modern state - replete with a strong
army, high tech, immigration absorption etc. out of the wilderness.
In its essence, though, the secular Zionism on which Israel was
built negates holiness. In doing so, it has stripped itself of the
tools necessary to reflect the Jewish nature of Israel and its
ultimate holy purpose.
We are now witnessing a complete unraveling of the fabric of Israeli
society. The very Zionist ideology that built the modern state of
Israel has now turned against itself as it seeks to counter its
Biblical roots and Divine purpose. This self-destructive bent is the
ultimate conclusion of the secular ideology upon which Zionism is
based.
The Essential Question: Is Israel a State
of Jews - or a Jewish State?
Until now Israel has been a state of the Jews. It is vital to our
future to transform Israel into a Jewish state. Israel's elected
officials must lead the country with policies based exclusively on
Jewish identity, values and ethics.
An Alternative
In 1994, Moshe Feiglin began the Zo Artzeinu ("This is
Our Land") protest movement that opposed the self-destructive Oslo
Accords with a massive civil disobedience campaign.
It became clear, though, that it was not enough to protest; we had
to offer a fundamental alternative - a new strategic objective - in
place of the process of collapse that gave rise to the Oslo Accords.
Such an alternative would need to be based on both an alternative
ideology that would inspire the nation and possess the means for
implementation.
Faith-Based Leadership
There is only one way to truly imbue the State of Israel with the
meaning it deserves and needs: to promote an alternative leadership
for the State of Israel that is based on Jewish belief. Only
leadership motivated by an authentically Jewish vision will be
capable of meeting all the challenges currently facing the State of
Israel and the Jewish People. Only leadership of this kind will be
capable of reinvigorating the State of Israel and the Jewish People
and leading it towards the realization of the vision of the
prophets.
Leadership of the Likud
In 1998, Manhigut Yehudit (The Jewish Leadership Movement) was
established as the successor to Zo Artzeinu. Our aim is to register
thousands of believing members in the Likud - the ruling party of
the National Camp - and to elect a party leader who will be
motivated by Jewish ideals and values. As the Likud's candidate for
Prime Minister, this candidate would be the natural leader of the
national camp and would be elected as the Prime Minister of the
State of Israel.
What began as a dream has become a reality. Already today, Manhigut
Yehudit (The Jewish Leadership Movement) has the largest bloc inside
the Likud's Central Committee. In a very short time we became known
as the group that "does not come with a price tag." Our weapon is
our ideology and tens of thousands of supporters have already joined
our ranks. Many Israelis throughout the political spectrum believe
that we are the future of Israel's political life and the path we
have chosen is correct and viable.
Our Future
With firm faith in the God of Israel, Manhigut Yehudit
(The Jewish Leadership Movement) is confident that our future is
bright. Indeed the totality of our strategic goals could be summed
up in a single phrase from the traditional Aleynu prayer recited
daily: