Only someone who grew up in the Charedi education system can truly understand how important the struggle of the new Public Haredi Party is.
Most of you do not know what it is like to study in yeshiva and encounter ABCs only when you are already 30 years old, and that is even a good thing
Most of you do not know what it is like to come across a simple first-degree equation for the very first time at age 25, and that would even be a good thing
Most of you do not know what it is like to watch a good friend take more and more English courses, yet never truly master the language because he simply did not start early enough
Shas and United Torah Judaism operate with a mindset of "we'll sweep the smoldering coals under the rug and everything will be fine." Or they tell themselves stories about their party-affiliated schools that supposedly teach core curriculum subjects
A few days ago, I met a friend whose son "allegedly" studies English in his cheder. His wife, an American, called the "English teacher," who is also a kollel student, to ask him something about the homework
The man does not speak English at all. Barely utters "hello" and "by."
?Complain? To whom
The principal will respond that this is the best available option, and he is probably right.
So the child stays there, continuing to "study English," while Charedi politicians keep attending neighborhood gatherings and claiming that a large portion of their school system already teaches core subjects and that everything is fine
This is one of the reasons the Charedi parties are so strongly opposed to the state-supervised Charedi schools: sacrificing the truth for the sake of maintaining the illusion
So the Public Haredi Party has now come to voice the cry of thesefrustratedCharedimi
?Will it make it past the electoral threshold
In this case, the more important question than "How many Israelis identify with them"
is
How many of those supporters believe that the party can actually cross the threshold"
And here the situation is not particularly encouraging.
The electoral threshold, which was created to increase political stability and weaken anti-Zionist Arab parties (and failed dramatically at both goals), not only creates a democratic deficit of tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of votes that are effectively thrown in the trash, but also prevents change of any kind. Everyone prefers to play it safe, stick with the existing institutions, and above all survive.
As long as this remains the situation, the hoped-for change will probably not arrive.
But Moti Leitner has already achieved something important, even before the first polling station in Israel opens and the first ballot is cast: he has brought the cry from the grassroots into the public conversation.
Suddenly, Haredi Knesset members find themselves on the defensive.
Just a few days ago, Yaakov Asher found himself at a gathering in a Haredi neighborhood having to explain why he opposes the state-supervised Haredi schools.
What does he offer that Leitner does not, beyond slogans such as "You shall do according to all that they instruct you
The internal Haredi discussion is beginning, slowly but surely, to shift toward practical issues and thoughts about the future.
And that, too, is something.
As a beginning.
וגם זה משהו. בתור התחל
1 comment:
Leitner should've waited untill after the elections to found his party . He's hurting the right wing now and he could've gotten more votes the next time. This is not a smart move.
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