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Not a Single Native English-Speaking Politician Was Voted into the 17th Knesset in the Elections 2006
Unrealistic slots, failure to pass threshold leave community out in the cold
Not a single native English-speaking politician was voted into the 17th Knesset in the elections on Tuesday, causing frustration and dissatisfaction - but not surprise.
"Of course I'm disappointed," said a tired Uri Bank, the U.S.-born candidate who was No. 16 on the National Union-National Religious Party list. "Unfortunately, the Anglo constituency is again left out and they don't have a voice in the Knesset."
Anglos were represented in a number of parties, including the joint NU-NRP ticket, Labor, Shinui and Atid Echad (One Future), among others. None, however, was in a realistic slot. Australian-born Guy Spigelman was No. 45 on the Labor list, while South-African born Jonathan Danilowitz was No. 7 in the Shinui party, which failed to cross the threshold and will not be represented in the new Knesset.
But some political activists say that the upcoming Anglo-free Knesset is not necessarily a sign of failure - simply because so few English-speaking immigrants dare to venture into the world of Israeli politics. "For every 100 Russian immigrants who try to get into the Knesset, maybe five are successful. And for every 100 Ethiopian immigrants who try, maybe one is successful," said Eli Kazhdan, a former candidate for Yisrael B'Aliyah.
"But there haven't been 100 Anglo immigrants who have even tried. The unfortunate reality is that time and time again, some of the most active and Zionist immigrants [from English-speaking countries] leave their political activism at Ben-Gurion airport. The number of Anglos getting involved is still too low for this to be considered a failure," he asserted.
For Uri Bank, this year's unsuccessful Knesset run was his second, and although he realized that his slot was not entirely realistic, the former Chicago resident said the results - which gave the joint NU-NRP ticket just nine seats - were "devastating." He insisted, however, that his personal disappointment was secondary to the blow Israeli voters delivered to the right-wing bloc.
"I intend to stay an ideological fighter for the Land of Israel, the people of Israel and the Torah of Israel," Bank, said of his post-election plans. "The fact that the majority of people in Israel don't think that we are right - in both senses of the word - doesn't mean that we are wrong."
Bank, who campaigned hard in Anglo population centers, said he will be getting a head start this time around, to ensure a large English-speaking presence in the Moledet party, of which he chairs the executive board. He was also one of the younger people on the joint list, so he knows he has time to solidify a political support base. "If Anglos become card-carrying members of Moledet four years before the next election, my quest for a higher spot on the list will be justified," he said.
Labor activist Guy Spigelman was No. 45 on the his party's list, although in the Labor primaries, he came in a close second for the slot reserved for young people, which at No. 27, would not have gained him admittance into the Knesset anyway. Spigelman is editor of Revival, the party's English-language news magazine and he has been active in Labor's educational platform, where he has been pushing a government student loan program similar to the one used in Australia. He was also an active campaigner in the party's bid to attract more English speakers.
"I wasn't surprised," he said of the Anglo absence in the upcoming Knesset. "But Anglo participation was more active this year than in the last election and it's a building process. Each election there will be more and more Anglos involved and eventually, we'll push through and have representation."
According to Spigelman, the English-speaking community has to "learn to organize better and recruit party members more efficiently" so that they can create a stronger grass-roots presence within individual political parties - something that Bank, his ideological counterpart on the right, would certainly agree with.
Yosef Israel Abramowitz, No. 3 on the Atid Echad (One Future) Knesset list and a resident of Boston, was here this week to campaign on Election Day. But his Ethiopian-Israeli political party, headed by Avraham Neguise, did not pass the voting threshold and he returned to the U.S. on Wednesday knowing that he would not be part of the 17th Knesset. "It was one of the greatest honors of my life to participate in this election and Avraham [Neguise] is looking at the big picture," he said.
A number of first-time Ethiopian-Israeli voters were confused about the voting regulations and were unable to cast their ballots as a result, Abramowitz said. But the party is already looking to regroup for the next elections when, by their estimate, an additional 40,000 Ethiopian voters will have joined the electoral rolls, including new immigrants and young Ethiopian-Israelis who are presently under the age of 18.
In other political parties, Anglo Knesset hopefuls were also unsuccessful. U.S.-born Baruch Marzel, head of the extreme-right Jewish National Front, failed to get past the voter threshold, while honorary Anglo Zvia Greenfield, who lived for several years in the U.S., was No. 6 for Meretz, which won just five seats. Shinui's Danilowitz was disappointed both by his party's poor showing and by the low voter turnout. "Voter apathy reflects poorly on us and our country," he said.
Meanwhile, despite their lack of success this time around, Anglo politics' two rising stars, Spigelman and Bank, insist that there will be Anglo representation in the 18th Knesset. "It will be me," each one said - separately - this week.
Source: Daphna Berman. Anglo candidates shut out of 17th Knesset. Haartez.com (5 April 2006) [FullText]
Not a single native English-speaking politician was voted into the 17th Knesset in the elections on Tuesday, causing frustration and dissatisfaction - but not surprise.
"Of course I'm disappointed," said a tired Uri Bank, the U.S.-born candidate who was No. 16 on the National Union-National Religious Party list. "Unfortunately, the Anglo constituency is again left out and they don't have a voice in the Knesset."
Anglos were represented in a number of parties, including the joint NU-NRP ticket, Labor, Shinui and Atid Echad (One Future), among others. None, however, was in a realistic slot. Australian-born Guy Spigelman was No. 45 on the Labor list, while South-African born Jonathan Danilowitz was No. 7 in the Shinui party, which failed to cross the threshold and will not be represented in the new Knesset.
But some political activists say that the upcoming Anglo-free Knesset is not necessarily a sign of failure - simply because so few English-speaking immigrants dare to venture into the world of Israeli politics. "For every 100 Russian immigrants who try to get into the Knesset, maybe five are successful. And for every 100 Ethiopian immigrants who try, maybe one is successful," said Eli Kazhdan, a former candidate for Yisrael B'Aliyah.
"But there haven't been 100 Anglo immigrants who have even tried. The unfortunate reality is that time and time again, some of the most active and Zionist immigrants [from English-speaking countries] leave their political activism at Ben-Gurion airport. The number of Anglos getting involved is still too low for this to be considered a failure," he asserted.
For Uri Bank, this year's unsuccessful Knesset run was his second, and although he realized that his slot was not entirely realistic, the former Chicago resident said the results - which gave the joint NU-NRP ticket just nine seats - were "devastating." He insisted, however, that his personal disappointment was secondary to the blow Israeli voters delivered to the right-wing bloc.
"I intend to stay an ideological fighter for the Land of Israel, the people of Israel and the Torah of Israel," Bank, said of his post-election plans. "The fact that the majority of people in Israel don't think that we are right - in both senses of the word - doesn't mean that we are wrong."
Bank, who campaigned hard in Anglo population centers, said he will be getting a head start this time around, to ensure a large English-speaking presence in the Moledet party, of which he chairs the executive board. He was also one of the younger people on the joint list, so he knows he has time to solidify a political support base. "If Anglos become card-carrying members of Moledet four years before the next election, my quest for a higher spot on the list will be justified," he said.
Labor activist Guy Spigelman was No. 45 on the his party's list, although in the Labor primaries, he came in a close second for the slot reserved for young people, which at No. 27, would not have gained him admittance into the Knesset anyway. Spigelman is editor of Revival, the party's English-language news magazine and he has been active in Labor's educational platform, where he has been pushing a government student loan program similar to the one used in Australia. He was also an active campaigner in the party's bid to attract more English speakers.
"I wasn't surprised," he said of the Anglo absence in the upcoming Knesset. "But Anglo participation was more active this year than in the last election and it's a building process. Each election there will be more and more Anglos involved and eventually, we'll push through and have representation."
According to Spigelman, the English-speaking community has to "learn to organize better and recruit party members more efficiently" so that they can create a stronger grass-roots presence within individual political parties - something that Bank, his ideological counterpart on the right, would certainly agree with.
Yosef Israel Abramowitz, No. 3 on the Atid Echad (One Future) Knesset list and a resident of Boston, was here this week to campaign on Election Day. But his Ethiopian-Israeli political party, headed by Avraham Neguise, did not pass the voting threshold and he returned to the U.S. on Wednesday knowing that he would not be part of the 17th Knesset. "It was one of the greatest honors of my life to participate in this election and Avraham [Neguise] is looking at the big picture," he said.
A number of first-time Ethiopian-Israeli voters were confused about the voting regulations and were unable to cast their ballots as a result, Abramowitz said. But the party is already looking to regroup for the next elections when, by their estimate, an additional 40,000 Ethiopian voters will have joined the electoral rolls, including new immigrants and young Ethiopian-Israelis who are presently under the age of 18.
In other political parties, Anglo Knesset hopefuls were also unsuccessful. U.S.-born Baruch Marzel, head of the extreme-right Jewish National Front, failed to get past the voter threshold, while honorary Anglo Zvia Greenfield, who lived for several years in the U.S., was No. 6 for Meretz, which won just five seats. Shinui's Danilowitz was disappointed both by his party's poor showing and by the low voter turnout. "Voter apathy reflects poorly on us and our country," he said.
Meanwhile, despite their lack of success this time around, Anglo politics' two rising stars, Spigelman and Bank, insist that there will be Anglo representation in the 18th Knesset. "It will be me," each one said - separately - this week.
Source: Daphna Berman. Anglo candidates shut out of 17th Knesset. Haartez.com (5 April 2006) [FullText]
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