SA Jews in Israel vote against apathy

TALI FEINBERG

Paul Mirbach, who is 60 years old and made aliyah in the 1980s, says that he is as determined as ever to vote in this election.

“I see it as the last opportunity to save Israel from abandoning democracy as its defining character, from normalising endemic corruption and institutionalising our oppression of the Palestinians through unilateral annexation. This would mutate my dream of Zionism into something monstrous and morally unacceptable. This is the last opportunity we have to repudiate [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, his corruption, and his autocratic tendencies,” he says.

Glenda and Abel Levitt, who are in their 80s and made aliyah in 1979, say they are not fed up with voting. Rather, they feel “despair at the consistent disregard of so many Israelis by our prime minister’s manipulation into staying in power with extremist right-wing parties”.

“We aren’t excited to vote once more, but we are deeply concerned and determined to exercise our democratic right in the hope that enough people come to the voting booths and aren’t apathetic. Apathy about voting and making a change are our greatest dangers.” They say they haven’t changed their vote since September.

“When we made aliyah in 1979, we supported the elected labour government. We experienced a brief time of optimism and hope until Rabin was assassinated. Our dream is to return to the quality of life of those days. To be going into an election where the sitting prime minister has been indicted on multiple charges is deeply disturbing. We do believe that there are enough Israelis who can tip the balance and enable the formation of a coalition which will recognise equality for all citizens of Israel and not be manipulated and intimidated by extremists.”

Brandon Treger, who is 49 years old and made aliyah in 2016, says he will vote to the right of Likud. “It’s great to vote here – you feel part of the process,” he says. As a South African, he has a deep appreciation for the way Israel is run, and sees Bibi [Benjamin Netanyahu] as a “phenomenal manager of the country”. To him, “the schooling is fantastic, the healthcare system is excellent, we get amazing benefits, there is stable infrastructure, and the country is always developing. Things get fixed, the streets are clean.” He doesn’t want this to change, and thinks Israelis often get hung up on “petty” issues like corruption scandals or Bibi’s family’s expenditure, which is preventing them from voting on “the fundamentals” and a country that works.

Gadi Cohen, who is 38 years old and made aliyah 16 years ago, says he is neither fed up nor excited to vote this time round. “I say that with the knowledge that it’s likely the results will be similar to the last two elections and a fourth election is likely too – if a bit less likely than before. In spite of being pretty annoyed, I will cast my ballot out of a sense of huge national responsibility. I will once again be voting centre-left.

“My vote is a vote against corruption, against division and incitement, and against the assaults on Israel’s democratic foundation and justice system. It pains me that such a broad public is willing either consciously or unconsciously to ‘look the other way’ on the actions of their candidate so long as he is just that,” says Cohen. “The Israeli people and the Jewish nation at large deserves so much better. That’s why I’m adjusting my travel plans, for the third time in a row, to be back in Israel in time to vote,” he says.

Liat Hoffman, who grew up in Cape Town, is 33 years old and made aliyah from the United States in 2018. “The current deadlock could possibly continue for a very long time, so I wish that Israel’s democratic process had a mechanism to resolve this kind of situation,” she says. “I’ve heard that it’s difficult for social services here to approve changes in budget as there is no ruling coalition, and even though this hasn’t yet affected me, in the long term it could be detrimental to the country.”

Former Capetonian Amy Meshi, who is 36 years old and made aliyah from New Zealand in 2009, sees the continuous rounds of elections as “a bit of a farce”. She appreciates the day off, but feels it’s “quite depressing how people chop and change their vote”, which she thinks is the reason the country is at this stalemate. Particularly on the left, “parties are formed or break up all the time, which means there is never enough of a majority. Not enough people are voting strategically, and I think it’s causing all this chaos.”