Gary Cooperberg, March 16, 2006

I was born and raised in the United States of America. The concept of freedom and democracy was imbibed by me from the time I was a small child. I have always cherished the democratic right to vote and participate in shaping the destiny of my country. While all political systems have their failings, in the USA we feel that our representatives in government sincerely wish to fulfill the will of the people. If there is a pending decision which concerns us we can call our senators or congressmen and they will listen.

Because I understand and respect the glorious concept of government of the people by the people and for the people, I also understand why so many American Jews are so concerned about the upcoming elections in the Jewish State. What I try to explain to my brothers, both in Israel and abroad, is that the system of government in the Jewish State only pretends to be a democracy. The only democratic decision we make when we vote is to put a rubber stamp on the mockery that serves as democracy here.

Israel was established to be a Jewish State. It was meant to be a haven for Jews all over the world. Unfortunately the founding fathers of the reborn Jewish State feared world opinion more than G-d and developed a system of government which was designed to allow them to grovel before the nations of the world in their vain effort to become like all the other nations. Yitzchak Rabin once stated in the Knesset, "We are no longer a nation that stands alone". And Bibi Netanyahu wrote a book called "A place Among the Nations". Like it or not, it is our destiny to be a nation that stands alone, not to be reckoned among the nations of the world. We will never have a place among the nations. Our destiny is to be the head of all nations; an example for all the others to follow. But first we must accept our responsibilities as Jews.

I have been living in Israel for nearly a quarter of a century and I have watched carefully how every government has bent its principles to please "world opinion", even at the peril of the security of the nation. No honest observer can tell me that this country is secure because of her government. It is secure in spite of our government. It has survived and thrived in spite of our governments ever since, and even before, we became a state. While we all would like to believe that we control our own destiny, this is simply not the case. The fact is that our leadership consistently defies our destiny and often seeks to deny it altogether. Yet, in spite of both our enemies and our hapless leaders, we have consistently developed and thrived when, by logic, we should have perished even before we were reborn.

I have heard all the arguments as to why we must vote on March 28th. I am told that by not voting I will help Olmert win. Well I voted for Ariel Sharon because I was worried that Mitzna might win. Now it is clear that it would have been better had Mitzna won! If we succeed to block Olmert what will we get, Bibi? I am choosing not to vote, not because I am apathetic or have lost hope in our future. I am choosing not to vote because I realize that not only is voting in this country an exercise in futility, but my vote is a personal endorsement of a fraudulent system which works against Judaism and the good of the nation. When I vote I choose to accept and endorse the right of the ruling clique to rule according to its capricious will, with absolutely no limits. I consider such an act to be irresponsible. I may not be able to change the system, but I certainly will not endorse it.

It is my belief that the Living G-d of Israel has the final say in what happens here. Those who suggest that Olmert has the power to destroy Israel are, in fact, saying that they don’t believe in G-d! No power on Earth can destroy Israel. Yes, we can and do suffer needless tragedy due to our failure to act as good Jews. But participating in a corrupt system as if it were something holy, when it is the exact antithesis of holiness, is to be party to the continuation of an aberration of democracy, Judaism and justice. This I will no longer do.

There is only one way for a Jew to act. He must search deeply within himself and seek ways in which he can try to please his Creator. Aside from praying and observing the Sabbath and dietary laws, he must find ways to demonstrate his faith in G-d. For the Jew living outside of Israel the best way to demonstrate his faith is to make plans to come home now. And for the Jew living in Israel, by deliberately boycotting the fraud called "democracy" in spite of what seems to be a real threat to our very survival, we are showing our G-d that we believe in Him more than in Israeli democracy. Redemption will not come from our Knesset nor our Supreme Court. It will come from simple Jews who truly love our G-d, and are prepared to express that love by self sacrifice.

Gary Cooperberg, a resident of the Jewish community in Hebron, Israel, is the founder and director of Project Shofar.

Copyright © 2006 Gary Cooperberg