In a recent guest appearance on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Primetime show well-known political commentator Victor Davis Hanson spoke about all the revolutionary societal changes that are taking place so quickly.
He said: “We need some brave politician to stand up and say, ‘I don’t care what you do to me, I don’t care about my career, this is going to stop now! We’re going to bring back an orderly and humane society...’ Somebody like that. I think there are people on the political horizon who could rise to the occasion.”
Of course, Hanson was speaking about all of the United States’s vast problems, but his call for a political figure to put aside his own personal well-being, career advancement, and aspirations, is one which can be applied to almost any nation and certainly here in Israel at this moment in time.
With a front-row seat to the progression of despair and fear among Israeli citizens who view this government coalition on a path to rigidity, to the disenfranchisement of weaker elements, and as a monopoly on power and the hijacking of rights through the enactment of new one-sided laws, we are hoping for one, selfless person to stand up and shout, “Enough!”
Enough of the madness, enough of the power grab, and enough of the coercion to force us into conforming to a way of life we don’t want.
Is there such a brave individual, who although part of the coalition, knows in their heart of hearts that what is being done is very much to the detriment of Israel?
And if that person knows this and is also following the reactions of the doctors, threatening to leave en masse along with others who can no longer see a good future here, is he or she not deeply concerned about what that will mean for our society?
Does this person not comprehend the fallout in terms of our financial outlook, and can she or he not acknowledge that it is a direct result of unwanted reforms? Has he or she forgotten that we were the envy of many, as we once possessed a vibrant and robust economy that enticed investors to support us with confidence and assurance?
Until recently, Israel stood to rise to a pinnacle of achievement on every front – medically, technologically, financially, industrially, and in just about every other way one could imagine. The words, “God shed His grace on thee,” from the song, “America, the Beautiful,” could have easily been written for Israel, because by all indications, He also shed His grace on the Promised Land.
Which other nation, within the span of 75 years, has accomplished all that has been achieved here?
Greatness in the face of adversity
We are a country which, despite being under the constant threat of war and annihilation, has nonetheless established the greatest learning institutions, an amazing health care system boasting 354 hospitals (172 which are public and another 182 which are private) all with the most cutting-edge treatments available worldwide, as well as the most skilled physicians.
We have been labeled the “Start-up Nation” as a result of the innovative minds of our citizens who have invented such daily necessities as the Waze navigational system which vastly improves the lives of millions.
Not only that, but we are a small country with a gigantic heart, ready to help those in need during their time of distress and hardship, even if they are our enemies.
Let us not forget that we have been able to develop the world’s most sophisticated and moral military apparatus, dedicated to protecting our citizens in a way that minimizes collateral damage by surgically operating in ways that are not always advantageous to us – but which places the welfare of other populations as a top consideration.
There is no end to the good which we have sought to bring about, not only for ourselves, but good which we can share with the rest of the world, and we have done so, in principle, because few restrictions were placed on our society, allowing us to reach for the stars.
Are these things not worth fighting for, to the extent that someone with a bit of power, influence, and clout would be willing to sacrifice her or his own comfort and reputation? Would he or she not end up garnering the support of the many who would recognize the tremendous risk they would be taking in doing the right thing and speaking out? Such a person would go down in history as an admired and beloved figure.
I’m reminded of the story, recorded in Genesis 18, of our patriarch Abraham who entreated God, asking him, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Although starting out his negotiations, with God, to spare Sodom and Gomorrah, for the sake of 50 righteous people, he pares it down to 10, believing that there must be, at least, 10 righteous individuals for whom God would relent to destroy these cities. Most of us know the outcome of the story: 10 righteous men were not found, and the two cities were ultimately destroyed.
Here we are today, asking an identical question. Are there not 10 righteous people, in this present government, who, together, can see the impending destruction, ban as one cohesive group, and save our country from the abyss to where it is headed?
Will they not follow their conscience and God-given intuition, as they see the handwriting on the wall, loudly warning us to go back and return to the type of society which birthed all of our successes?
How about five such individuals? Perhaps three? Most of us would, at this point, settle for even one who would put all else aside for the good of our beloved Israel – the Jewish homeland upon whom God shed His grace!
It’s not too late for someone to be that political hero and save the day. But short of such a brave soul coming forward, we look, with hope, to the Almighty to have mercy on us and save us from ourselves.
The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.