Dear Zehut International members,

Thank you!  Thank you for being part of this historic process. Thank you for electing me to the prime Zehut International slot in Zehut’s Knesset list. We are breathing a badly needed breath of fresh air into the Israeli political system, and we are already seeing positive changes.

Israel’s political landscape has been dominated by personality politics and failed ideologies (or lack of ideologies). Zehut is not about one personality or another. Zehut is about having a clear understanding of who the Jewish people are and what our purpose here is. It’s about having a clear vision for the future of Israel. It’s about having a clear plan, fully documented and articulated as to how to repair the affairs of Israeli society. The plan includes how to reduce and remove government’s toxic and insidious involvement in too many aspects of our private lives. The plan includes clear, logical, achievable ways to reduce the cost of living in Israel, to reduce the price of housing, to boost the economy, to improve education, health care and to safeguard our land, our people and our future.

The Zehut platform is comprehensive and ambitious. It is comprehensive in that it believes that with proper leadership there are a tremendous number of policy initiatives that we can undertake. It is ambitious in that it seeks and requires nothing less than leadership of the State of Israel.

Now the hard work begins. That of bringing our message to the Israeli electorate. Many voters are both politically cynical and creatures of habit. They cannot imagine a new party making significant gains on their first election. They will tell you without a shadow of a doubt that there is no chance of Zehut passing the electoral threshold. They are simply wrong, short-sighted and unimaginative. There are some people who it’s just not worth talking to. They are often the first to complain about any given situation, but ultimately the last to do anything to help.

However, there is an entire country of Israelis that are seeking a new solution. They are thirsty for clear leadership, vision and direction. We need to show them we have within Zehut that leadership, that vision, that direction. Our job, the job of Zehut International members did not end with the primaries yesterday. Our job is just beginning.

Our job is to engage with every Israeli voter we can, even if you don’t currently live in Israel. Our job is to a shine a light on the mess that is the Israeli political situation and state loud and clear: “We can fix this!” We know how, we have a roadmap and we have the people.

I beg every one of us to become familiar with our platform. It is not something that can be easily reduced to slogans or pithy statements. There is depth, there is intelligence, there is nuance. Our political challenges will not be overcome by soundbites. They will be overcome by educating the public as to the solutions to the myriad issues we are facing.

Zehut, fixing Israel, realizing what Jewish identity means in a Jewish state, defining what we seek from a Jewish state, should be part of our daily discussions and dialogue.

I am humbled by the collective trust you have given me as your Zehut International representative. I thank you again for this trust, I take the task and mission seriously and I hope I will live up to your expectations.

As always, I am available for all discussions and inquiries on this important subject.

Sincerely,

Ben-Tzion Spitz