Dov Lipman: I am standing for Knesset!

(I know this is long but I ask you to take just a few minutes to please read this and respond - Dov)

Dear Friends,

 

I wanted to inform you about a recent exciting development in my life and ask for your help  - help for me personally but, even more importantly, for am yisrael.

 

For the last few years I have had a growing feeling that Israel is headed in a disastrous path. We have been so consumed by our enemies all around us that we have let ourselves decay from within.  The secular are becoming even more secular with almost no Jewish education.  This, of course, hurts who we are spiritually as a nation and as a country.  The more religious aren't training their sons for professions which is creating an economic crisis for the country and also cuts them off from the rest of the country.  Both extremes lead to frictions and tensions between populations and generate lack of unity.  That lack of unity will only increase in the coming years as over 300,000 Russian immigrants who are not halachically Jews marry Israelis and we have a mess on our hands regarding who is and who isn't a Jew.  Every Torah source that I know of which speaks about out success as a people and working towards redemption state clearly that our success will come from Above when we are unified and acting with core Jewish values.  As much as I knew this to be the case, there was little that I could do about it other than trying to work for unity and ahavat yisrael here in Bet Shemesh.

In recent months I have become close to MK Haim Amsalem.  He is a truly remarkable person - intelligent, articulate, educated, and full of love for all Jews and positive energy.  MK Amsalem was thrown out of Shas for saying that yeshiva boys should go to college and make a living (while providing a select, elite few with a very comfortable stipend to enable them to develop into our gedolim) and for his opinion that leniencies exist within the framework of halacha to help the over 300,000 Russian immigrants who have Jewish fathers or grandfathers and are not being allowed to convert - especially for those serving in the IDF.  

MK Amsalem has started a new party called Am Shalem which will focus on fixing the problems within our country including the ones enumerated above as well as working towards reinserting Torah content, tziyonut, and Jewish values in the public schools.  Please see the attached document to see the basic party doctrine.   In short, MK Amsalem and his party represent everything I have a passion to work for in our country.  The most current poll done by the very professional and reliable Maagar Mochot polling firm indicates the party winning 5 seats in the next elections with a window of up to 13 seats.   MK Amsalem has been all over Israeli television and radio on almost a daily basis and his message and that of the party is resonating with people from a wide range of populations and backgrounds.  

 

MK Amsalem has seen the work I have done to work for unity (including interviews on Israeli television) and we have discussed our similar ideologies in person.  He has asked me establish and lead "Anglos for Am Shalem" and bring as many Anglos into the party as possible.  I accepted to do this because I believe so passionately in the party's mission.  Regarding security issues, the party is similar in nature to the general right wing camp of Likud, but it will actually work to try to correct the non-security related problems which we suffer from within as a country and a people  - something which parties such as Likud and Ichud Leumi are not doing.  This could then actually impact our success against our enemies from without. 

 

Now for the part which impacts me personally.  In Israeli politics, especially on the national level, people rarely reach nomination for candidacy for office based on their credentials and abilities.  It is largely based on "power" which means numbers of people a person brings into the party.  If someone brings thousands of people into a party, they are given a high slot on the party list for the elections.  MK Amsalem has offered to give me a high slot on the Am Shalem list in the Knesset if I succeed in bringing large numbers of Anglos into the party.  Once in the Knesset, I would certainly work towards the goals of the party - especially unity and Jewish education which is my field of expertise.  However, I would go beyond that and work towards increasing Anglo aliyah and helping Anglo immigrants with their absorption.  I would also work towards improving the general situation for the country's youth including working towards creating a network of summer camps as exist in North America and I would also try to play a large part in "hasbara" - explaining Israel's positions to the international community.  Let's also remember that there are currently no Anglo Knesset members in the Knesset and none of us feel like we have any personal representation in the government.  I would make that my mission b'ezrat Hashem.

 

So, how can you help?  A few ways:

 

1)If you agree with the party's ideals, I ask you to please join and to have every member of your family who is 18 and above to join.  It takes just 1 minute to join by completing a form and you can do so even if you are a member of another party.  Joining the party is not a commitment to vote for the party, although you will be hearing from me as we get closer to elections about why I think you should vote for Am Shalem. 

 

Even if there is no chance that you will vote for Am Shalem, signing up still helps me try to make this improbable climb to the Knesset and I ask you to help me take this step.  Please think of the incredible amount of good that I could do for all Anglo olim as well as for all am yisrael as an MK. You do not have to pay any money to join although donations to the party would certainly help and even a token donation of 20 NIS for joining would be appreciated.  Again, this is not required. 

 

I have the forms at my home - 12/2 Maapilei Egoz apt. 2 at the corner of Reuven and Maapilei Egoz.  If you can come to sign up tomorrow morning (Friday) or Motzei Shabbat that would be very helpful.  Like I said, it takes 1 minute to do so.  Please let me know if you will be signing up and how many in your home will be doing so.  If you cannot come to my home at those times I will arrange a time to come to your home to do so but would appreciate it if you made it a bit easier and actually come by.    

 

2)If you are really excited about the party and this news then I ask you to consider taking a more active role in the party which for now would include trying to get others to sign up but could then evolve into more should you be interested in doing so.  Please let me know if you would like to be involved in the movement on a leadership level.  

 

3)I am looking for party representatives in Anglo neighborhoods - Rechovot, Chashmonaim, Raanana, Maaleh Adumim, Modiin, Efrat, Yerushalayim, and others.  If you have friends or relatives in these areas who you think would connect to its message and would want to be involved and help then please let me know.

 

These past few years, working on city matters and trying to make things better for all of us have been very rewarding and I look forward to continuing that effort.  I never thought for a moment that I was doing anything other than trying to help locally and now all of a sudden this new door has opened where I can try to do so on a national level.  I really ask you and your families for your help to make this happen.  Like I said before, in Israel it is not a matter of credentials but of numbers and I need your help to reach high numbers.

 

Please let me know if you have follow up questions and I look forward to hearing back from all of you.

 

Thank you for your time in reading this and be well, Dov