As the October 27 election approaches, some opponents of the current government say, “If another government like this takes office, I’m leaving.” I understand the impulse. I reject the conclusion. Our Zionist forebears fought for this land and made the wilderness bloom, forgoing comfort to do so. Today, Zionism means fighting for Israel’s soul – even when the horizon looks bleak.
According to the Jewish People Policy Institute’s (JPPI) Israeli Society Index, 40% of Israelis believe the coming election will be the most important in the country’s history. Another 40% consider it especially important. That urgency is most acute on the left: 69% of left-wing voters and 59% of center-left voters call it Israel’s most consequential election ever.
Anyone listening around Shabbat tables, in offices or on WhatsApp knows the mood. Many Israelis see this election as their last chance to change the country’s course. They now say, with a seriousness unheard of just a few years ago, that if a similar government returns to power, they will leave Israel.
Most have built good lives here. Their ties run deep – through work, family, friends, community, military service and reserve duty. They have not turned against Israel. They love it – which is precisely why they fear losing it. They see the horizon darkening and fear that if a right-wing and ultra-Orthodox coalition stays in power, any hope of a better future will vanish. As a friend put it, “On the Titanic, even the luxury suites sank.”
I, too, believe Israel is heading in the wrong direction. On several fronts, government policy is steering us toward an iceberg. If we continue to fund the rapidly expanding Haredi ghetto without insisting on a full core curriculum, military service and workforce participation, we will struggle to sustain Israel – economically and militarily. If we continue acting in the West Bank as though the outside world did not exist – even as it views this government’s policies as an affront and grows more willing to impose sanctions – we put our ability to prosper, perhaps even survive, at risk. Israel already faces 93 sanctions from 53 countries, with more measures on the way. Many other challenges remain unaddressed.
Still, I am staying. I urge my friends to stop talking about leaving and declare instead: “We are here, and we will fight for our future.”
The Zionist enterprise was never easy. Its pioneers fought to gain a foothold in a harsh, impoverished land with an Arab majority. In its early decades, Israel fought to survive and secure its foundations. None of those generations saw a bright future ahead. They persevered anyway.
Now the fight is for Israel’s soul. Can it remain a Western, liberal state, committed to the rule of law and equal citizenship, while remaining a Jewish state? Such an Israel is vital to our economy, social resilience, ties with Diaspora Jewry and standing in the world.
The election will not settle this struggle in a day. Its outcome will be decided in the years that follow – in classrooms, the Knesset, our streets and public squares.
Zionism, to me, begins with a decision: to stay and refuse to give up – even when election results disappoint us, even when the government pursues a course we fiercely oppose.
To stay is to keep arguing, organizing, writing and persuading – patiently building a new majority and a better future. Those who leave take their power to change the country with them.
This takes strength, patience and perseverance. I do not make light of the exhaustion and frustration – sometimes bordering on despair. But fleeing this challenge means giving up on the Zionist dream. The day after the election, whatever the outcome, I will be here. I hope you will be, too.
Dr. Shuki Friedman is Director-General of JPPI – the Jewish People Policy Institute – and a senior lecturer in law at Peres Academic Center.
