A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Natan Sharansky

I'm about half way through The Case For Democracy, the book authored by Natan Sharansky (with Ron Dermer). I'll post my thoughts on the book's central argument after finishing it.

Sharansky speaks a heavily accented English, and Dermer did a great job assisting him in writing the book without diluting Sharansky's expression of his views and his many interesting personal anecdotes. It's actually a shame that Sharansky's proficiency in both Hebrew and English is somewhat limited, as he might otherwise be a viable candidate for Prime Minister

One aspect of the book is the reflection of Sharansky's deep desire to be seen as a centrist, somewhere between right-wing and left-wing on territorial issues, and between secular and religious on those matters.

The reality, of course, is that Sharansky is a right-winger, and while perhaps not fully religiously observant, his sympathies are much closer to the Orthodox than to the secular or Reform Jews. His fairly pro-religious stance on many issues while leading Yisroel B'Aliyah, whose constituents were overwhelmingly secular (and often non-Jewish) Russians is a prime example of Sharansky's views as well as of his personal integrity.

Having opposed Oslo, being among Ehud Barak's biggest critics following Barak's egregious concessions at Camp David and Taba, and currently opposing Prime Minister Sharon's plan to unilaterally withdraw from Gaza, Sharansky is clearly a right-winger. While in Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet, Sharansky did support Israel's agreement to withdraw from most of Hebron and to cede 13 percent of Judea and Samaria pursuant to the Wye Agreement. But he writes that his vote for the Hebron deal is the biggest regret of his career, and expresses bitterness at President Clinton's failure to keep promises made to Israel at Wye.

Unlike those on the far-right, Sharansky does support territorial compromise with a democratically elected peace partner, but in today's world, that does not make him a centrist. Instead of trying to put himself in middle of Israel's political map, he should explain to Israelis and the world why his pragmatic right-wing views (views, incidentally that I strongly share) are correct. That is where his Russian accented Hebrew and English are a significant liability.

Sharansky has been a disappointment to Reform Jews and to leftist and "human rights" groups, and he is clearly stung by the criticism he receives from them. Surely, that's where his desire to be seen as a moderate centrist comes from.

Three years ago, I attended a conference in Jerusalem organized by the Rabbinical Council of America. It was a star-studded event, with speeches by both Chief Rabbis along with the IDF's chief rabbi, as well as Effie Eitam, Sharansky, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and Rabbi Berel Wein, among others. Most, though not all, in attendance were observant.

About halfway through Wein's speech, suddenly the audience interrupted Wein to stand up and excitedly applaud. They were cheering because Sharansky had walked in, and Sharansky remains a beloved figure in religious Jewish circles.

Sharansky spoke next, and told the crowd that while he appreciates the applause, they would not like what he was about to say, and joked that they should have held their applause since they would probably boo when he left. That's what happened a few weeks earlier, he said, at a Reform event. Since his views are not consistent with either those of the Orthodox or the Reform, Sharansky said, both are disappointed in him.

After respectfully criticizing the Chief Rabbinate's approach to Russian immigrants to Israel who are non-Jews or of questionable Jewish status, Sharansky was treated to an enormous standing ovation when he finished his speech, with almost everyone spontaneously singing Am Yisroel Chai (the Jewish People Lives) - Shlomo Carlebach's anthem for the struggle for the freedom of Soviet Jewry. Sharansky was clearly moved, though on some level he probably would have preferred to be booed.
posted on 4/28/2005