Swords into ploughshares

Johannesburg is my home, and helping to fix and uplift it is my responsibility. As our local elections approach, I am committed to doing what I can for this city and our country. I am wholly South African, third generation on one side and fourth on the other. My concern and love for Israel doesn’t diminish that commitment. 

Yet when Israel went to the polls on 27 October, I longed to have a say in its future. I have no right to vote there; that belongs to its citizens. But having no vote doesn’t mean having no stake. What happens in Israel reaches Jewish communities around the world. 

It is vitally important to me and those around me that Israel elects a leader who will put the longevity of Israel and the Israeli nation first and foremost. It is vital that the leader is going to enhance the long fought-for democracy and will look for a path towards peace for Israel. 

There are many other vital issues, and I understand every Jewish person, and every Israeli, has his or her own perspectives on what those are and who might address them. But I believe that in our hearts, every Jewish person wishes for Israel to be able to live in peace. 

It is for good reason that twice in the Book of Prophets in the Tanach, Isaiah and Micah share the prophetic vision of “beating their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks”. Obviously, this can only happen in times of peace, when there are no longer enemy threats. That is a dream for all of us. The only time we can repurpose weapons is when our neighbours and their neighbours are our friends, or when – as we believe – Moshiach arrives. 

I’m sure I’m not the only South African Jew who has been sitting on shpilkes (nervous, anxious) over the outcome of Israel’s election. It is a pivotal election for all of us. 

Antisemitism often erases the political differences among Jews, treating support for Israel as automatic endorsement of Benjamin Netanyahu, Betzalel Smotrich, and Itamar Ben-Gvir. That is precisely the distinction we must insist on: concern for a country isn’t a blank cheque for its politicians. 

Haters would have the world believe that all Jews want Palestinians, and Israeli Arabs at that, dead. But this week, more than two million Arabs voted in Israel and their votes counted just as much as an Israeli Jew’s. In fact, their votes counted far more than they would in most Arab countries, which aren’t democracies. So much for apartheid Israel! I don’t need to tell you that during apartheid, black people weren’t allowed to vote. 

When I saw a picture of the actual ballot paper, I was interested to find that it was in Hebrew and Arabic, not English. Again, so much for apartheid Israel! 

You know, Israelis, and perhaps Jews, are different to other nations. When war hits, Israelis and Jews head to Israel to help. It’s a known fact. 

This week, around 67 000 Israelis flew home at a premium because ticket prices skyrocketed. Why? So they could “save their country”. Some of those Israelis may have been living in the diaspora for decades. But, in their hearts, once an Israeli always an Israeli. There was no question for them whether they would do the right thing, no matter the cost, and go home and vote. 

They may have left Israel because they believed they couldn’t live under the government of the day, but when it comes to the future of their homeland, they have no question about their priorities. While some countries ensure their citizens vote by allowing them to do so at embassies or special voting stations internationally, not Israel. Only diplomats, civil servants, and their families are allowed to vote in other countries. A mere 4 500 or so Israelis are eligible to vote outside Israel. 

Israelis are very divided right now. There are numerous issues that they are angry about and argue about, and dinners in Israeli homes can get quite heated because family members don’t necessarily agree with one another. The spectrum of political views is vast. However, when push comes to shove, they are united in wanting a part in the future of Israel. And they want a peaceful Israel. 

But right now peace is something that seems quite far away. The more pressing issues for most Israelis are security and the consequences of the 7 October infiltration, massacre, and subsequent war. Who should bear responsibility for the intelligence and security failures three years ago? 

There is another reason not to mistake election night for the end of the story. Israelis vote for party lists in a 120-seat Parliament, not directly for a prime minister. A majority is 61 seats, and coalition negotiations will determine who can assemble support to govern. The largest party and the next government aren’t necessarily the same thing. 

The next major question for Israelis is Bibi or not Bibi? In other words, this is a form of referendum over whether Netanyahu should or should not continue leading Israel. This is highly disputed. 

The economy and high cost of living are also up there with the most important issues in question. Then there is the matter of who serves in the Israel Defense Forces and who doesn’t? There is massive anger over religious exemptions, and this is a pivotal voting issue. Then, of course, there is the issue of the power of the Supreme Court, the government’s ability to reshape the judiciary, and the relationship between religion and state. 

Watching from the diaspora, we know that Israel’s election can affect how others treat Jews both inside and outside the country. Some of us may hope that a different result will soften hostility. But that cannot be our measure of the election’s success. Antisemitism is the responsibility of those who practise it, not something Israelis must vote correctly to prevent. 

The result may bring relief to some of us and disappointment to others. But the central hope cannot be that it will satisfy those determined to demonise Israel or Jews. It must be Israel’s long-term security, the protection of its democracy, and a future in which its people can live in peace. Here in Johannesburg, I remain committed to helping build the country I call home. Caring about Israel doesn’t release me from that responsibility; it reminds me why a country’s future matters. 

Shabbat Shalom! 

Peta Krost 

Editor