One thing is absolutely certain: Natan's history needs no embellishment.
So I was really surprised to hear the JAFI Board Chair, who presented the Agency's Telling Our Story and included this:
"Sharansky: no greater fighter for justice and freedom, standing up to the Soviet Union, and as the head of The Jewish Agency creating the solution for egalitarian prayer for Jews at the Western Wall." (emphasis added)Oh, were it only so.
Sharansky's efforts to create that "egalitarian prayer space," appointed to do so by Prime Minister Netanyahu were heroic. All of us, especially those in Jewish Agency leadership, know that an historic agreement was reached among all of the parties -- religious leadership, Women of the Wall, and the PM -- only to see the Prime Minister renege, the agreement collapse and "the solution" disappear out of the fog of Israeli politics.
Are there those in JAFI leadership wo believe that the matter of egalitarian prayer space was somehow resolved? Was Michael Siegel's conclusion as expressed above based on some empirical evidence that I somehow missed? Or was this some form of wishful thinking? Yet, later in his presentation the Board Chair observed:
"Western Wall policies are (sic) an example of world Jewry needing a voice in Israel. While the Western Wall agreement wasn't a perfect solution, we're continuing to fight for better outcomes."Huh? As noted above there is no Western Wall agreement!! The Prime Minister of Israel, fighting for his Coalition, walked away from it as if it never existed at all. And our silence in response was deafening. (In fact, you will recall, when the "agreement" was reached JFNA and JAFI leaders were guilty of premature celebration and, thereafter, not just quiet condemnation but a public embrace of Mr. Netanyahu's lame excuses delivered to a GA that should haveexpressed active disbelief.)
No, Natan Sharansky's life needs no embellishment -- he will always be a light to the nations and a Hero of the Jewish People. Aren't those enough?
Rwexler
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Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
We all love our heroes, but it is important to keep their achievements and history in perspective.
Natan Sharansky has effectively done absolutely nothing to advance the rights of non-orthodox Jews in Israel.
Let me repeat, nothing.
Sharansky did not initiate the Kotel negotiation. His friend Bibi Netanyahu came and asked him to run a process to bring the various groups to a consensus and approval of Bibi’s plan for egalitarian prayer space. Natan did an admirable job of bringing that consensus.
When Bibi torpedoed the entire process due to coalition considerations, Natan’s anger was directed only to “why did you ask me to this, if in the end you would back down?” (and embarrass me). At no time did Sharansky criticize his friend the Prime Minister in public for having broken his promise. Hero? What hero?
Anatoly was a hero as a refusenik in the Former Soviet Union, as he made Aliya he adopted his Hebrew name Natan, and once he joined Israeli politics he became a sycophant of the Likud, with no backbone whatsoever. He was elected as the leader of a party, Yisrael b’Aliya, representing new Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. 300,000 of them are not halachicaly Jewish, neither they nor their offspring may marry in the State of Israel.
Before he was a Refusenik, he was the spokesman for Andrei Sakharov, an outspoken and world famous dissident and leader promoting civil rights in the Former Soviet Union.
What did the most famous refusenik and past spokesman for the most famous advocate for civil rights in the FSU do for 9 years as a member of the Knesset and serving 5 times as a Minister of the government including the Ministry of the Interior and as a Vice Prime Minister. Nichevo! Nothing, whatsoever, for civil or human rights.
He controlled the licenses required for marriage. Nothing. He sold out his Russian speaking constituents for a few kopeks of his own political advancement.
Some ask why. Some answer that Sharansky’s wife born Natalya, now called Avital, is fervently religious. Shalom Bayit does not allow for Sharansky to lobby for more liberal conversion to Judaism or even Civil Marriage.
A third of all Israelis now marry outside of the borders of the State of Israel. One had to expect that a world renowned champion of Human Rights would have stood up, even once to the most simple of Human Rights, that being the civil right to marry in one’s own country. Not.
Our Hero Nathan Sharansky, apparently left his heroism behind in Lefortovo Prison in Moscow.
Kol HaKavod to 4:30 am for sayiNg, even if anonymously, what needed to be said about Sharansky! Let me add that as Chair of JAFI, his accomplishments are close to zilch. JAFI DECLINED significantly during Sharanky's tenure and the NA federation leadership, AKA the large city execs, gave him a free pass! Shame on them!
Sharansky's central contribution to JAFI during his tenure as Chair of the Executive was significant growth in the area of Shlichut - both with Campus Israel Fellows to combat BDS, and with Shinshinim - young Shlichim on a year gap b/t high school and the IDF, serving in U.S. communities. Other than that . . . .
Live martyrs are sometimes poor candidates for sainthood.
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