Municipal Elections in Israel Today - Will Dov Win?

by Charles Lenchner · 2008-11-11 11:53:00 UTC
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Dov KheninIf you read my previous post on this, you know I'm a big fan of Dov Khenin and his apolitical list for the Tel-Aviv City Council, "City for All." The polls show that most young people support him, but Hulda'i will probably win big. Still.... It's HUGE that an MK from Hadash would get so much support from Israel's first Hebrew city. Among the significant 'firsts' for this election: A coalition of progressive Jews from the entire city has run in partnership with Arabs from Jaffa, an often marginalized public.

My friend Chicky Arad wrote a letter supporting Dov. While I won't translate all of it, Chicky is definitely a celebrity who deserves to be quoted:

The principle is simple: Tel-Aviv-Jaffo has become a city for the wealthy, as part of a global phenomenon that can't be blamed entirely on [current mayor] Huldai. Just as Obama in the U.S. represents hope, Khenin and City for All are the force that can stop this tsunami, even if not all the way. If the poor young folks have to leave Tel-Aviv, for saner options, then it won't be Tel-Aviv anymore. If as a child from Beer-Sheba I were to stop dreaming of Tel Aviv, and other kids from Hadera, Afula and Akko couldn't see the city as a place where you show up and it all works out in the end, then it won't be Tel-Aviv anymore. Tel-Aviv exists because of the nutters who leave here cheaply, sit around all day over a bottle of pop at the cafe and dream and plot and fantasize. Or start a band, which of course will sound awful at first. Without them, it's a ghost town, with impassable highways and echoing malls that freeze one's blood. Cities change, and that's fine, but why not change for the better? Dear god, save me from having to go live in Petah Tikva....

That sums up the spirit driving this campaign, which will see more Jews voting for a Communist than at any time since the 1950s.

Charles Lenchner
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