The Israeli election must be held by October 27, latest, and Dr. Einat Wilf, former MK and prominent public presence (not sure what to call her - politician? Advocate? Public intellectual? All of the above?) is emerging as a strong voice in the mix of candidates vying for Israeli votes. Her newly constituted party - Oz - advocates a return to the fundamental principles of political Zionism, or, as she puts it - “from exilic mindset to sovereign conduct.” Einat was raised in a very progressive, left-leaning environment. I would not suggest for a moment that she has veered rightward. I happen to find the “right-left” paradigm obsolete these days but especially so when it comes to Israel. Those often tagged as being “right” are anything but. They have morphed into extremists of different types. What we have in Israel today is a large left/centrist/center right majority that is looking for a way to ensure that the extremist coalition that we have lived with for four years is not re-elected. Einat Wilf and the Oz party are solidly in that majority mix. We talk about her party’s fierce dedication to the founding principles of the state of Israel; a pluralistic, liberal democracy. And she makes no apologies for standing firm.
As I mention in the podcast introduction, I first met Einat Wilf when I began my tenure as Canadian Ambassador to Israel in winter, 2014. She has continued to embody the best of Israel. Proud. Strong. Knowledgeable and courageous. We need people with Einat’s integrity and intelligence in the mix in the Knesset…….and, frankly, we need women in positions of leadership in Israel. In the last decade we have slipped terribly in that regard. Not only is the political sphere male-dominated, but they tend to be repressively so - towards women. That’s my view. Do not attribute it to Einat - although I expect she would agree.
We begin this podcast with the horrifying attacks recently on US Congressional candidate Scott Wiener. Why? Because the harassment of him is exactly what Oz is all about. Reclaiming our dignity and nationhood.
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Podcast Notes
Link to five minute animation video recently released by Einat Wilf explaining the history and political concept of Zionism.
Website for Einat Wilf’s Oz Party - in English (also Hebrew, if you prefer - just toggle in the menu at the top of the page. https://www.ozparty.co.il/en
Dr. Einat Wilf is Chair of Oz Party and a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company. Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. She was the Goldman Visiting Professor at Georgetown University. Dr. Wilf is the author of seven books that explore key issues in Israeli society. “We Should All Be Zionists”, published in 2022, brings together her essays from the past four years on Israel, Zionism and the path to peace; the co-authored “The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace”, was published in 2020.
