Articles by Avital Leibovich

I read Thomas Friedman’s New York Times column, “The Israel We Knew Is Gone,” once, twice and a third time, repeatedly pinching myself for a reality check. In his piece, Mr. Friedman described the incoming Israeli coalition government as “the far-far-Right coalition.” It is a coalition, he argues, that threatens minority rights, regional stability, and even the very underpinning of Israeli democracy.
From one of America’s leading columnists, who has lived in Israel and visited numerous times over four decades, a myopic end-of-days view was presented in his widely read piece.

A few years ago, when our children were born, we made a decision about how to live in Israel as a state where reality demands acquaintance between Arabs and Jews, understanding and mutual respect. We’ve decided: our children will live as loyal citizens, who belong to the land, the country, the state and the flag.

In recent days, as we saw the terrible pictures of the tragedy in Mt. Meron, we heard a lot about “Bnei Chul,” Diaspora Jews who came to Israel to study in yeshivas and perished in the disaster. Each and every one of them opens a window for us, the Israelis, to the Jewish communities around the world.

In Israel—an internationally recognized hub for medical research—more than 70 companies, labs, academic centers and scientific institutes are working tirelessly to find a vaccine, as well as develop methods to track the spread of COVID-19. At the very early stages of the pandemic, Israeli doctors reached out to Palestinian health-care workers, offering to share their expertise and provide assistance, and the Palestinians accepted the help.

Ending Israel’s prolonged political stalemate by creating an emergency national unity government is potentially one positive outcome of the battle against the deadly Coronavirus. With prodding from President Reuven Rivlin, and the prospect of a fourth election looming, Blue and White party head Benny Gantz and Likud chair Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to launch direct talks several weeks after the March 2 elections.

This deep sense of Israeli solidarity is heavily integrated into the current crisis as well as other life-threatening scenarios. It is who we are as people. It is based on the values our country was founded upon. It is something we will always cherish and pass on to our children.

Unfortunately, we Israelis do not pay sufficient attention to the Jewish Diaspora. I wish to focus on the largest diaspora, American Jewry, which numbers some six million people.

After German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s latest visit to the Jewish state, AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich and AJC Berlin Ramer Institute Director Deidre Berger, answered key questions about the relationship between the German leader and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and what’s next for Germany-Israel ties.

But familiar as I am with media misrepresentation, recent coverage of the violent riots on the Gaza border has left me speechless.