The Blogs: The soul of the nation: What Israel’s election is really about | Seth Farber

Rabbi Seth Farber argues that Israel's election is a referendum on the nation's Jewish and democratic identity, centered on responsibility and accountability. He connects the ultra-Orthodox draft debate, the stalled October 7 commission of inquiry, West Bank violence, and Iran strategy as facets of a single moral question about the state's character.

Rabbi Seth Farber argues that Israel's upcoming election is not a routine policy debate but a fundamental confrontation over the country's Jewish and democratic identity. He frames the vote as a referendum on two core concepts: responsibility and accountability. Farber connects several fault lines in Israeli society — the ultra-Orthodox draft debate, the stalled October 7 commission of inquiry, violence in the West Bank, and strategic decisions regarding Iran — as all stemming from the same moral question about what kind of state Israel is building. He calls for an inclusive draft that does not dismantle Torah institutions, a national commission of inquiry that addresses public skepticism, and law enforcement against extremist violence in the West Bank while acknowledging Palestinian provocation. The piece concludes that democracy is the practical structure for Jewish values and urges voters to choose a government defined by accountability and responsibility.