Archived Update: 10 September 2006

Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of 9/11, a day of mourning for the entire free world and a day for rededication towards the cause of true democracy. It's a day to remember that freedom has never come without a price and that part of that price is the obligation to act when democratic values are threatened or undermined.

After a hiatus of several months, we are getting back on track towards organizing. We continue to ask you, our supporters, to do all you can to spread our message of personal accountability in government and real protections against abuses of government power. Personal connections and parlor meetings remain our best tools for now. And so, we are happy to announce a parlor meeting scheduled for next week.

Sunday, September 17 at 8:00 PM
At the home of Chani and Steven Tabak,
Hatirosh 8 (Aleph), Hashmonaim
Contact information:
phone: 08-9791442; cell: 052-6374602
email: stabakcpa@yahoo.com
Please spread the word to anyone you know who lives in that area.

Kudos to Anat Tcherikover on establishing her blog on regional elections. You can access the blog at
http://israblog.nana.co.il/blogread.asp?blog=207295
and everyone is invited to read and respond.

The OpEd editor of Haaretz has indicated that an opinion piece written by myself and Anat will appear in the paper's English and Hebrew editions sometime this week. Tentatively, the title of the piece is "Firing and Hiring," (though it might be different when it actually prints) and it links the national discontent over the Lebanese/Gaza conflict with the issue of electoral reform.

Some outcomes of our actions against Hezbollah/Hamas have resulted in disappointment and anger towards the Israeli government. While there is ample justification to blame the top echelons of the government, it is no less important to keep in mind that our system of government is not designed to reward excellence in public service. Acknowledging the tragic losses that war has had on the injured and the bereaved, we can only hope that more Israelis will see past the immediate situation and conclude that something in the foundations of our system is rotten.

Finally, we also find ourselves in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These are days of personal introspection, when we realize that our actions do affect others and do matter. Tikkun Olam starts at home.

For you, your families, and your loved ones - for all Beit Yisrael - may you have a healthy, happy, prosperous, and productive year. May we all attain the excellence of our potential.