Archived Update: 07 April 2008

It was almost exactly a year ago that I wrote the entry, "How Difficult Can It Be?" describing some of the complications involved in forming an amutah dedicated to our goals of individual accountability and public service among our leaders and representatives. Well, I guess a year of pushing is about how difficult it can be.

This morning, I called the registrar of NPOs (non-profit organizations) to check on our application. I was pleased to hear that our certification as been approved and the certificate was mailed out this morning. The clock is now ticking. Time to realize our organizational plan, fine-tune our marketing strategy, and raise funds.

"Shelanu, Me'Itanu, Avureinu" has been established as a non-profit cultural movement whose goals include empowering the citizens of Israel to expect individual accountability and public service from their leaders and representatives. In a society that cherishes democracy, individual accountability and public service are meaningful only if citizens themselves respect these values. That means Israel's citizens must be educated, organized, and mobilized. That means people like you and me can't wait and hope someone else will do the pushing.

In the coming weeks, we'll be formalizing our spending projections, setting up a bank account, and looking into various channels of funding. At the same time, we'll be stepping up efforts to spread our message throughout our extended social networks. Time to tell your friends and family; urge them to join this mailing list. While we raise funds, we'll be recruiting volunteers. We could certainly use your active involvement

We, the citizens of Israel, are under siege, both from outside and from within. Our system of empowerment shows little respect for the democratic values that are supposed to legitimize it. Citizens' referenda are called "undemocratic" by the political elite. Certain high court judges proclaim that unless they have carte blanche to choose their own peers and successors and "legislate from the bench," then "democracy suffers." Political scandals are epidemic. All the while, Israelis still can't answer the question, "Whose job is it to represent YOU in your government?" The need to proclaim, "Democracy Of the People, By the People, For the People," has never been more dire.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy and Kosher Pesach,
Michael Jaffe
Director, Shelanu
jmichaeljaffe@directrepisrael.org
Blog: http://directrepisrael.blogspot.com