New elites

[bemildred]

Asya Entov, the director of the project, prepared and delivered the first in a series of Russian-language lectures about Ze'ev Jabotinsky herself. It came as no surprise that she opened the series with the topic "10 pieces of evidence from Ze'ev Jabotinsky's writings that support the Jewish people's rights to and ownership of the Land of Israel." However, the lecture failed to address how Jabotinsky would have related to the Karnei Shomron settlement, in which Entov and other lecturers in the series live. Entov is certain she knows what his opinion would be, but the organizers promised the managing director of the Jabotinsky Institute, Yossi Ahimeir, who agreed to assist them, that they would "not engage in politics."

The small auditorium of the Jabotinsky Museum, located in Tel Aviv's Metzudat Ze'ev building, was packed during the first lecture, and the three that followed it. A few dozen Russian speakers, thirsty for knowledge, attended all the lectures. The older members of their crowd consider Jabotinsky their heritage; the younger members view themselves as those who will carry his torch forward. Some of the project's leaders, like Entov, are members of Moshe Feiglin's faction of the Likud Party. They point to the considerable resemblance between the head of the "Jewish Leadership" faction and Jabotinsky: glasses, a slender build, and also majesty.

"The Russians consider Feiglin to be Jabotinsky's successor," Entov asserted. "He speaks about Jewish identity without shame. He is proud to be a Jew, just as we were proud to be Jews in the Soviet Union. 'Jewish Leadership' grew from Jabotinsky. And they also really resemble one another in pictures. There is also another point of contact: Entov's family, like that of her colleague Dr. Igor Pechersky, is the embodiment of Jabotinsky's belief that "silence is filth." Entov is a provocative writer on almost any subject. Her husband, Vitaly Vovnoboy, was arrested on suspicion of establishing the web site that organized the obstruction of roads during protests against the disengagement from the Gaza Strip. Their son was expelled from an officers' training course when he announced in a discussion among members of his unit that he would refuse orders to evacuate settlements. Pechersky was nearly relieved of his post at the Weizmann Institute when he arrived at work wearing a yellow star to protest the disengagement. He was later arrested on charges that his protest activities against the disengagement endangered public safety.

In light of all those experiences, one can understand their lack of enthusiasm for Israeli democracy. Not surprisingly, the lecture next month will focus on Jabotinsky's view of democracy.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/985094.html