NJ-born prof aims for seat in the Knesset
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New Jersey-born candidate Alon Tal heads his party’s efforts to advance religious pluralism in Israel.
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January 14, 2013
JERUSALEM — Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has had members from almost 50 countries around the world — some of which no longer exist.
But until now, only one was a New Jersey native: Newark-born Marcia Freedman, who served from 1974 to 1977 as a representative of the Civil Rights Movement that is now part of Meretz.
That could change in the Jan. 22 Israeli election, when New Brunswick-born environmentalist Alon Tal hopes to become not only the second New Jersey-born Knesset member, but also the first American-born MK since the late extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane, whom, ironically, Tal helped prosecute when he worked for the Israeli attorney general.
An environmental law professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and chair of Israel’s Green Movement, Tal is a Knesset candidate for the Tzipi Livni Party, the eponymous party formed by Israel’s former foreign minister.
Tal is the 13th candidate on the party’s list, which received 11 seats in a poll published last week by the Israeli news portal Walla. To help his party gain support, Tal has canvassed the country, taken bike rides to the Knesset with Livni and other candidates, and debated other American-born candidates from other parties.
“I think Tzipi Livni would make a much better prime minister” than Benjamin Netanyahu, Tal told NJJN between campaign stops. “She has gained experience, and polls show more than half of Israelis want her to be in charge of Israel’s foreign policy. She can lead Israel to an agreement with the Palestinians that can guarantee Israel’s future as a Jewish-democratic state.”
Tal was born Albert Rosenthal in 1960 at New Brunswick’s Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, back when it was known as Middlesex Hospital. His father worked at Squibb Pharmaceuticals, while his mother studied at Rutgers University.
While the family moved to North Carolina when Tal was a child, he maintained his connections with New Jersey, and many years later, two of his books were published by Rutgers University Press.
“I still have fond memories of growing up on Livingston Avenue,” Tal said.
Tal, who moved to Israel in 1980, earned a law degree from Hebrew University and a doctorate in environmental science and policy from Harvard. As one of Israel’s leading environmentalists, he founded the Israel Union for Environmental Defense and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at Kibbutz Ketura.
Three other parties are offering candidates who are former Americans: Atlanta-born Jeremy Gimpel is running in the religious-Zionist Bayit Yehudi; Boston-born Kahanist Baruch Marzel is a candidate in the new Strong Israel Party; and Rabbi Dov Lipman, a fervently Orthodox rabbi from Maryland, is a candidate on Yair Lapid’s new secularist Yesh Atid list, which shares his aversion to Orthodox coercion.
‘Dream of peace’
Each of the candidates has put an emphasis on representing American immigrants to Israel in the Knesset. Livni appointed Tal to head her party’s efforts to advance religious pluralism in Israel and its campaign among “Anglos.”
That has special meaning for Tal, who is a committed Masorti, or Conservative, Jew and the gabbai (sexton) of the Masorti Shalhevet Hamaccabim synagogue in Maccabim-Re’ut, between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. His 17-year-old daughter was recently harassed by police for wearing a tallit at the Western Wall.
“She got a sad lesson on how religion works in this country,” Tal said. “I am concerned about the extremism that has captured governmental institutions and delegitimized us.”
Tal said Livni shares his concerns. He said she describes herself as a Masorti Jew and her sons attended the Masorti movement’s Noam youth group.
If elected, Tal hopes to organize the first egalitarian minyan in the Knesset synagogue. He said he would give Livni the first aliya.
“I am thrilled to be in a party led by someone who understands that Jewish tradition can be manifested in more than just an Orthodox tradition and that there is room for all expressions of religious affiliation in our country,” Tal said of Livni. “She had the opportunity to become prime minister, but she refused to capitulate to ultra-Orthodox blackmail.”
When campaigning among American immigrants, he tells them that the U.S.-Israel relationship has gotten worse, due to Netanyahu’s perceived connection to the Republican Party and his problematic relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Tal is especially appreciative that Livni adopted his environmental agenda. He said the Netanyahu administration failed to fight pollution and make progress on other environmental causes.
“Livni has ‘green’ in her DNA,” Tal said. “There has never been a large party that cared about environmental issues.”
Despite declining poll numbers, Tal said he is convinced that he will become a Knesset member on Jan. 22. If he does, he promises to celebrate with a Knesset “hootenanny” starring his Arava Riders bluegrass band.
“Many people are still undecided,” Tal said. “I am an optimist, and so is Tzipi. I am not willing to give up on the dream of peace that we pray for. Israel’s diplomatic, social, and environmental problems can be solved. Israel just needs the kind of vision to get us beyond the present situation.”
Comments
Kenneth Ellman
January 15, 2013
January 14, 2013, from Kenneth Ellman, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Box 18, Newton, New Jersey 07860
I read your article about New Brunswick-born environmentalist Mr. Alon Tal
seeking a seat in the Knesset with great interest.
Particularly since your article states:
“... late extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane, whom, ironically, Tal helped prosecute when he worked for the Israeli attorney general.”
How sad, how truly sad is your portrayal of Kahane. How unfortunate is the politics of Alon Tal. Kahane, the author of many books and writings including “Listen World, Listen Jew”, Israel: Revolution or Referendum , On Jews and Judaism and much more is dismissed by you as an “extremist”. You seem to assert that Alon Tal apparently prosecuted his fellow Jew for simply advocating what cannot be disputed. Israel does not protect political speech as we do here in the United States. Israel follows more of a European and Canadian view of the limits of political speech. So Rabbi Kahane was legally assaulted in Israel for stating what is inevitable and indisputable even if the taste of his political speech left many who dream of a non existent paradise feeling sick. Rabbi Kahane confronted the reality that many run from. That reality is Israel only exists for the purpose of being a Jewish State. The reality is that you cannot have a Jewish State with a significant, let alone majority, non Jewish population. Of this there is no question . Kahane for this advocacy, that Israel must be kept at all costs as a land of Jewish heritage, faith and tradition, was ostracized and persecuted by those who dream of a world where men know no country. The French do not wish France to become Muslim, the British do not wish Great Britain to become Muslim and most of the world does not wish to destroy its historical, cultural and intellectual identity in favor of a repugnant oppressive political theology from the Koran. So we now have our fellow American Jew, Mr. Tal, running for the Knesset. Israel allows him to live as he wishes and observe his Jewish faith to the extent he wishes. And he has honorably served Israel defending the State. Unlike his apparent treatment of Rabbi Kahane, Tal may speak his views unhindered by any political abuse of his freely expressed ideas. He need not keep them to himself. But Rabbi Kahane who spoke of the inevitable destruction of Israel if it becomes significantly Non Jewish was denied the sacred right of all free men to speak his mind and run for Office/Reelection under his ideas. In the final event in 1990 Rabbi Kahane was assassinated in NYC by the Egyptian born American citizen, El Sayyid Nosair. Nosair upon being tried in the United States District Court for the Kahane murder along with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Unfortunately the revelation that Nosair was a Muslim soldier seeking to destroy the United States and his arrest, came too late to save Rabbi Kahane. The Kahane funeral was one of the largest in the history of Israel. In America a prosecution by Tal to curtail political speech would have been laughed out of a Courtroom. The beliefs of Rabbi Kahane that Israel must remain at all times a Jewish State cannot be disputed. That is why people like Tal must be denied a political role in Israel. You can be a Jew in Israel or anywhere else, and not observe Jewish law and religious faith. Judaism with very limited exceptions does not deny MOT to non observant Jews and the unity of the people is thus preserved. But when you deny the textural and historical beliefs and foundations of Judaism you damage the Jewish people. Kahane knew that fundamental reality. Tal does not. Kenneth Ellman, email:ke@kennethellman.com, Box 18, Newton, New Jersey 07860