Let the Games Begin
The antiquated election-campaign commercials, from which it’s impossible to escape, started airing this week. They ran the gamut from boring, to pretentious and stereotypical – to outright racist. The latter ad came from the new Shas, which Aryeh Deri promised would serve as a bridge between all parts of the nation under his leadership. The clip that offered a stereotyped, if not repulsive, depiction of a Russian bride stirred a furor and was removed. But Shas got what it wanted: People talked about it. Yisrael Beiteinu might also be able to glean a few voters whose honor was impugned by the same ad.
The most effective spots were those of Kadima and Habayit Hayehudi. The former portrayed Shaul Mofaz as a tragic figure. Voters were called on to save him from extinction, as though he were a rare species of panda. The other ad, by means of winks and nods, was aimed at the young generation which, as in previous elections, has no party that represents it, without actually saying anything about what, who and why.
Most of the recent polls have showed that the decline of Likud- Yisrael Beiteinu has halted, the enfeeblement of Labor has ended and the rise of Habayit Hayehudi has peaked. The inter-bloc balance remains intact, with a clear majority of support – equivalent to 66-68 seats – for Likud-right-ultra-Orthodox, with the remaining 52-54 seats going to center-left-Arabs.
Read the full story on Haaretz.com; use promo code Forward for 25% off your digital subscription
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30