Manhigut Yehudit in the News

25 Tishrei 5773 (Oct. 11, '12)

The Moshe Feiglin You Never Knew

By Tomer Koren

This interview appeared in Hebrew in the Ma'ariv newspaper and NRG website

"From the time that we had a family, we have made it a point to vacation only in Israel. This summer, though, I felt that we had to detach ourselves for a while from what is happening both in our national home and our private home. A dark cloud is currently hovering over them both. So we flew to my wife's family in the US and toured the country for over a month. It was amazing."

"Suddenly, after 50 years of devoting most of my time to public activism, I finally understood. I realized how important it is to have quality time with the family and to create positive family experiences. This month brought me to the deep realization that I am not here forever. I do not know what tomorrow brings and when I will be called to the Heavenly throne, but when that day comes I want to be able to whole-heartedly say to myself that I lived a full life."

These opening sentences, that sound more like a New Age awakening speech, have come out of the mouth of one of the more famous icons of the Right: Moshe Feiglin, who in the last years has peeled away his extremist image to reveal a softer, more liberal and most importantly, more sensitive man.

Feiglin may not admit this, but this softening is the result of personal pain (his son David's accident and his wife Tzippy's Parkinson's disease) and not the result of a more sober view of the political reality. His political doctrine is still clear and crisp (" Abu Mazen is the enemy, the Palestinians want to drive us into the sea") but his tolerance toward all those who represent the opposite of what his principles dictate: seculars, leftists, homosexuals – has never been greater.

The Feiglin family looks like a microcosm of Israeli society. It is the fruit of the two marriages of Feiglin's father. Moshe has two secular sisters who live in Israel's center, one Religious Zionist sister and one ultra-Orthodox sister who live in Jerusalem.

"With a family like that, how can I possibly come out normal?" Feiglin laughs, exposing all his teeth. "It's not a family. It is a crossword puzzle."

You are a religious settler who believes in our rights to the entire Land of Israel. How do your secular relatives accept you?

"Just fine. Where there is love and good will, it is easy to bridge all differences. They come over for meals and we talk about everything in good humor."

Also politics?

"Not that." Once we talked politics and I tried to infect them with my enthusiasm. Over time, I understood that that was a mistake because it causes unnecessary arguments that take away from quality time."

One of his famous relatives is Ayah Zehavi Feiglin, the soloist for the "All the Macho Guys Are With Me" band, who also starred in "A Star is Born." When I ask him what he thinks about his cousin, who became famous for her out of the ordinary appearance, he responds with an embarrassed smile that reveals more than just a pinch of disagreement.

"I like her very much on a personal level. After all, she is my cousin. She is also very famous today. She is so famous that we sometimes joke about who comes out first on Google if you search for "Feiglin." But her music is a different story."

You don't connect to it?

"She has one song that I like very much, but in truth, because of my background, it is difficult for me to connect to her wavelength."

So you didn't vote for her when she appeared on A Star is Born?

"I don't have a television at home, and even if I did, "A Star is Born" is the last program that I would watch. It is sub-culture. The "Big Brother" show is also not anything to be proud of. Those types of shows are an insult to the intelligence of the viewer. They are cynical, exhaust the viewers' emotions and employ cheap manipulations."

Feiglin, born in Haifa, is married and the father of five. He is religious, but he has no problem with opening businesses on Shabbat or with secular burial and "if there was a law requiring men to wear a kippah, I would immediately remove mine."

He is also an enthusiastic supporter of legalization of light drugs. "I am against the use of light drugs, but I don't think that what a person does in the privacy of his own home; what he eats and what he smokes – is the state's business. Legalization of cannabis will get the underworld out of the picture and will transform tens of thousands of Israelis from criminals to law abiding citizens.

Would you define yourself as a liberal?

"I am not crazy about that definition. I believe in the right of every person to live his life according to his beliefs, as long as he is not harming his environment or demanding government funding at the expense of others. I can tell you that I did not like the attack on the ultra-Orthodox who wanted to have gender separation on their buses. Why should anybody mix in with what they do in their own neighborhoods?"

But it is discrimination against women.

"Discrimination against women is unacceptable, but I do not believe that the state should get involved in the issue. I think that Israel should be divided into districts and that every community should decide how it is going to conduct its public affairs. Interfering makes things worse. The fact is that when the residents of Ramat Aviv in northern Tel Aviv were asked if they wanted the local mall open on Shabbat, the overwhelming majority said no. It is safe to assume that if the closure had been coerced upon them, they would have drafted all their resources to ensure that it would open."

"The media condemn Bnei Brak for discriminating against women, justifiably. But there are also problems in Tel Aviv. I say that Bnei Brak is a city without women, but that Tel Aviv is a city without men."

Explain

"Tel Aviv is a city of homosexuals and single mothers; it is a city in which being a man is not legitimate. If you are a straight man in Tel Aviv, you almost feel the need to apologize. It is no accident that the leaders of the social justice movement are women. Tel Aviv symbolizes the undermining of the institution of family in Israel. A sick generation of children of single mothers has grown up there. They have no father, so they think that Bibi is their father and demand that he provide them with work."

So you oppose the social protest movement?

That is not what I am saying. The basis of the protest is right and their claims are true. I think that the State should give young couples and army veterans free land. As soon as the price of housing is lowered, the cost of living will be lower. Nonetheless, I think that the root of the social protest is elsewhere. The real reason for the protest is the increase of father-less families. The father is the basis of the family. As soon as the father is out of the picture, it is no longer a family."

What do you think about Dafni Lief?

"She is a very impressive person. I led 'Zo Artzeinu' and I know how hard it is to bring people out to the streets. She succeeded in bringing out hundreds of thousands, which is no small feat. But the protest movement evaporated because it is not about the government, but about people's choice to live outside the classic family framework."

What do you think about same-gender couples?

"I respect homosexuals and have some homosexual friends, but my heart aches for them. If I had a son who was a homosexual, I would feel very sorry for him, because I would know that his life would not be easy. I recently spoke to a senior officer in the army who is also homosexual. He candidly told me that he is unhappy with his sexual orientation and if he could, he would like to establish a normal family. It is no accident that there are many homosexual singers and artists. The homosexual lifestyle is very difficult, and difficulty is the basis for creativity."

While on this subject, I would like to say that I like Freddy Mercury's songs. As I see it, he is an amazing artist, but I do not feel comfortable with the blatant homosexual messages in his songs.

What do you think about the gay-pride parade?

"I oppose it, particularly in Jerusalem. This parade is an act of defiance against the normative way of life. I do not want to push anybody back in to the closet, but I also do not want them to push me into the closet. The foundation stone of any nation is the classic family, complete with a father and mother. As soon as that disappears, society comes apart. Just as ultra-Orthodox society pays a heavy price for its discrimination against women, so secular society pays a heavy price for homosexual control over the media discourse.

What is the price?

The price is that more men who should have been building families change sides, throwing society off balance.

Isn't sexual preference an innate trait?

I disagree with my homosexual friends on this point. They say it is innate and I say that a very large percentage of homosexuals are influenced by their environment. When a boy sees two men kissing on television, he understands that that is legitimate and he also wants to try. He sees Assi Ezer on "Big Brother" and he understands that if he wants to be in the glittery world of fame he also has to have sex with men. That is unfair influence on the undecided voters.

Doesn't Separate From Family

Feiglin has his opinions, and writes articles on every possible topic, from Haredi draft to the Body Exhibit (which he calls "pornography" and the crushing of the image of G-d"). He doesn't lose an opportunity to create headlines. Last week, he was once again in the headlines when he was arrested after the police claimed that he bowed down in prayer on the Temple Mount, which is against the rules there. "The arrest is a sad joke," he says derisively. "I abided by the rules."

So what happened?

Nothing out of the ordinary happened. The police attempted to make headlines on my back, but luckily, the court saw the truth and released me immediately. The police tried to make all sorts of ridiculous claims, but the court didn't buy it."

If, previously, Feiglin did not mind conflict with the police – and some say, he even encouraged it – it seems now that he regrets it. Not because he has changed his mind about the right to ascend the Temple Mount, but because his time in jail robbed him from his family. He spends much more time with his family than he did in the past. This man, who in the past did not miss a family event of the Likud Central Committee members (the hard work produced the remarkable achievement in the primaries for head of the Likud in January 2012: over 23% of the Likud members voted for Feiglin) stays near his son, David (18) who is dealing with a severe head injury and his wife, Tzippy (50) who is dealing with Parkinson's disease.

"I remember David's accident as if it happened yesterday, despite the fact that two years have already passed," he says. "He sustained a severe head injury and was in a coma for three months. In the merit of the prayers of the Nation of Israel, he woke up. Today he is in the process of healing. It is hard for him to walk and he cannot see out of one eye but thank G-d, the direction is positive. He is progressing, he walks and he is making up his matriculation exams. We pray that he continues."

As David's condition is improving, his wife, stricken with Parkinson's disease, is deteriorating. Feiglin does not like to talk about the difficulties, but it is enough to just mention his wife's illness to peel off his layer of aloofness.

"Fifteen years ago, we saw that something was wrong, but it took seven years until she was diagnosed with the disease," he says. "I believe that a person does not get baggage that he cannot lift. This is what I received and this is what I have to deal with."

How does your wife deal with it?

Tzippy is an amazing person. She is my secret weapon. I do not want to get into details, but I can tell you that it is not easy and that I do not wish the challenge of dealing with a Parkinson's patient on anybody. It is a horrible illness."

He is not willing to talk about how the illness has affected their marriage, but when his wife calls during the interview the difficulty is evident. "Do you want me to come, Tzippy? Do you need help?" he asks in a soft, worried voice.

"This illness requires a strong disposition, but I do it with great love. I always think about the example that we are setting for our children. I hope that it is a good example."

Your problems with your son and wife didn't undermine your faith in G-d?

"On the contrary, they strengthen my faith. David is a walking miracle. Healing from a brain injury is more about prayers than about doctors. The doctors were amazing and they saved his life. But his progress is in the merit of the prayers of the Nation of Israel. After the accident I was amazed to discover how many people prayed for him, including people who were very far from praying and synagogues. I received phone calls from leftists who wanted to give me strength. At times like that, all of our presumptions go down the drain."

The frequent visits to the hospital left their impression on Feiglin. If he used to seem like an impenetrable rock - some said haughty - today it is easy to see the cracks that reveal a sensitive and human person. "I realized a long time ago that I am not here forever," he says and is silent for a moment.

When did you realize that?

"During the time when there were frequent major terror attacks, when         settlers were murdered on the roads almost daily. I understood that we can never know what will happen. Tzippy and I made a will. It was important for us to make monetary arrangements and to decide what would be done with the children if we would die."

Does the Iranian threat add to this feeling?

I am a believing person and I don't think that G-d brought us back to the Holy Land after 2,000 years just as a joke. Nonetheless, when I analyze the situation rationally, I see a very sorry reality, with a cloud of delegitimization hovering over the State of Israel."

Who is to blame for this situation?

"We are. The government's Iran strategy is a catastrophe. Ahmadinijad began to threaten us ten years ago. Instead of eliminating him then, as the world expected of us, we preferred to look the other way and to deflect responsibility to other nations, like the US.

So you are not counting on the Americans.

Why should I? The expectations that Obama or Romney will help us proves that we still suffer from  a shtetl  mentality. I never saw a Norwegian who asks himself if Obama is good for the Norwegians. Why do we have to ask ourselves if he is good for the Jews? We have to take care of ourselves. The sooner, the better.