Several weeks ago, I flew to New York for the 3rd annual Manhigut Yehudit dinner. Manhigut Yehudit is the Jewish leadership faction within the Likud party which is trying to establish authentic Jewish leadership over the Likud, and through it, over the state of Israel as a whole. I'm writing and sending this brief report to you because I think that the goals of Manhigut Yehudit are in alignment with our own goals and prayers for Israel, and because it has become a very significant, though underappreciated, force moving those shared goals towards fulfillment.
 
I have been impressed with the leader of Manhigut Yehudit -- Moshe Feiglin -- and his writings for some time. He is virtually the only significant political figure in Israel whose views are in accord with those of the The Rebbe. He has been extremely accurate in his assessments of Israel's politicians (eg he foresaw where Sharon was headed long before anyone else). His diagnosis of the root cause of Israel's problem -- an insufficiently developed Jewish consciousness within Israel in general and particularly within its leaders -- mirrors The Rebbe's oft-repeated diagnosis as well. His basic message, simple and obvious as is sounds, is that the leaders of the State of Israel should be people with strong faith in the unique and G-d given identity and mission of the Jewish people.
 
By the way, I found out that though he is not himself a Lubavitcher, he is the great grandson (on his mother's side) of Moshe Feiglin -- the “Avraham Avinu” of Australia and Chasid of the previous Rebbe. His full Hebrew name is identical to his great grandfather's.
 
What impressed me most about seeing and hearing him last Sunday night was the degree to which he operates from Emunah and particularly that Emunah that lies at the heart of every Jew. When a Jew reads his writings or listens to him speak, and something inside is moved to agree, that something inside that resonates to his words is our inner Jewish core. As The Rebbe has stated on many occasions, our essential inner nature is that of Ma'aminim bnei ma'aminim. His uniqueness as a political leader lies in his ability to so readily and powerfully touch that inner Jewish core of faith.
 
Although its supporters are still a small minority, even within the Likud, Manhigut Yehudit has already had a major impact on the Israeli political landscape. For example, at the time of the Likud referendum on the disengagement plan a year ago, Sharon himself characterized the choice as one between himself and Feiglin. The secret of Manhigut's growing power and influence is its ability to provide a vessel within the political realm for expressing that core Jewish essence.
 
That core essence is being aroused now as never before by the internal spiritual collapse of the reigning Zionist establishment, by the dictatorial actions of the current regime, and by the consistent and implacable hostility of its enemies. The internal spiritual collapse of classical Zionism is well-expressed by the words of novelist Aharon Megged, "We have witnessed a phenomenon that probably has no parallel in history; an emotional and moral identification by the majority of Israel's intelligentsia with people openly committed to our annihilation." Polls in Israel reveal that a large plurality do not believe that the State of Israel will exist as a Jewish state 30 years from now. As Moshe Feiglin pointed out, no one within the current establishment can provide a positive and compelling reason for their children and grandchildren to remain in Israel. Manhigut Yehudit is the only player on the Israeli political scene offering a radically positive long-term vision. They have faith, the ever-optimistic nature of the Jew, and external circumstances all working in their favor. If they can muster the financial and organization resources to bring their case to the Israeli public, they will no doubt be successful
 
Interestingly, Moshe Feiglin himself is not a particularly charismatic personality, and he frequently downplays his own role in this movement that he helped establish. He also readily acknowledges the enormity of the enterprise that he has undertaken and the power of the forces that he is trying to unseat. But he has a complete and infectious faith in his success, not because of who he is, but because of who we are as Jews and because of our unique relationship with G-d. As he said during the evening, “we all know what the last act of this drama is going to be. It's only a question of how long and through what circumstances.”
 
Of course, the star of that last act is Mashiach, not Moshe Feiglin or Manhigut Yehudit. What I realized in the course of the evening, however, was the power of Manhigut Yehudit to give Israelis a political choice that is in alignment with our core essence as Jews, and in so doing, to pave the way for Mashiach's entry. In other words, none, including Moshe Feiglin himself, can predict whether he will rise to the prime ministership first, or whether Mashiach's arrival will preempt that. However his faith in the Messianic process and his ability to act on and get others to act on that faith cannot but help speed the process along.