After an intense and divisive election campaign, it’s almost time to find out just what the future holds for Israel. And as Israelis prepare to go to the polls on March 17, Diaspora Jews are watching with great interest and anticipation. The former are tasked with deciding the makeup of the next Knesset, while the latter are left to debate a question that may be even more difficult to answer: what role does the Diaspora play when it comes to an Israeli election?

It’s important for Jews around the world to be well informed about this election’s main players and parties, and the central issues at stake. The good news is it’s never been easier to stay on top of the latest news and commentary from Israel (not to mention those viral campaign ads, which have been among the more entertaining developments of this campaign). If you haven’t been following the action since Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition dissolved in early December, there’s still time to catch up. And given the frenetic pace of Israeli politics, a few more twists and turns are likely.

But having amassed the requisite pre-election insight, what next?

Many argue that’s where Diaspora participation in this Israel election – in any Israeli election – ends. Because for all the available information, all the video streams and Facebook comment threads, unless you’re there on the ground, your opinion doesn’t count. That viewpoint was articulated last week by Yoni Leviatan, a self-described “British-born, American-raised, Israeli-blooded oleh,” who criticized anti-Netanyahu voices in America in a blog for the Times of Israel. 

“If you want to be a good Jew, and you want to support the State of Israel even though you disagree with its prime minister,” he wrote, “then you’re left with only two options: 1. Make aliyah and vote Bibi out of office [or] 2. Shut the f**k up.” 

Others might not have put it so bluntly, but Leviatan’s opinion is a popular one – in Israel especially, but also in the Diaspora. Still, it seems disingenuous, perhaps even disrespectful, to suggest Diaspora Jews don’t have any voice when it comes to Israeli politics. After all, our communities are inextricably tied to Israel in so many ways – emotionally, politically, financially, spiritually – and it only makes sense that we would want to experience the passion and debate of the campaign. We have something riding on the outcome, too – not in the same way or to the same degree as Israelis, but it’s there all the same. Under the circumstances, it’s hard to stay quiet, to hold it all inside. Sometimes it can be too much to handle.

Israel’s election laws contain no allowance for absentee ballots – unless you’re away on official state business, you literally have to be in Israel on March 17 in order to vote. Perhaps that’s just as well, because there’s no substitute for living in Israel. As vibrant and diverse as Diaspora communities are, the Jewish state stands as the pinnacle of Jewish life. 

That is as it should be. But you can’t blame the rest of us for wanting to be part of it in our own way, especially at this pivotal moment.  — YONI