Terra Incognita
JPost
13 December '11
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=249325
From the NGO funding law to the bill that would limit decibel levels for Muezzins, Russian Israelis view things differently than their native-born and Western-born countrymen.
Bobby Kennedy once said, “Some see things the way they are and ask ‘why,’ I see things the way they could be and ask ‘why not?’” Some view the Russian-speaking public’s view of Israel, particularly as it is embodied in the legislative initiatives of Yisrael Beiteinu, as a threat to Israeli democracy. Even US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seems to agree. But this political agenda should be understood along the lines of Kennedy’s thesis; namely, that they do not accept the status quo.
Every group in Israel either attempts to shape the country or is shaped by it. That’s true for the Russians, but unlike other groups, veteran Israelis (immigrants and native-born “sabras”) are prone to complain about them.
Take, for example, Haaretz columnist Chemi Shalev, who recently wrote, “Many [members of Israel’s ruling coalition] hail from distinctly non-democratic backgrounds and represent expressly anti-democratic constituencies.”
Alexander Yakobson, a professor, was more direct when he wrote that Israeli democracy was “weighed down” by Soviet traditions. “Russian-speakers have made a positive contribution to Israeli society in many areas. But when it comes to attitudes toward freedom of expression, the majority of this group’s elected representatives are making a negative contribution.”
Refuting these “place of origin” claims is easy. Israel’s first generation of rulers came from decaying monarchies in Eastern Europe and some even came from Nazi Germany. But few people would accuse David Ben-Gurion of being a monarchist. It is manifestly untrue that the Russian view of Israel is “soviet,” but it is true that it is skeptical of some of the received wisdom of the Western democracies.
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