Founder of The Anglo Vision David Fine has written to the leaders of all Israeli political parties explaining that the English-speaking community in Israel cares more about specific policies rather than ideology and would thus support a party which takes their issues seriously.
This was a central finding of a first-ever poll of Anglo attitudes undertaken in recent months by an international polling firm on behalf of The Anglo Vision.
“Our poll demonstrates that Anglos vote more on issues and policy, rather than ideology, meaning that although Anglos come from across the political spectrum, they will vote for parties that care about what they care about regardless of their position on issues of diplomacy or security,” wrote Fine. “We request that you include some of our community’s issues on the agenda of your party, and place an English-speaking Israeli in a realistic position on your party slate for the next elections who would be able to implement them.”
“Making Aliyah a national priority, making the political system more representative with greater accountability, career training and professional integration for new immigrants, absorption counseling, fighting BDS and having a small number of Sundays off throughout a calendar year are just some of the issues that Anglos would like to see taken seriously during this election campaign in the manifestos of the various political parties from across the spectrum.”
The Anglo Vision was created at the beginning of the year to enable English-speaking Israelis to become a political force by coalescing around a vision that can effect change, development and progress in Israel through issues of importance to the community.
Leaders of the organization have held many meetings with Israeli decision-makers and opinion-shapers in the government and Knesset, including registering the community’s disapproval with the recent attempt to pass a law which would provide a formalized format to give Diaspora leaders a say in certain Israeli decisions and policies.
“While countless individual Anglos have made significant contributions to the State of Israel throughout the decades, this is the first time that Anglos have come together to say to our political leaders that we want to play a role and contribute as a community, like others that have achieved important things for this country,” Fine wrote, referencing the success of other communities in Israel. “The poll and our regular conversations and meetings have amply demonstrated that Anglo Israelis do not want a token English-speaker low down on a party list, but someone who knows what Anglos want and will represent these issues in the Knesset.”
The poll showed that a majority of English-speaking Israelis see themselves as part of a community and believe the community should or has organized itself in a manner similar to the Russian-speaking, Ethiopian or Druze communities in order to promote policies that benefit their communities. The poll, undertaken by Stephen Miller, Founder of 202 Strategies, who has worked with many political leaders in Israel and around the world, had a margin of error of 4.77% with a confidence level of 95%.