New petition highlights support for judicial reform among immigrants to Israel

Initiative follows similar immigrant petition against the judicial overhaul: “Immigrants are not monolithic in their views.”

By World Israel News Staff

A new petition circulating on social media is calling on olim (immigrants to Israel) to voice their support for the government’s judicial reform, pushing back against the massive protest movement which has challenge the judicial overhaul for the past three months.

The petition, written in English, French, and Russian, is not affiliated with any political movement or organization but is the solo initiative of pro-Israel activist and American-born Israeli Rachel Moore.

A veteran immigrant who moved to Israel in her 20s, Moore has worked with a number of Jewish and pro-Israel groups and is a member of the Judea and Samaria Speakers Bureau.

The letter, directed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, MK Simcha Rothman, President Isaac Herzog, Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, emphasizes the diversity of opinions among immigrants, while arguing that a majority support the general principles behind the government’s judicial reform plan.

“We are a diverse group of olim, representing a variety of backgrounds. We range the spectrum from religious to secular, recent and veteran, and from all around the country,” the petition reads. “We are deeply committed to the Zionist vision and have left behind our countries of birth to join in the modern miracle of Jewish statehood and sovereignty.

“We are writing to you to express our support for the government’s judicial reform proposals. We would also like to dispel any notions that olim or Diaspora Jewry speak in any monolithic voice regarding the current government’s proposal.

“While we may disagree on various details of the plan, we wholeheartedly agree with the principles animating the reform: an unshakeable commitment to democratic governance, the restoration of balance between the branches of government and the strengthening of public accountability and the rule of law. We have seen the ever-diminishing value of our votes, when judges pursue their own policy interests at the expense of our elected officials, unanchored by enacted law.”

Speaking with World Israel News, Moore said she wrote the petition last week in response to another petition, circulated last month, which sought to highlight opposition among immigrants to judicial reform.

“It seemed to take the tone that… this is how olim [immigrants] feel,” Moore said. “It bothered me so much that they would present it as if this is the opinion of all olim.”

“The vast majority support some measure of judicial reform, and that monolithic statement that ‘this is how the olim feel’ was so offensive to me and made me want to take action,” she said.