Rabbi’s Update 10/30/2026
Dear Friends:
This past Tuesday elections were held in Israel. To some extent the results were a surprise but in another sense they were not a surprise.
How so? Pre-election polling and punditry predicted that the anti-Netanyahu bloc of parties headed by Gadi Eisenkot would outpoll Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc. But the prediction was that neither would receive enough seats to form a government and therefore the most likely result would be new elections in about six months, with Netanyahu heading a caretaker government until then.
In fact, Netanyahu's bloc received 53 seats out of the 120 in the Knesset and Eisenkot’s bloc got 48. But of course both 53 and 48 are less than the 61 seats needed for the formation of a government. The two primarily Arab parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, together received 19 seats and are not counted in either bloc. Since it is widely assumed that neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu can include these parties in a coalition, the most likely result remains new elections, It should also be pointed out that although Netanyahu received a plurality of the Jewish vote, 67 members of the new Knesset oppose Netanyahu while only 53 support him. His support fell quite significantly in these elections since his coalition fell from its current 67 to 53.
The process of trying to form a new government is complicated and there is, in my opinion, a lot of misinformation or oversimplification in the American media. I’m not going to even attempt to correct that misinformation here lest I be guilty of the same phenomenon I am criticizing. Last night I presented an analysis of the results and some informed speculation as to what might happen, as part of our ongoing Adult Education program. It’s about an hour long but if you are interested in learning more about the election results and the process of trying to form a new government, I encourage you to watch it:
Through January I will be adjusting the timing of my Thursday drop-in hours. I’m enrolled in a Certificate Program in Jewish Innovation and our class meets Thursdays from 1 to 2:30 pm Eastern time. Therefore my drop-in hours will be from 2:45 to 4:30. Please remember that these are not the only hours I am available to you -- I am happy to meet you in person, over Zoom or by telephone at a time which is convenient for you.
If you or someone you know is in need because of having been laid off, or has lost benefits of some type and needs immediate help, please let me know. I can access limited funds through the Jewish Federation almost immediately. The Jewish Federation has set up a hotline to access assistance at 703-JCARING.
For longer-term help, the Hebrew Free Loan Society will loan up to $18,000 interest-free. These funds can be accessed for any need, such as creating a family or opening a business or any other need. They are not just for people who have lost government benefits or employment.
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian
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