This letter is about facts, action and hope. The fact is that we in the Israeli Left have become irrelevant in both domestic and foreign policy; decision-making is completely dominated by the Right and far-Right parties. My goal in writing this letter, however, is not to spread pessimism and certainly not to surrender, but to advocate action and hope.

Let me begin with what seems self-evident but needs a reminder-the only thing that matters in a democracy like ours is winning elections and we in the Left are losing them faster in each cycle. Meretz, our signature political party, has barely made it in recent elections; we squeezed in, thankfully getting the mandatory five seats in the Knesset. I have enormous respect for Zehava Galon, but I do the math, 5 out of 120 does not make a political dent. If we continue on this path all our commitments to democracy, peace and social justice will at best be completely marginalized and irrelevant.

Peace negotiations are already off the table, democracy is shrinking, economic disparities have deepened, and the numbers of those left behind have grown, as have anxiety and fears. The current government is constantly fanning fear and is doing little to address enormous socio-economic concerns.

Here is where we can make a difference. We need to change the political map on the ground and to do it in terms of pragmatic engagement with people’s concerns. The Left has all the right ideas of social justice but we offers very little action in the daily life of people who vote for the Right, while we represent their socio-economic interests. We offer little to Israelis who are left behind, and in particular to those in development towns that were built in the periphery and populated by mostly Mizrahi Jews; the country and we left them economically on the margins and politically on the Right. That is how we lose elections. That is where our action needs to take place, in each of these towns and cities and in poor neighborhoods of our cities, we need to have local offices, we can call them Open Left, or Open Door, and staff them with paid local people and volunteers who know the neighborhoods, and are familiar with local needs. We will tell people: “The Left is here with you. Come to our office and we will come to your homes and listen to you and to your needs,” and try to network and begin to find solutions and alleviate suffering.

People are afraid, and we can address it rather than deny it by building trust and demonstrating solutions. We can’t solve everything, but some things we can do about poverty, education, health-care, and specific neighborhood needs.

All politics is local and we, in the Left, have been absent. Let’s give it chance I know that among many of my friends, retired soldiers and other folk, there is so much brain-power, if we get it going with good plans, together with local people as partners, we could get donors as well. We need to work in partnership from the ground up to change voting patterns, not by preaching, not by elitist superiority, but with the humility of partners who want to have an impact on the direction our country is going.

Our goal is, “Increase Voters, Win Elections.” The way to do it is to get engaged locally and address people’s needs wherever we can so that we can diminish fear and increase hope. We must demonstrate that we care in practice, not only in slogans. Let’s start, look at maps find local people and begin connecting. This is a way to go together on the road from fear to freedom.

*David Langerman served in the 1973 Yom Kippur Armored Unit, שריון, the first to cross the Suez Canal, and is a supporter of Combatants for Peace. He lives in Kiryat Motzkin, Israel.

Translated from the Hebrew by Ayala Emmett