Israeli elections are not only a battle between Likud, the center, the left, religious parties, and Arabs. They have traditionally also been a stage for political eccentrics, idealists, prophets, and self-proclaimed saviors who enter with grand visions and usually disappear again with very few votes. Particularly in Israel, where the Bible, history, religion, and politics constantly intertwine, some of these lists take on almost messianic traits: they promise salvation from debt, corruption, and social division — sometimes nothing less than the rescue of the entire country.
Yet even by Israeli electoral standards, the latest candidacy is extraordinary: a party called “Gan Eden” — literally “Garden of Eden,” or Paradise or Heaven in English — led by a man named Yeshua Ben David, meaning “Jesus, Son of David,” wants to politically renew and save Israel. He dreams of priestly service in the Temple, regards the Knesset as a kind of Sanhedrin, and promises nothing less than a state that is to become a “paradise.” Welcome to the Israeli election campaign, where sometimes the canvassing is not just for seats, but for salvation...
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