Michal Slawny Cababia shares her journey from Virginia to Aliyah, political activism and the Knesset, and discusses what English-speaking olim should know about Israeli politics, Beyachad, bureaucracy, political representation and voting.

Michal Slawny Cababia made Aliyah from the United States in 2008. Years later, she found herself serving in Israel’s Knesset.

In this Israel Votes episode, Michal joins David Levine to talk about how an olah from Blacksburg, Virginia became involved in Israeli politics, why she helped build an English-speaking political community, and what she has learned about representing olim inside the Israeli system.

Michal discusses Beyachad’s political priorities, proposals dealing with government reform, military service, public diplomacy, Israel-Diaspora relations and education, as well as the bureaucracy that often frustrates new immigrants.

David and Michal also tackle a broader question: why haven’t English-speaking olim built a political party of their own, and is integration into existing Israeli parties actually the better path?

For David, who is preparing to vote in his first Israeli election, Michal’s message is simple: every oleh is part of the Israeli story, and every vote counts.

The episode closes with the Israeli word “konseptzia,” falafel preferences, favorite places in Israel, and the strange combination of warmth and aggression that still surprises Michal after nearly two decades in the country.

This episode is part of the Israel Votes series, presenting conversations with representatives from across Israel’s political spectrum in a nonpartisan format.

Host: David Levine
Guest: Michal Slawny Cababia
Social Media: Tehilah Simantov

Mentioned in this episode

Michal Slawny Cababia – X/Twitter: x.com/michalslawny⁠
Michal Slawny Cababia – LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michalslawny⁠
Beyachad / Together – Official website: be-yahad.org.il/en/home-en/⁠
Beyachad English – X/Twitter: x.com/BYachadEnglish⁠

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