Ben Gvir’s message: If you work for me, I’ll tell you how to think

Most employers expect loyal support from their employees, while they are on their jobs, but Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has taken this concept to a whole new level.

He has forbidden those who work under his supervision to attend a program sponsored by Harvard University for Israeli civil servants. He “issued the ban due to what he calls the left-wing political bent of the program’s funder, the Wexner Foundation.”

Among the goals of the Harvard Wexner Fellowship program is to “provide top-tier training for Israel’s next generation of public leaders.”

Desiring to mentor these public servants, the program offers three off-campus retreats, which include discussions, skill enhancement, networking with others in their field and problem -solving – all things that sound helpful and positive to those who endeavor to serve the public. So why would police officers, firefighters and prison officials, under the authority of Ben Gvir, be forbidden to attend such an interaction?

If you listen to Ben Gvir, he claims that “there is a left-wing bent of the program’s funder, the Ohio-based Wexner Foundation.” In reality, the objections are based on the claim that the Foundation is somehow connected to the advocacy group, “Breaking the Silence,” which has, in the past, provided documentation of human rights abuses in the territories, as alleged by members of the military. Obviously, those accounts would be completely disputed by Ben Gvir who never met a Jewish activist that he thought wasn’t justified in perpetrating violence.

It doesn’t matter that the Wexner Foundation has vigorously rejected Ben Gvir’s accusations of their close alignment with the advocacy group. In their statement, they claimed: “We are not now nor have we ever been associated with any political party or movement.”

Nonetheless, the seminar planned for next year will be off-limits to those who work under the National Security minister. So, what can be deduced from this development? Plenty! 

In business, there is often the consideration that it’s best to hire young people who possess less skill and experience than those who have been in their field for a lengthy period of time, even though they may have more to offer by way of knowledge and creativity. The reason is that young, inexperienced people are seen as more pliable, easier to influence and those who can adapt a style demanded by their trainer. 

This would seem to be the case with these workers. While many of them may not be new in their field, the obvious idea is to prevent them from further gathering more tips, training or viewpoints that may differ from those that their boss, Ben Gvir wants to instill in them, as a lock-step group, which takes orders from him and carries them out to his exact specifications. Consequently, any outside influence might prevent that from happening and actually contribute to independent thought or, heaven forbid, questioning orders that come down from above.

Already, a total of 250 Israeli public servants have attended this program, including such heavyweights as IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, former head of Shin Ben security agency, Ami Ayalon and former general, Yair Golan. They are joined by others who come from Israel’s security sector as well as Israeli police and other officials. 

While some on the far-right, similar to Ben Gvir are skeptical of American-sponsored programs which they claim are likely to instill the wrong values in our public servants, those who have already attended these seminars categorically state that they are not taught such things but rather take part in tours and lectures which are useful in their field of work.

But in his quest to chisel out a loyal army of workers, who answer only to Ben Gvir, it’s paramount that these individuals act as an extension of his goals, aspirations and thinking. This is something that has been seen as potentially problematic and has been opposed by many. As one media outlet stated: “It is not the establishment of a National Guard itself that is problematic…rather the warnings are aimed at the national security minister, Ben Gvir and his view of the world, as well as the intentions he associates with such a guard.”

So, what are those intentions? He claims that his goal is to deploy a volunteer national guard “in times of ethnic unrest, similar to events that took place during conflicts with Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza. But he also made it clear that such a national guard would answer only to him as opposed to Israel’s established and trusted police force. Why not work together?

It stands to reason that Ben Gvir wants things done his way, and in order to achieve that goal, the best thing is to ensure that those working under his authority think like him and support his goals. Anything less would defeat his purposes. So, by banning outside input into these workers, he essentially is able to create a “bespoke” group of public servants who will carry out his objectives which perfectly align with his view of how Israel should look.

The only question is, “Are these public servants willing to go along with his demands, even as he dictates what seminars they can attend and what opinions they can hold?”

A true hallmark of democratic policy is the need to hear many voices, debate ideas and adopt the best of what emerges amongst them because no one person has the lock on all wisdom and knowledge. Conversely, anyone who desires to have full control and total authority is not open to the ideas of others or willing to debate them. That is why the act of forbidding outside input can only be interpreted as a decision to cut off the influence of others who may introduce ideas which, in the end, will result in less control.

Given what we already know, it’s safe to say that Ben Gvir doesn’t want to share the reins of power with anyone. So those who work for him might need to begin adjusting their way of thinking because his message to them is more and more sounding like “his way or the highway.”