As elections approach, most Israelis become amateur analysts. And in the end, they slip a ballot into the envelope for a party or a leader they do not really believe in.

Israel must build trust among its citizens, renew its partnership with world Jewry and explain its purpose to the world with confidence, professionalism and moral clarity.

Opinion: Israel is already arguing over what will define its next election, from the Haredi draft dispute to settler violence, while the defining catastrophe behind nearly every…