Not in my name

We must not let hooligans seize control of our national-religious way of life

It’s easy to imagine these guys protesting in front of Tzipi Livni’s and Dan Halutz’s homes. The secular politicians who were involved in the disengagement should, by now, be used to having the peace of their neighborhoods disturbed by members of all sorts of odd organizations.

 

But the “na-nak-nakman-leuman hassidim” (a play on words, referring to a fringe group of revengeful and zealous outwardly national-religious types) prefer to confront the Orthodox, those who are “our people”.

 

They expect nothing from the secular people, who have “no values” anyway. But religious citizens, the extremists feel, should know better.

 

These ideologues insist that they won’t forget and won’t forgive a whole slew of wrongdoers, including Yonatan Bassi, Rabbi Weiss, Otniel Schneller, Elazar Shtern, and several other officers and policemen, who behaved contrarily to the purists’ demands.

 

As the demonstrations continue, so too does the curious lack of response towards these thugs. Educators and rabbis remain quiet, and one or two even encourage these deeds. The righteous, you see, like to let others do their dirty work.

 

Even parents and neighbors don’t always get involved when they observe this intentional and ugly incitement. It’s as if the savage bullying has nothing to do with them.

 

No one intervenes for the sake of those involved in the disengagement, lest they be viewed as leftists or as showing disrespect to our brothers, the Gush Katif refugees.

 

One can be angry at whomever one wants. Furiously disagreeing with your political foe is your inborn right. One can even understand a certain degree of iciness and animosity towards those who refuse to toe the party line.

 

But no one has the right to harass them, to paste bumper stickers on their cars, or to conspire against them. We must not abandon the Orthodox “street” to these thugs, who wrap themselves in the banner of love of the Land and unity.

 

If Rabbi Weiss wants to be the Rabbi of Netanya, it should have nothing to do with a bunch of crazies who threaten the residents with all sorts of calamities. Save your unsubstantiated beliefs for your weekly appointment with your psychiatrist.

 

One of these organizations (which are usually comprised of two lunatics and a fax machine) has just issued a form for those who participated in the disengagement to enable them to return to the fold. Penitents will receive a Catholic-style letter of confession and regret, which they can sign and send back in order to be granted full absolution.

 

Because according to these noisemakers, every member of the religious public must think exactly – but exactly! – alike. Those who sport kippot – and any other individuals who live in Orthodox communities – must never “cooperate” with the terrible enemy: The IDF, the police, and the government.

 

Standing shoulder to shoulder

Senior Orthodox officials must not only quit their jobs but also stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the protesters. After all, we raised them. We planted, watered, tended, dispatched, caressed, and pushed to ensure that they would succeed in their lives.

 

And now look how they repay us, by spitting in our faces. Why did we bother paying their salaries all these years? And we know where they live, too.

 

These pious saints don’t just complain about evil; they deflate its tires as well. We’ll bully them; we won’t let them join our minyan (prayer quorum); we’ll provoke their children; we’ll publicly embarrass them; we’ll bar them from our social gatherings; and we’ll damage their property.

 

(Of course, we never dared do any of these things to our own murderers and hooligans, because they acted for the sake of Heaven. Besides, they don’t really represent us anyway.)

 

Open and painful wound

There’s absolutely no need for me to stress that the Gush Katif expulsion remains an open and painful wound for so many in the Orthodox community – including those whose homes are being picketed. But derech eretz (literally, the way of the land; signifying manners) precedes the Land itself.

 

Most of the religious public endures this hooliganism in silence. Too much silence. Most parents would still prefer to have their son serve in the IDF – even as a general – rather than be one of the shouting demonstrators.

 

But the hoods interpret this silence as acquiescence, and therefore, we must speak up. They choose to specifically attack kippa-wearers who are part of the establishment in order to ensure that “our people” conform to the thugs’ personal outlook.

 

This is obviously unacceptable. Freedom of choice and plurality of worldviews are the hallmarks of the Zionist-religious public. That’s why we’re not only rabbis and educators, but also officers, doctors, scientists, farmers, journalists, and lawyers.

 

Because of this freedom and our internal democracy, we can study, work, produce, and turn as haredi or as secular as our hearts desire. We’re not a flock of sheep, and there’s no reason for us to adopt a herd mentality.