The anti-democratic and anti-Zionistic theology destroying Israel from within
Not antisemitism, rather: democracy defending itself
Reading through the ultra-Orthodox parties’ official media outlets in recent days brings up yet another crucial consideration, which justifies the demand that these parties be kept out or neutralized in the next government coalition, as the majority of the public clearly wishes.
11/10/2019 00:00
Tags: Haredi parties · Netanyahu · civil courts · police
Benjamin Netanyahu, source: Wikipedia
Throughout the election campaign, criticisms of the ultra-Orthodox parties and the excessive concessions made by the Israeli government to the ultra-Orthodox community were rejected by labeling them ‘antisemitism and ultra-Orthodox hatred’. The ultra-Orthodox leadership employed the strategy of ‘the best defense is a good offense’. They were relying on naïve and well-meaning voters in the general population, as well as less well-meaning politicians in partnering political factions who would be open to making the ultra-Orthodox parties into the victims, rather than holding them accountable.
We have often written about various examples that make a compelling case for moving away from the unholy alliance of religion and state. Expecting the ultra-Orthodox community to give its fair share to the defense of the country and to meeting the challenges facing the Israeli economy is not rooted in ‘antisemitism’, nor tainted with ‘ultra-Orthodox hatred’. It is merely based on the notion that Jewish unity and solidarity, as well as core principles of equality, require that every group contributes its fair share. When the ultra-Orthodox politicians rationalize these concessions by explaining that it is their Torah emersion in the ever-growing yeshivas that is to be credited with Israel’s security and relatively healthy economy, this adds insult to injury and is widely rejected by the overwhelming majority of Israelis.
When the ultra-Orthodox politicians insist, under the seemingly benign label of ‘maintaining the status quo’ that non-religious Israelis be forced to marry in exclusively in Orthodox ceremonies via the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate… when that same Chief Rabbinate maintains its monopoly over kashrut certification, hiking up the cost of food in Israel; the cost of operating hotels; the cost of food imports… when the ultra-Orthodox parties block any attempts at allowing public transportation on Shabbat, thereby depriving the elderly; the young; the soldiers coming home for the weekend access to public transport… when women are increasingly subjected to exclusion in the name of religious edicts… The Israeli public’s growing frustration that was reflected so potently in the September elections is neither antisemitism, nor ultra-Orthodox hatred. One may criticism the style and language of some rhetoric waged during the election campaigning, but this does not change the fundamental justness and veracity of the criticism.
Reading through the ultra-Orthodox parties’ official media outlets in recent days brings up yet another crucial consideration, which justifies the demand that these parties be kept out or neutralized in the next government coalition, as the majority of the public clearly wishes. We are referring to an almost identical narrative, which appeared several days ago in both the ‘Yated Ne’eman’ editorial (the official newspaper of Degel HaTorah, the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox party led by MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni, Chair of the powerful Knesset Finance Committee), as well as in ‘HaDerekh’ (the official newspaper of Shas, the ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party).
There is a fundamental point of departure that demands the ultra-Orthodox parties be kept out of positions of government authority. This is anchored in democracy’s need to defend itself from its detractors.
On October 3, 2019, both papers shared their narrative regarding the trials and tribulations confronting PM Netanyahu with their respective readerships. Reading these, it becomes further clearer that beyond the criticisms listed above, there is a fundamental point of departure that demands they be kept out of positions of government authority. This is anchored in democracy’s need to defend itself from its detractors. People may hold divergent views as to Netanyahu’s innocence or guilt; the seriousness of the infractions claimed against him; the likelihood that he will end up being charged in court; and many other legitimate and valid conflicting points of view, which are all natural at every stage of a high profile criminal case. However, the position of both of the ultra-Orthodox political parties differs because they view the entire civil legal process as fraudulent. As far as they concerned, all law enforcement agencies are colluding to frame the PM, and state’s criminal process is illegitimate from the start because it is based on civil law, rather than Torah law.
Insofar as this is the conviction of these parties, and this mindset underlies the execution of their governmental powers, then this is clearly an example of manipulating democratic principles in order to undermine democracy and its foundations. For too long have their political partners from the right, center, and left preferred to close their eyes to this and many other layers of anti-democratic and anti-Zionist theology, which are at the core of the ultra-Orthodox parties, and they have allowed the threat to democracy represented by these parties to grow in exchange for their votes.
Yated Ne’eman editorial: “… The fallacy of the actions of these courts… the ‘crimes’ that they allege are not crimes, just as their ‘proofs’ are no proofs, and it is all within the [religious] category of ‘they do not know His laws’* … there is a governmental arm, which sees its function as incriminating their superior at any cost… beyond the distortions contained in the essence of laws of gentile courts, in this case central and expanded use was made publicly of abominable concepts, such as ‘plea bargaining’ and ‘state witnesses’. These refute any hope for a process that even resembles a just judgment… Our consolation is that God’s judgment ‘is not like the actions of man and his schemes’, and just as in a legal system based on ‘they do not know his laws’, the goal is to incriminate at any cost, to degrade the person and ‘dance upon his blood’ – God has given us a path of repentance and desires and expects us to repent and be pure.”
*(Ps. 147:20) interpreted as referring to the prohibition against turning to gentile courts, which include also include the civil courts of the State of Israel that adjudicate according to Knesset laws.
Associate Editor of HaDerekh: “This is an impenetrable, fearsome triangle; the Lahav 443 national police serious crimes investigative unit where cases are allegedly fabricated, moving on to the State Attorney’s office where they receive ironing and approval, and from there to the powerful media, which starts pounding the victim. Nobody has yet been able to beat this ‘system’. Either he was forced to ‘straighten out’ (meaning: comply) like Sharon, Livni, and others, or else, he was disgracefully pushed off the road.”
Delegitimizing the civil legal system has been an oft-repeated religious trope coming from the Sephardic rabbinic leadership, beginning with the late Rabbi Ovadya Yosef, all the way down, so why should they stop now?