Month: November 2006

In the 1950’s a rapist sowed fear and terror in the streets of Tel Aviv. Panicked citizens demanded government action, and a curfew on women after dark was seen as a reasonable action. Golda Meyer’s response: put a curfew on the men: they’re the ones doing the raping!

It’s clear the UltraOrthodox are not capable of restraining themselves and behaving like law-abiding citizens.

And the police? They’re talking about route changes for the parade. If the Palestinians were doing the rock throwing and garbage burning there’d be dozens of fatalities by now, and Mea She’arim would be under a curfew, with Border Police patroling every nook and cranny.

If a decision needs to be made as to which citizens should be able to exercise their rights to freedom of assembly and speech, the Gay Pride Parade wins hands-down. Start a curfew now on all UltraOrthodox Jews in Jerusalem, and keep it in place until after candle lighting on Friday night. They’re easy to spot. If they show up for the parade and are legitimate in their protests, great! If not, toss ’em in the clink; see if they like spending “shabbos” in jail, treated no better and no worse than the rest of the miscreants de joir.

I guess they prefer Pulsa De’Nura to Dina D’malchute Dina. Busha Ve’cherpa on them, creating Mar’at Ayin on the whole of the Jewish People, people from whom they work so hard to distance themselves.

The ultra-Orthodox won’t help Agunot with relief against husband’s that won’t divorce them, even if it involves insane government expenditures and actions. But they’re more than happy to order their blind faithful into the street to protest a gay rights parade. On one hand they tell them to protest peacefully, at the same time whipping up their fury while decrying their inability too keep said faithful from carrying out acts of violence. And then, just to make sure the pot is well stirred, they announce an official ‘death curse’ (Pulse De’Nura, or whips of fire) against the gay pride day organizers.

Yes, there are rational voices speaking in calm tones, even hopeful ones. But it’s the lunatic fringe, as always, that carries the day in Israeli politics and in how the world perceives us.

In a time where achdut and shalvah should be the tone, to bring together even segments of society that have little or nothing in common, for the good of the nation, our religious intolerants have little to add other than fuel to a fire already burning too brightly. The spider webs of hate have no Temple to which to attach; the strands wrap around each community, each philosophy, and will consume each and every one unless we learn to better clear our minds and our hearts.