Rabin. Being rightist on memorial day means truly hurting
צילום: מיכאל קרמר
Religious-rightist thoughts
Op-ed: Being rightist on Rabin memorial day means to be genuinely sad, angry at Left
On that cold, bitter night, I cried along with the entire nation and with some of my friends. With great pain I shall admit that to my regret I saw quite a few acquaintances who were overjoyed. However, I shall never forget the moment I arrived at the square to show solidarity, cry and mourn, and was driven out of there by “murderer” chants – because of the kippah I’ve been wearing ever since I know myself.
After all, I’m the immediate suspect. Ever since being given the right to vote, I cast my ballots (just like most citizens, according to the last elections) right of center, so for the purpose of this article you can call me a “rightist.” Moreover, I try to adhere to some of the mitzvahs, so you can also call me “religious.”
Based on my longtime familiarity with the religious-rightist sector, here are some thoughts that are likely shared by members of this community at this time.
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin murder memorial day means wanting to believe the various conspiracy theories, and again quoting Dalia Rabin who on some occasions said she’s been left with many unanswered questions – but to know deep inside that it’s all nonsense, and that the prime minister was indeed shot three times by a despicable murderer.
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means to think every year about the line connecting the murder to the Gedalia fast, and to wonder whether the cases are similar or different; had the Rabin assassination taken place in the past, would we be fasting today in line with our sages’ decrees?
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means getting angry every year to hear even the greatest atheists at the Rabin Square annual ceremony quoting “Thou shalt not murder” from the 10 commandments in order to slam the Right, and wanting to ask him whether he also adheres to “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy” – but in your heart knowing that you cannot compare these two divine decrees.
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means getting upset that again, should a leftist professor slam the Right, this will be referred to as freedom of expression, while if a rightist (and mostly if it’s a rabbi) slams the Left, this will be referred to as incitement and there’s a good chance he will find himself facing a police interrogation.
Hating Yigal Amir
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means being angry that the Left keeps on mentioning the posters depicting Rabin wearing an SS uniform at the infamous Zion Square rally, when everyone knows this was yet another dangerous act by Shin Bet agent Avishay Raviv and his friends.
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means to be surprised and moved that the initiator of Oslo is at the heart of the consensus and serves as president (bringing more dignity to the post than the previous rightist president,) yet at the same time being happy at the Labor party’s downfall and predictions that in the next elections it will shrink to pea size.
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means being very sorry that we do not have a memorial rally of reconciliation at the square, with a duet featuring a religious and a secular singer, under the banner “We’re all brothers.” During such rally, both the Left and Right, religious and secular, would declare that there will never again be a civil war here. Yet it’s also about knowing that such rally will forever remain a pipedream that would never materialize.
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means that every year, when autumn rolls around, we see the annual leftist festival and fanning of the civil war flames. Meanwhile, the rightist community again pulls out its annual protective vest because it will again be accused of being a party to the murder. If you think about it for a moment, this is a grave charge, accusing all rightists of being murderers to some extent.
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means hating murderer Yigal Amir, and more than that, hating the kippah on his head, and his father’s beard and the woman he married. But at the same time, it means being upset at the Left, which likes to give them the stage in order to blast the Right.
Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means wanting to impart the Rabin legacy to the young generation, including his immense contribution to the State of Israel’s security, but without the Oslo legacy, which already proved to be a massive failure.
And to sum up, being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means truly hurting because of the murder, hating the murderer, and being angry at the Left, which instead of showing national responsibility and along with the Right leveraging the disaster to unite the nation, marginalizes the Right and does not allow it to be a party to the genuine mourning and to the memorial rallies.
And so, every year we see more delusional figures emerging on the margins of the rightist camp who still believe in resolving problems between Israel’s various sectors via violence.
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