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Photo: Eli Segal
MKs Gafni and Litzman. 'Haredim never received funds at the expense of their secular brethren'
Photo: Eli Segal
Yerach Toker

Haredi MKs are fighting for all Israelis

Op-ed: As we mark a year and a half since establishment of haredi-free government, we should ask ourselves if there has been any improvement in our standard of living.

The stereotype against the ultra-Orthodox society may be the most significant obstacle to mending the rift in the Israeli society.

 

 

This stereotype is reflected in many areas, starting from the haredi education issue and core studies, through the haredi struggles in the Knesset, to the distribution of the state budget.

 

The ongoing involvement in the conversion law allows us to understand the haredi society's attitude towards the State of Israel, its laws, its character and its citizens. After all, what do the haredi Knesset members have to do with the conversion issue, which aims to serve gentiles interested in joining the Jewish people?

 

Why MK Yakov Litzman's daughter, if he has one, will likely marry a Ger Hasid. MK Israel Eichler's son will probably marry a girl from one of the families in his community, and MK Uri Maklev's son will marry a Lithuanian woman. Why should they care about this law, which has to do with people they will never have anything in common with?

 

The same applies to most of the religious issues on the agenda in Israel. For example, the Shabbat issue. MK Eli Yishai's son will not travel on a bus in Tel Aviv on Saturday morning, yet his father is fighting against public transportation on Shabbat.

 

The haredi lawmakers' struggle against the anti-religious legislation is the response to the claim that the haredi politicians only care about their own society. Why most of the legislation which contradicts the Halacha and the haredi faith has nothing to do with their voters' lifestyles, yet they have waged an all-out-war to maintain the status quo and preserve the State of Israel's Jewish character.

 

The war waged by the haredi representatives in the Knesset is for the sake of the entire public, for the sake of Judaism, for the sake of the Jewish people. For the sake of those who don't know much about Judaism and may be negatively affected by laws which contradict the Torah.

 

This applies to the haredi educational system as well. In a status he posted on Facebook recently, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett recommended that parents teach their children the Hebrew alphabet with the "Masoret" ("Tradition") book which has been used by haredi education for generations.

 

And during a discussion about the Secret application at the Knesset's Science and Technology Committee, MK Orly Levi-Abekasis (Yisrael Beitenu) said to Committee Chairman MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism), "Well, it doesn't affect your people. You are hardly online as it is."

 

We can say many things about the haredi educational system, but we can't deny the values it instills in its students – not just by teaching them the language and writing, not just in terms of online violence and the damage inflicted on teenagers in the social networks, but also in many other areas, as proven by many studies and tests.

 

These days, we are marking a year and a half since the establishment of the haredi-free government. Have you felt any improvement in the standard of living or housing shortage? Has your salary gone up? Is your pension fund more secure? What about the factories closed in Arad and Dimona?

 

It's time to understand that the haredim never sat on the state's coffer, and even if they did receive what they are entitled to as a large and key population in Israel, it was never at the expense of their secular brethren.

 

The proof can be found in your bank account, which has not changed at all since Finance Minister Yair Lapid and his people entered their offices and installed mini-bars in their cars.

 

In a nutshell, it's time to put an end to the stereotype.

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.20.14, 00:23
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