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Photo: Reuters
Kippa-wearing settlers protest disengagement
Photo: Reuters
Yaron London

Flashing Kippot

Yaron London says kippas not just innocent head coverings, but warning signs

Observant residents in Eilat complained last week they were unfairly singled out by Ariel Sharon’s bodyguards while the prime minister was speaking.

 

At the same time, the streets of Eilat were burning with an orange-shirted anti-Sharon demonstration, but not all of those turned away from the Sharon speech were wearing orange.

 

The reason for the slight is clear: the kippa is no longer an innocent head covering, but a warning sign, presumably because it identifies the wearer as a potential danger.

 

I assume that this is exactly how Israeli Arabs feel every time they are subjected to extra-careful security checks at malls, restaurants and airports around Israel. The accent, skin color, and mustache present a picture that security forces have learned to identify as dangerous.

 

So, too, it is for the religious: the kippa, the flying tzitzit and sandals readily identify the fanatic settler and his followers.

 

The system is as old as the world, and happens here every day: who ever heard of a black-skinned Nigerian, a blonde from Moldova or a bearded Arab from Umm al-Fahm who arrived in Israel to a perfunctory passport check and a quick exit to go home?

 

Just like America

 

The technical name for this phenomenon is “profiling”, and it is fair enough, if not very nice. But political correctness is a luxury for calmer societies than ours, and after Sept. 11, even the Americans-- the champions of political correctness - asked Israeli security forces to train Americans in the fine art of profiling.

 

Of course, the vast majority of individuals who fit a certain profile have done nothing wrong, but it pays to be careful.

 

Which brings us to the essential issue at hand: the connection between primitive belief systems and educated guesses based on assumptions.

 

If a white American is suspicious of everyone with slightly different skin pigmentation, he is called a racist. But an insurance company that refused to insure an apartment in the center of a heavily black, inner city neighborhood would obviously have made a sensible business choice.

 

'There is no such danger from Peace Now members'

 

The analogy also applies here: if I assume that the observant people I run into hate non-Jews simply because they are observant, I would be guilty of primitive thinking. However, if I were to quote statistics that showed clearly that observant Jews are more given than non-observant ones to hating non-Jews, it wouldn’t be far from the truth.

 

Liberals we may be, but in the real world we cannot avoid quick judgments based on assumptions.

 

What would I do if I saw a group of young kippa-wearers, tzizit flying, grouped together at the side of the freeway on a day when right-wing leaders have promised to bring the country to a standstill? If my grandson were in the car with me, I’d turn around and find an alternate way home. If I’m alone, I’ll prepare to trade blows. The chances aren’t great that it will turn violent, but the threat is certainly extant.

 

Essentially, we are like rabbits, who run for cover at the first sight of a large shadow without waiting to see if the issue is a vegetarian elephant or a wild tiger; But self-preservation requires him to protect himself.

 

So, too, is the case with politics. Of course it would be better to appreciate the subtle differences that make us all individual. But while we are under threat of war, we are unable to be patient, to avoid generalizations.

 

I believe it was instinct that drove Sharon’s bodyguards to keep out the kippa wearers, and I feel bad there was really no way for them to act differently.

 

It is their responsibility to quickly identify points of potential danger. There is no such danger from Peace Now members.

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.23.05, 21:17
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