UTJ leaders. Where will the money for their noble goals come from?
Photo: Gil Yohanan
It's not compassion, it's extortion
Op-ed: United Torah Judaism's impressive achievements in the coalition talks have nothing to do with benefitting the other, unless the word 'compassion' only applies to the party's voters.
"Not extortion, compassion," Rabbi Yakov Litzman said at the end of the long and exhausting coalition negotiations he held on behalf of his party, United Torah Judaism
(UTJ), in light of its impressive achievements in the talks and the criticism leveled at him and at his partner, Rabbi Moshe Gafni.
Yet the rabbi chose the word compassion in order to justify the list of demands his party presented and received, which have nothing to do with that word, unless the word compassion, as far as he is concerned, is only firm and valid, only relevant, to his voters. They and no one else.
Compassion, he said, and there is one thing Litzman cannot be suspected of – that he doesn't speak Hebrew. It's true that compassion also means mercy, but compassion is mainly meant to express empathy, solidarity, participation, and yes, it also includes some compliance. So much, that there are linguistics who claim that more than any other interpretation, the proverb (which the rabbis is undoubtedly very familiar with) "What is hateful unto you do not do to your friend" clarifies the meaning of the word very well.
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Yedidia Stern
Op-ed: It is in everyone's interests if economic incentives are used to boost ultra-Orthodox enlistment and criminal sanctions on draft dodgers are cancelled.
What does compassion have to do with the demand (which was accepted) to cancel the Equal Share of the Burden Law? what does compassion have to do with the verbal trick calling for a cancellation of the criminal sanctions, as if there is anyone who doesn’t understand that it means the entire law is over and done with?
Prime Minister Netanyahu and UTJ leaders sign coalition agreement. What does compassion have to do with the demand to cancel the Equal Share of the Burden Law?
Empathy, participation and solidarity carry a different meaning: Sharing the burden together; an understanding that in light of the State of Israel's situation, it isn't fair that less than half of 18-year-olds join the army, and that only a small part of them reach combat service. Whoever is paying the price should know that he is not the only one placing his personal shoulder under the stretcher.
"Acts of grace, whose main purpose is to benefit the other" – this is how the dictionary defines compassion. It true that UTJ rushed to promise us dental care for children, and maybe even for the elderly too, and nursing care insurance for everyone. But the compassionate UTJ has failed to clarify where the money for these noble goals will come from, especially in light of its other demands, which have also been accepted: Restoring the allowances for yeshiva students and the child allowances which were canceled about two years ago, funding students from abroad, when it's perfectly clear who these students are, and restoring the law budgeting the ultra-Orthodox education in unofficial institutions.
Of course no one expects UTJ, and especially not its leaders, to address the word compassion in its Christian sense. The party's leaders are not expected to demonstrate altruism – but toughening the conversion processes, and making changes in the Selection Committee for Religious Judges, in favor of the haredim, is not exactly what we would define, under the term "compassion," as acts which aim to benefit the other.
And that's not all, of course, but these things are enough to clarify what we didn’t have here and what we did have here: Years-long experience in conducting negotiations, political mastery, determination, levelheadedness, seizing opportunities, locating and taking advantage of the other side's weaknesses, and yes – also extortion.
The extortion issue calls for two or three additional sentences: All political parties, each in its own way, are extortionist. Each and every one of them maximizes its ability to seize the opportunity it runs into once every four (or two) years to guarantee the maximum implementation of the agenda it aspires to promote. In the reality of the State of Israel, in which forming a coalition is a repulsive puzzle work of juggling between benefits and ego, this is not a delightful figure, but it definitely doesn’t characterize UTJ only.
The annoying thing, to tell you the truth, apart from the UTJ's list of achievements – and we know very well who will have to work hard to fund them – is the choice of the word compassion in the sentence "it's not extortion, it's compassion." Because what should have been said is the exact opposite: "It's not compassion, it's extortion," and with an additional clarification, if possible – "and it's so good we succeeded."
