The State of Israel, established as a national home for the Jewish people, is defined as a Jewish and democratic state. This is a definition that is entirely a paradox, because religion by its very nature is not democratic. I suppose the attempt to resolve this paradox has resulted in the democratic state of Israel granting religious ownership of Orthodox Judaism as a gift. The meaning of the gift is that religion, the responsibility for religion, includes the jurisdiction over all matters of religion, and in particular over matters of marriage and divorce punished by the rabbinate. It is possible that the initial intention was to give authority on halakhic religious issues to rabbis who in any case have the knowledge to deal with these issues and therefore were also given the authority to do so.
A Jewish and democratic state is a definition that is entirely paradoxical, because religion by its very nature is not democratic. The attempt to resolve this paradox resulted in the democratic state of Israel granting religious ownership of Orthodox Judaism as a gift.
Anyway, What began as an innocent thought, I would almost say childish, of trying to separate religion from the state through the separation of governmental powers, became a puppet that arose over its creator. The ultra-Orthodox were not satisfied with the authority given to them and turned themselves into a powerful governmental force. One that has the power to determine whether a government will be formed. A power that translates the right of ownership into its most natural meaning – money, power, budgets.
It is possible that the primary goal of participation in power on the part of the ultra-Orthodox was to preserve the religion through the preservation of the ultra-Orthodox community and through its cultivation. But from the moment government power was translated into big money, control over budgets, jobs and honors, money became an end in itself.
This meant that religion and the preservation of religion ceased to stand against the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community as an end in itself. Religion has actually become a means of obtaining budgets, a tool for controlling money. And once the conflict between the desire to promote religion and the pursuit of financial gain arose, and once religion became a means of receiving money, a situation arose in which ultra-Orthodox leaders often acted against the good of their community. In fact, they are Act in order to preserve their own power and money – action in conflict of interest.
The activity against the good of the community was expressed in its closure to the outside world, an almost total closure, all technology was banned Which would bring about a connection between the closed ultra-Orthodox world and the outside world. A closure that also led to the release of debts that apply to other citizens.
A closure that resulted in them being exempted from duties such as military service. A closure that resulted in them being exempted from secular studies. A closure that led to the fact that they were deprived of the ability that every person has to choose a job, a profession and make a living from it. The ultra-Orthodox were deprived of control over their lives, personal and private control was confiscated from them and transferred to the leadership. The rabbis determine everything, according to which nothing will be decided.
It is possible that the purpose of the ultra-Orthodox participation in the government was to preserve and cultivate the ultra-Orthodox religion and community. But once government power was translated into big money, control of budgets, jobs and honors, money became an end in itself.
As stated, the extreme segregation of the ultra-Orthodox has often led to tensions with the democratic state and petitions to the High Court due to the violation of the right to equality, but in fact no event has taken the ultra-Orthodox leadership out of authority to discuss their affairs. It is possible that this authority was never tested, but then came the corona.
The corona suddenly shuffled the cards. A global epidemic has led governments to take extreme measures, including: closure and restrictions on liberty, restrictions on privacy, and restrictions on the religious freedom of citizens. Restrictions whose purpose is to protect the population from the plague. Restrictions that apply to the general public as well as to the ultra-Orthodox public – except that the ultra-Orthodox public is accustomed to obeying only the instructions of the rabbis.
These limitations and the impossibility and authority of the rabbis to decide on matters concerning the whole of society Bring the conflict of interest in which the ultra-Orthodox leadership operates to a climax: At one end is the good health of their community (and not just theirs) and at the other end is the continuation of their rule as was known to them and the community so far, a rule without straits. If the ultra-Orthodox leadership relinquishes its decision-making authority in matters of the ultra-Orthodox, even temporarily, it risks a concession not being temporary, it risks in its head.
And the continuation of power is indeed at stake. For the plague has led to the ultra-Orthodox society, the one that was kept closed and closed – being exposed at once to the outside world. For example, distance learning using a computer. For example, by listening to the news and instructions of the secular government, that they are accustomed not to listen to it and not to consider it. It is an earthquake for the ultra-Orthodox leaders, an earthquake that could drop the ground under the legitimacy of their leadership.
And the ultra-Orthodox leadership, fearful of losing control, is working against the good of the entire community. For example, by not preventing gatherings even during the holidays, thus causing great morbidity in the ultra-Orthodox sector and even death, in a society that in any case lives densely and is therefore more susceptible to infection.
The corona has forfeited the cards and caused governments to take extreme measures and impose restrictions aimed at protecting the population. The restrictions apply to the general public, including the ultra-Orthodox – but the ultra-Orthodox public is accustomed to obeying only the instructions of the rabbis
The activities of the ultra-Orthodox leadership against the good of the ultra-Orthodox community itself, whether by extreme segregation or in the prevention of education, have harmed the secular population – for example the prolonged military service burden, for example the payment of yeshiva students to secular students The ultra-Orthodox – but the harm was such that the secular public learned to live with it and learned to restrain it.
But the activities of the ultra-Orthodox leadership now, which does not act unequivocally to prevent rallies but on the contrary, asks the secular government to allow the rallies and harms health and life – not only of the ultra-Orthodox population, but of the entire population in the country. It therefore deserved to be treated with a hard and uncompromising hand.
Jesus and rejoiced in Simchat Torah pic.twitter.com/MdVZPJa729
– Israel Frey (@ freyisrael1) October 10, 2020
For example – It was possible and necessary to expropriate the treatment of everything related to the plague from the ultra-Orthodox leadership due to the serious conflict of interest in which they operate. A conflict of interest in which the good of the leadership conflicts not only with the good of their community, but also with that of society as a whole. The harm is to all civilians. This is a fatal economic injury, a health injury and a social injury. Injury to the whole fabric of life – severe and disproportionate injury.
But in the case before us, this is not just a conflict of interest of the ultra-Orthodox leadership, This conflict of interest is also compounded by the inherent conflict of interest in which Netanyahu operates, By virtue of being a criminal defendant. A conflict of interest which led to the decisions made by the political system in Israel being decisions that are not always rational. Decisions from narrow political motives. Decisions that do not benefit the general public. Decisions that are a scandal. Decisions that led to a second closure (making us the only country with a general second closure) and economic ruin. Decisions that were supposed to lead to a decision that the ultra-Orthodox leadership cannot fulfill its role in the event of a global epidemic that harms the entire population.
Although the activities of the ultra-Orthodox leadership against the good of the ultra-Orthodox community harmed the secular population, the harm was such that the secular public learned to live with it. But now it is harming the health and lives of the entire population of the country
The corona should lead to the separation of religion from the state, it has proved that the paradox in our definition as a Jewish and democratic state may become a question of life and death. Especially in cases where an external force acts over the whole society and does not separate its details, and when the conflict of interest in which the leadership of the ultra-Orthodox society acts does not only lead to economic inequality but also erodes the value of sanctity of life.