MK Hili Trooper reacted today (Tuesday) to the explosion of the Yom Kippur prayer in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, when he condemned the protesters who attacked the worshipers due to the placement of the partitions.
"There is no justification in the world for the offensive behavior towards the worshipers in Dizengoff Square," Tropper clarified. "All the great ideologies and values that the protesters were working for are being lost in the way of the protesters who throw Machzor prayer books on the floor, the protester who pulls the wing of a worshiper's Tallit, and the group that insults and curses with hatred and abuses worshipers during the "Kol Nidrei" prayer. Even those who are opposed with every fiber of their being to gender separation or to the activity of the 'Rosh Yehudi', we need to renounce this humiliating way."
He also mentioned the attack on Rabbi Levinstein last week: "Believe me, I am not looking to defend Rabbi Levinstein or Israel Zeira. I deeply disagree with them. There is a deep chasm between my perception and theirs. I understand that it is impossible to start a story from the middle, and in the previous chapters some of those rabbis hurt the beliefs and in the values of a wide public in Israel, and it would still have been better not to write this ugly chapter last night."
"I also understand very well the person who claims that the rabbi who calls him a 'pervert' or a 'problem that needs to be exterminated' and behaves condescendingly and offensively towards him, should not be received with a nice welcome. Of course. But between not receiving a nice welcome and expelling him with violence, obscene gestures and death wishes There is a long distance," he added. "It is a terrible proposal to flood the streets with counter-hatred in order to defeat the hatred that comes out of some of the midrash houses in Israel. Although I believe in free love, I am not that naive and understand that not always a polite struggle is required here. But such hatred? Such contempt?? Liberalism Not looks like that, Judaism doesn't."
"Furthermore, honestly, recently there is a growing feeling that from the point of view of a certain current in the protest - the struggle is not only against religion, donations to the murderer of the Dawabsha family and extremist rabbis. For that part, I hope and believe that it is small, it has become a struggle for everything religious, even everything Jewish " Tropper continued. "This is a fight against Judaism, all Judaism, of any kind. The Secular Forum, for example, released a pamphlet some time ago that presents a list of entities that should be wary of. The list also includes a non-religious and liberal entity such as Bina, it turns out that it is also becoming dangerous in the current climate."
"Also, the Meitarim organization - which sets up educational frameworks that combine religious and secular, full disclosure: my children also study there, is marked by them as a dangerous organization. Well, be careful: religious and secular study together. Last night my eyes caught one of the signs that were held up - "Enough for Kiddush" read In it. Do you mean the sanctification of Shabbat eve? A blessing that millions of religious, traditional and secular people recite every Shabbat eve? To teach you that this is not a fight against Zeira or Levinstein but against any Jewish symbol. Judaism as a virus. Connections as a danger."
"If it's a fight against everything Jewish - I'm not there"
Tropper clarified that "in the face of extremists who do not want to give space to gays and women or in the face of rabbis who support the murderer of an innocent family, I am a participant in the struggle. But it is not a struggle against Judaism. It is actually in the name of Judaism. In the name of 'thou shalt not murder', in the name of 'love your neighbor as yourself,'" In the name of 'A loving person who was created in God's image'. But if it's a fight against everything Jewish - I'm not there."
"The huge protest in its best moments held a unifying message, breaking camps, and capturing under it all those who feared that the democratic foundation was damaged" noted Tropper. "That small current in the protest, which is now busy harming the Jewish foundation, is pushing me and many of the partners in the struggle out. We started the struggle for a Jewish-democratic state. These wanted to erode democracy, these want to erode Judaism, but the Israeli majority wants both and the complex but special connection between them."
According to him, "I don't find my home among those who hate in the name of Judaism, I don't find a home in the name of those who hate in the name of liberalism. My home is the home of the Israeli majority, who want a Jewish and democratic life. How sad, that there are extremists who insist on setting this house on fire."
"The majority of Israelis walk around today with a broken heart"
"Since last night, everyone has been attacking everyone else. Those demanded condemnation for violating the court order and those demanded condemnation for violating the prayer. How sad that once again the fanatics have set the agenda for all of us and we have to deal with them" he added and argued. "And I just wanted to mention that the majority of Israelis and the majority of the protestors are standing dumbfounded as to how this happened. How did extremists attack on this day as well."
"The majority of Israelis walk around today with a broken heart. A broken heart may be quieter than the loud and violent, but it hurts in the deepest way possible," he concluded. "The majority of Israelis understand that in a healthy society when something is sacred to someone, everyone does what they can to take it into account. The majority does not look to gouge out their eyes or quarrel, certainly not on Yom Kippur. They prefer to be a little less righteous and much more considerate, wise, and sensitive. The absolute majority passed Yom Kippur with respect for others and great love for this land, for this people, and for a democratic Jewish state, and for these we are fully prepared to fight, with strength, with tremendous dedication, but without hatred."