After the conclusion of the fast, former Prime Minister and current Opposition Leader Yair Lapid expressed support for the left-wing protesters who disrupted the annual prayers throughout the city of Tel Aviv. He accused the organizers of the prayers of being "messianic and racist."
Opposition Leader Lapid began the fast with a recorded statement in response to the challenging events in which left-wing protesters disrupted prayer events throughout the city of Tel Aviv. In his statement, Lapid criticized the organizers of the prayers and the worshippers praying with men and women separated. He did not take a stance against the disruption of the prayers by left-wing activists, even though the prayers have consistently been held separately throughout the city of Tel Aviv in recent years, even during Lapid's own tenure as Prime Minister.
In his statement, Lapid asserted that, "What happened on this Yom Kippur is primarily terribly sad. Every year, it was a day of mutual respect, of considering each other's feelings. Those who wanted to pray separately went to the synagogue. Those who wanted to pray together prayed together outside. No one tried to impose their Judaism on the other."
And subsequently, he accused the worshippers and the organizers, saying, "Until they arrived from outside - messianic and racist zealots trying to impose their version of Judaism on us. We don't need anyone to give us instructions on how to be Jewish. It's a shame that they turned this holy and wonderful day into another day of Israeli quarreling."
