Yesh Atid MK Ram Ben came under fire on Monday for inflammatory comments he made about the joint Religious Zionist Party-Otzma Yehudit slate, religion, and women who wear head coverings.
In an interview with Radio Tzafon, he warned of the strengthening of the Religious Zionist Party. “This party is a dangerous and anti-democratic party,” he claimed. “It wants halacha to take a more important place in our lives, which means that soon TV hosts will be wearing head coverings and women won’t be able to serve in the army. That’s where we’re going, I hope people understand that.”
“Avi Maoz [chairman of the ‘pro-normative family’ Noam party] is number 11 in the party. Gays will have to be in a very strong closet because they won’t be able to be accepted to any workplace because they’re considered animals. I’m very disturbed by their rise in polls.”
Religious Zionist chairman Bezalel Smotrich responded by slamming Ben-Barak’s statements as incitement: “I expect Yair Lapid to immediately condemn the severe words of his party member Ram Ben-Barak who defamed the Religious Zionist public and the women of the media and television who proudly wear head coverings.”
Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman responded by excoriating Ben-Barak for calling his party anti-democratic after the coalition he was a part of “trampled every democratic norm in the Knesset and government and silenced the opposition…it takes a great deal of chutzpah for Ben-Barak to talk about anti-democratic parties.”
He added: “I would expect someone who hires a Muslim parliamentary advisor who wears a hijab to show a little more tolerance toward Jewish women who choose to wear a head covering at work.”
Many other politicians who condemned Ben-Barak’s statements mentioned the fact that he didn’t express any problem in sitting in the same government with terror supporters, some of whom wore hijabs.
חבר׳ה אתם לא הבנתם נכון את רם בן ברק,
אין לו בעיה עם כיסוי ראש לנשים.
יש לו בעיה עם נשים *יהודיות* וכיסוי ראש. pic.twitter.com/U9wigG9Tj1— •Liel(S)💙🇮🇱• (@lielillsl) September 19, 2022
Yesh Atid has now joined forces with Yisrael Beiteinu, Meretz, and Labor in utilizing scaremongering anti-religious messages in their election campaigns.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Mafdal (Religious Zionist Party) was once the third most powerful political party in Israel. Some believe that over the years, the left and right veered further apart while the middle fell through. But that’s merely an idealization of the past. The truth is that there has ALWAYS been a hard left in Israel.
Still, at one time, there was a sizeable population of masorti (traditional) Jews who voted Labor or Likud. These people had religious grandparents or Yiddish-speaking parents. Many of them were either Holocaust survivors or the children of survivors. People like the late folklorist Dr. Yom-Tov Lewinsky. Not religious per se, but not anti-religious and even friendly toward Yiddishkeit. Sadly, that ilk is now all but extinct. In fact, the only real population of masorti Jews left are Sephardim, and many of their children are becoming “gor frum”. So, the middle – if you want to call it that – is in peril.
Now, all that remains of the Israeli left is the fringe – a heady brew of pro-Palestinian activists, “alpha-bet” people, and tattooed, anti-religious goons. Of course, those types are in the custom of holding up all religious Jews as the implacable bogeyman.
I for one am inspired by the exponential growth of the religious community in Israel and the growing power that accrues from slowly becoming the majority.
One would have to be blind not to recognize G-d’s hand in this. It is just like Yeshayahu ha-Navi said: עִבְרוּ עִבְרוּ בַּשְּׁעָרִים פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ הָעָם סֹלּוּ סֹלּוּ הַמְסִלָּה סַקְּלוּ מֵאֶבֶן הָרִימוּ נֵס עַל הָעַמִּים – The way is being cleared and the path is being paved for the Ge’ulah.
To say that Iran or Iraq and the Arab countries would like us better if the woman went without cloth is to say that allowing gays proud will help the problems of knowledge and those that can not deal with saving there dignity from the sin
“NEWS FLASH”! Head covering in a Jewish country!
Ultra-orthodox, ultra-liberal, same trash, opposite extremes!
Torah is most Democratic.