A Macbeth play in the Knesset

I guess United Torah Judaism party members in the Knesset have read MacBeth, at least Uri Maklev.  I didn’t know you quoted that along with the Talmud.  Oh, you don’t.  Pardon me if I do.

An Arutz Sheva headline I saw shocked me.  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  It read “Calling haredi MKs blackmailers is incitement.”  It quoted that “UTJ MK Uri Maklev says haredi Draft Law should be passed during the Knesset’s summer session.”  Further, A-7 quoted him “that the haredi political parties have been subject to ‘incitement’ over the proposed Draft Law.”

Haredim deliver ultimatums, and their opponents are inciters?  That’s rich!  I don’t want to paint an entire community based upon the acts of a few, but like whites in America who condone the crazy acts of a few racists, that does make a lot of the community complicit.  What about viral video documentation of the community in acts of outrage and riot on the Draft Law and other issues where the community takes the laws into its own hands and applies mob rule and pressure.  If you live in Geulah like I do where there seem to be about a demonstration a week, you know the reality.  This does not mention the amount of individual acts of violence against women and soldiers.

To paraphrase Gertrude in MacBeth, I think the MK doth protest too much, indicating me thinks at least complicit guilt in many of his community’s actions and an infantile attempt to deflect criticism of his community’s widespread draft dodging while other fine young people go to the Army.  A recent example from April 22 of 2018 is one of many that will illustrate my point succinctly.  Being religious, A-7 is obviously appalled but embarrassed and has to report:

The A-7 headline reads “Community ‏Police arrest haredi man who hit Beit Shemesh women with pipe.”  According to A-7, police arrested a haredi man who hit a number of Beit Shemesh women with pipe.  He was arrested after video showing him hitting women with the pipe as part of a “modesty patrol” went viral.

Boy, am I lucky, I don’t have to buy plane tickets to Saudi Arabia or Iran.  We have mullahs here who can kick a woman’s tuchas.  Looks like this guy fit the description.

The rest of the article is more startling, indicating the “The man can be seen in the video ordering the horrified women to “go home” on the eve of Yom Ha’atzmaut while menacingly wielding a rubber pipe. The clip went viral in Israel, racking up hundreds of thousands of views and causing an outcry on social media.  On Saturday night, the man was arrested by police, who told the Behadrei Haredim website that he was well known to local authorities due to his radical activities. He was released shortly after on bail and police have opened an investigation.  Ramat Beit Shemesh has been the center of increasingly divisive battles over the past few years as a large influx of radical haredim have battled with the Religious Zionist and secular residents over the city’s nature.”

So, let’s get this straight.  Anyone, dati or secular who gets out of line will get an “attitude check.”  Who’s engaged in incitement and terrorism?  We have to go viral on the internet and get thousands of views of a video with the defendant got dead bang before officer Shmulik will drop his falafel and give a flip , please God, about whether we live or die?  Nice to know at least it only took a week using the internet.  Perhaps we should send up a flare, send smoke signals, or passenger pigeons?

Maklev, a US Army drill sergeant would have classified your statement as “pure unadulterated bulls..t!”  Although MK Maklev has duly incited me, the Mr. Rogers (my English family name is Rogers) show must at all times remain family oriented.  Here’s some real inciters I’d like to bring to your attention: the Iranians are coming, get it now?  I guess you’ll put in a few good words for the soldiers.  Maybe not.

Haredi lawmakers and Bibi have this cozy bromance going on to get elected.  The public, at least those who are getting burned and bludgeoned are not amused.  Maklev, you should be ashamed, but I won’t hold my breathe to for you to change.  Got any incitement charges to file now?

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