Day 142 Of The War: Kaplan Is Back In Action

Last night, Kaplan finally resumed its regular role as the center of the protest against the corrupted government in Israel and its myriad measures, especially the judicial overhaul, to change the state of Israel from a democracy to a populist autocracy.

When we arrived at the demonstration, there were already thousands of people holding creative signs and posters. Some carried the flag of Israel. It was a genuine demonstration of Israeli citizens who can’t stand the disconnect between the government and the Knesset with what’s happening in Israel. There is a refusal by those in power, especially Netanyahu, to take responsibility for the worst disaster in the history of Israel. Many of the posters and T-shirts worn by people bore the words “You are the head, you are guilty.”

After a moment of silence in memory of those murdered on October 7th and the soldiers who were killed in action, we sang Hatikva. This was the only time that we sang.Additionally, there were several speeches, including one testimony from a survivor of October 7th, Dr. Ely Hogeg Golan, a physician from Kfar Aza, who was seriously wounded and saved along with her husband and daughter. She told the crowd, “I am speaking on behalf of my friends from Kfar Aza who were murdered, my family, the kibbutz, and the hostages. Return the mandate to the citizens; let’s have elections now. We deserve better, a leader fitting for this wonderful nation.”

Another testimony was given by Or Shneiberg, a reserve soldier who was seriously wounded in the war in Gaza, gave hope to the protesters when he said that on October 7th, we woke up to a state falling apart, a paralyzed and confused leadership that disappeared in real-time. The world collapsing gave us a new chance: an opportunity to renew the contract among us.