Haredi ingratitude

In this new Ayin Tova cartoon, we see an Ultra-Orthodox Haredi rabbi deliberately spitting into the water source of the Jewish nation.

Why would someone spit into a well that they, and others, drink from? This malicious act of pollution is disturbing.

The head of a Torah-study kollel in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak was recently filmed at a conference hurling outrageous insults at the IDF chief of staff and showering contempt on the Israeli army. The disparaging words he used were ones typically reserved for the greatest enemies of the Jewish people over the centuries. Shocking!

It subsequently came out that this yeshiva head has received millions of shekels in state funding from Israel for his institution over the past decade. Such ingratitude!

Biting the hand that supports him and his community, this rabbi publicly incites without shame.

A friend of mine said he didn’t care if some Haredim don’t want to serve the country or learn basic trade skills – as long as they do not expect a say or a vote, and as long as they do not receive free benefits. No give, no get. There should be no rights or advantages extended without shouldering civic responsibilities and obligations.

Yet, the reality in Israel is that Haredim receive a ton, give so little back, and some have the chutzpah to show contempt for the very government that helps sustain them.

Such barefaced ingratitude runs directly counter to the essence of what it means to be Jewish – a word (yehudi) rooted in acknowledgment and gratitude (hodaya).

Let’s hope that this incident marks a low point, and that going forward, people will remember what it means to live a life based on Jewish values.