I understand too well the ex-judge who criticized a strong beautiful presenter

I understand too well the ex-judge who attacked a former beauty queen and women’s rights advocate for wearing an Orthodox head covering but a ‘sexy’ outfit as co-presenter of the spectacle in honor of the 71st Israel’s Independence Day ceremony for being a hypocrite.

He refuses to apologize and maybe it takes telling him in his face what he has actually been saying.

I looked up the YouTube clip of the evening but before finding it, I knew already what had disturbed him. And looking at parts of the clip, I was right.

There were men with kippot (traditional head covering for Jewish men) looking at and listening to women dancing and singing — something Jewish law frowns upon. This contrast didn’t disturb him.

There was a singer who didn’t only have a full beard and mustache, but also long hair. This contrast didn’t disturb him.

There were blind women in elegant dresses singing. This contrast didn’t disturb him.

He got disturbed by the following:

1. If looking at a woman gives you sexual feelings or even if you see that she is attractive, that woman is wrongly dressed. She’s unfair competition with men who cannot flaunt these ‘attractive’ looks. Before she’s to be taken seriously, she should look totally uninteresting if not ugly.

This is an important aspect of sexism.

Also the opposite is part of hatred for women. If a woman doesn’t look ‘hot’ (in the eyes of such a sexist) she’s not worth listening to. This way women can never win.

The same we find in anti-Semitism: Jews are all rich, next to, they are the worthless masses; they are immoral, next to, they make us sick with their moral demands; they are our cunning oppressors, next to, they are primitive people who live in the past; etc.

By the way, Jewish Law doesn’t demand that a woman hide her beauty. There are certain dress codes how her public dress should be restrained but hiding that she is a woman and even a beautiful woman is not part of that. The rabbis don’t advocate burkas.

2. Nothing against the religious but these primitives give us a bad name and should stay in their own neighborhoods.

Her head covering stood out in this almost totally secular spectacle. This riles people who hate the religious. What was she doing is his show?

3. Mizrahic Jews are equal but should not press their un-Western attitudes upon the general public. Ashkenazic Jews built this country and the rest should show their gratefulness but be subservient.

Of course, if we really want to know who built this country then it’s largely Gentile Arab workers.

And let’s not open up the subject of how racist Mizrachic Jews were received here. They had to live in tent camps “because there was not enough to absorb them properly” while the Jews from Europe got decent housing.

There is still so much unchallenged racism, especially among the intelligentsia who know how to hide it behind polite words and who never worked shoulder-to-shoulder with non-Western Jews.

4. What was she standing there, smiling, warm and strong?

Women have always been the Jews’ strongest section. Because of the women, we left Egypt (slavery and became a People) the rabbis teach us. Still, many Jewish men are scared of strong women and hide that by being nasty. And especially if she’s not White, she should know her place and make coffee. Then she can smile.

In conclusion, this attack is a good example of how elitism, racism and sexism are friends of each other. I’m very proud to be of the same People as this presenter with her modesty, her intelligence, her warmth and her beauty. All women in Israel should wear this attack as a batch of honor. Despite all this oppression, they are the state’s greatest asset.

About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1