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The Ritual of Kaplan
Last night was the 23rd Shabbat of the protest against the Judicial overhaul. As I was walking through Kaplan street and looking at the preparations, I suddenly understood that our Kaplan demonstration, with all its attributes, has quickly turned into a ritual . The Hebrew word Tekes (which means ceremony or ritual) is especially appropriate as each of its English equivalents does not reflect the Israeli spirit.
According to the French sociologist David Emile Durkheim, a ritual is a symbolic and effective tool which strengthen and reaffirm social unity, Bryan Turner and Clifford Geertz regard ritual as a force, which brings about change and still preserves social order. Sociologists define ritual as a public event with social and cultural significance that has certain specific characteristics: It is a formal event, with repetitive sequence, specific set of rules and certain people who are in charge of performing it..
In Kaplan the ritual has a special sequence, or order, which the audience has come to trust and rely on. Since the beginning Shikma Bressler has been the inspiration and the natural Mistress of Ceremony. She stands on the stage (holding an Israeli flag) together with a translator into sign language. The quiet presence of the translator, in contrast to the noise of the crowds, calms the audience and conveys the message that the ritual belongs to everyone. Shikma, the MC dictates the order of things including the singing of the national anthem at the beginning, the rhythmic chanting throughout, and the shouting of words like shame, democracy, etc.
The purpose of this ritual is to allow the people who are in Kaplan and at home (many people are watching the event online) to feel a sense of belonging and pride, and to experience a kind of a catharsis. To achieve this goal the choice of the speakers is extremely important. They have to convey a personal and emotional speech, and to deliver a message that would unite everyone. Thus they cannot afford to introduce issues which are not in consensus at this point. Unfortunately it seems that rituals are not for everybody, and the insistence to perform one in Kaplan every week (apart from the canceled demonstration on Shabbat 19th, and the anti occupation march last week). Eventually alienates not a small portion of the protesters.
Last night, about 20 minutes before the beginning of the main ceremony, several 1973 combatants stood on top of a symbolic tank in Kaplan, one of them gave a poignant speech about the disappearance of the Declaration of Independence (the actual text was spread next to the tank) from Israeli reality. I felt that the use of different stages could be a good solution and will allow inclusion of important issues which are not dealt with on the main stage.
In Israel we are experts at performing and inventing rituals, we also know how to be united, when needed. We have a long tradition of religious rituals: The Passover Seder, Rosh Hashanah etc. We also have national and more secular rituals: Memorial Day, Holocaust Memorial Day. Making Kaplan into a Ritual is crucial in our struggle, but we need to find an honorable way to give voice to those who are silenced so that they will be part of the change.
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