Today we celebrate Memorial Day and immediately after that Independence Day.
In my previous column, I wrote about the media's behavior on Holocaust Remembrance Day, but it pales in comparison to its actions on Remembrance Day and Independence Day.
As a former secularist, I can attest that in Israeli society, Remembrance Day is of greater importance than Holocaust Remembrance Day, even though the number of deaths in Israeli wars is zero compared to the number of deaths in the Holocaust.
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This is probably why the hatred towards the Haredim is even greater, when they see that we are not standing by the siren. The secularists feel that the state exists because of the fallen and not because of God and the Torah scholars.
Don't get me wrong: it's hard to even imagine where such a delusional statement comes from, that the ultra-Orthodox don't care about secular blood being spilled.
But on Remembrance Day, which is laden with pain, it is possible to incite without any problem, compared to Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The argument is simple: the Haredim do not serve in the army, so they do not care about secular blood being spilled. This is the prevailing opinion among the secular public, unfortunately.
Photographers will ambush us every year, and if I talked about the media buzz on Holocaust Remembrance Day, it is nothing compared to Remembrance Day.
The photographers will lie in wait in Shabbat Square and in Haredi gatherings, looking to take pictures that will bring in ratings. They will film Neturei Karta running with the siren on purpose or burning the state flag, and present this as a widespread reality throughout the entire Haredi sector. .
The fact that it's just a few people - and the reporters know this very well - doesn't confuse them.
It is trite to say again that the Haredim remember differently. Standing still is a gentile custom, while we say "Av HaRahamim" in memory of the deceased every Shabbat, read Tehillim and learn Mishnayot in memory of the fallen. This is our way of honoring. In our eyes, standing still has no meaning. But we honor no less than the secular.
It's a shame that precisely in these days, when we are supposed to unite the people, we are being slandered, just for ratings.
The photographer himself doesn't stand by the siren. He's busy: running around looking for Haredim who aren't standing.
Why isn't he looking for secularists who aren't standing? Because that would cause embarrassment in the media.
Recently, the news mentioned a television series called "Zagori Empire" - a shallow entertainment series - that tells the story of life in a housing estate in Be'er Sheva. In one of the episodes that depicted Holocaust Remembrance Day, people were shown not wanting to stand by the siren.
I don't want the media to now look for secularists who are not behaving properly. I just ask that they get off of us.
Why don't they cover Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day from an ultra-Orthodox perspective? They probably don't care. If they did, they wouldn't have anyone to hate.
Independence Day
I would like to pose a question: How is it possible that there is no Haredi pioneer who will light a torch? In the eyes of the Haredi, this has no meaning, but in the eyes of secularists who respect it - why don't they give the Haredi this opportunity?
They took care of everyone, even the Arabs. They brought in Lucy Aharish to light a torch (what has she already done? Host a program on Channel 2?), but aren't there any leading Haredi public figures? For that matter, the Haredi journalist Sivan Rahav Meir?
This is nothing less than the exclusion of Haredim. It is a disgrace.
We may not be celebrating the upcoming holiday, but may you, my secular brothers, have a happy Independence Day (or, sorry, slanderous incitement).
