1.
Even in the difficult period, between attacks, there is time for new headlines on other topics. And here is the issue of the old men's riot in the IDF that continues to dominate the agenda.
The sensitive issue has generated headlines and statements, including some that compare to dark periods in history. If at first, I told myself, Almog, "Get a grip on yourself," think deeply, and understand that it is clear that the army will regret it and grant the old man an exemption, then later I realized that I was probably wrong in my indifference.
The IDF not only did not repent, but they went a step further and decided that soldiers with beards would not be allowed to participate in parades of honor. Is it possible that in the state of the Jewish people, in the "people's army," being old is a crime? Unfortunately, it turns out that it is.
Here again, the problem of recruiting Haredim into the IDF comes to mind. It's no wonder the numbers are so low; it's impossible that the army is unwilling to adapt itself to the Haredi sector, or even to the national-religious sector that is found in large numbers in the army.
Apparently the main problem is that the army is also an educational body first and foremost, and secular education is something that would be unthinkable for graduates of ultra-Orthodox education.
Now I have no choice but to justify the statements of the national religious rabbis, such as Rabbi Aviner, who compared the "cutting of the elders" to that of the Nazis. I say this with regret, but in our reality, if we want to prevent something, we have to be determined, and say provocative but topical statements out loud, so that "the cutting off" people understand that what they are doing is wrong.
In this case, the end justifies the means.
2.
And while we're on the subject of old people, MK Yair Lapid also came out in favor of the old people's growers. And this led me to think that perhaps I was wrong and shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss Lapid's intentions as manipulative in my previous column.
I'm constantly trying not to judge people and to judge them fairly, so why didn't I do it here? Maybe Yair Lapid is really trying to atone for the past, maybe he's really sorry, and is really trying to turn a new page.
I also hate it when people tell me that before I converted, 'I would have done everything completely opposite of what I do now.'.
3. Speaking of jumping to conclusions, I remembered an incident that happened to me last week.
Online "There was a rumor that the Starbucks coffee chain was about to open its first branch in the country in Ramat Beit Shemesh, where there is a large modern-ultra-Orthodox community.
However, the news also reported that, due to pressure from activists, a restriction was added to the opening of the business, which is that women will not be allowed to sit outside, but only inside, as in Saudi Arabia.
The news also irritated me, until I realized that I had fallen into the trap of Facebook's discourse. Everyone already wanted to condemn it, led by various "freedom" organizations. In the end, it turns out that this is a Purim story and a hoax by the city's first-rate charity, which every year publishes a story that was not part of the campaign.
But this is human nature - to jump in headfirst, condemn, react, judge, and get angry before even investigating things in depth.
This is what we must change.
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