1.
If it seemed that the level of hatred between secular and ultra-Orthodox people had decreased, the past month, with its many events, has proven otherwise.
What hurts me the most as a convert is that I know both worlds in depth.
I remember myself studying in a secular school and hearing a fairly common rumor: "Haredim deny the Holocaust." To that, I would like to say: All of these claims are baseless. Do you think I deny or belittle the fallen? Or am I, as an Haredi, associated with all of these baseless claims?
Every time the subject of the Holocaust comes up, or I write about it, tears flow from my eyes. On both sides, I am a descendant of Holocaust survivors who lost their families and their property.
So think again. Because we remember the fallen all around the calendar.
2.
Erase this stigma. I and the vast majority of the Haredim, except for a group of a few dozen, stood at the siren according to the advice of our rabbis, in order to sanctify the name of heaven, and we recited chapters of Psalms in memory of the fallen. The same is true on Memorial Day.
On Memorial Day, we also did the "Psalter for Every Fallen" project to commemorate and lift up the souls of the fallen, as well as on Holocaust Day, and on Memorial Day, we continued to commemorate and honor, and we said "Yizkor.".
Every Shabbat, the synagogues say the prayer: "God is full of mercy" in memory of the victims, and also study Mishnayot. The time has come to build a new, non-stigmatizing cultural discourse here.
And this appeal, by the way, is intended for both secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews.
3.
In addition to Holocaust Remembrance Day, the articles from the Post also come in. Over and over again, the Haredim are accused of being filthy and like animals.
So I went down to the field to see.
Today I am a resident of the city of Modi'in, a secular, clean, polished and well-kept city. I went out to a large park with a lake at its heart that every year during the 'in-between' days is filled with hundreds of Haredi hikers every day.
I guess we all remember the year this park was closed to the ultra-Orthodox, until the law stepped in. The park was clean and tidy as usual, I didn't see any unusual dirt, and certainly not diapers in the lake, but ducks of various colors.
Regarding the claim that secular residents are turning a blind eye to ultra-Orthodox visitors, I will summarize it in one sentence: It is true that ultra-Orthodox people are turning a blind eye, but as someone who lives across from a 50-dunam strip of parks 365 days a year, I can honestly say that it stands empty and desolate, and the city's residents sit in air conditioning or in high-tech offices.
Modiin is like that. This is why the Haredim are the almost exclusive visitors to parks in Modiin.
4.
And while I'm at it, Modi'in: I've never seen transportation as catastrophic, cumbersome, and endlessly delayed as Modi'in. You leave the house and pray that the bus will arrive and really need divine help. And what will the Ministry of Transportation say? There are no passengers on the buses, so there aren't many trips.
And what will the residents say? We are the motorized city in Israel because you can't rely on transportation there.
And before Israel Katz says a word, let me say this: Entire neighborhoods in Modi'in don't have a bus to Jerusalem, only twice a day, and I'm gently saying that it doesn't always work out. The drivers don't want to bother themselves, and the residents have learned to be punching bags. I don't count on any bus in Modi'in arriving on time, if at all.
Residents of neighboring Modi'in Illit, I envy your excellent transportation.
5.
But this is not just Modi'in's problem, even though it is a city that is planned down to the smallest detail. It is the problem of all public transportation in Israel.
They put up large signs to create a sense of accomplishment, they give up on the project after everyone has already pulled out their gray hairs, and move on to the next project with zero thinking or planning.
So it's true, the minister released as many projects and cut as many films as possible during his term, but no one thinks about the purpose of the project, and whether it will serve passengers.
How this will serve the news journalist, that's what they thought about very well in government offices.
6.
Quite a few high school students, and those about to get their license, including quite a few of my age, contacted me to raise the issue of the driving examiner strike.
And what should I say to all those who are wasting time and money?
Once again, someone at the Ministry of Transportation made a mistake because of Waze and is recalculating a route and there is no GPS signal.
This time, Yisrael Katz woke up from the stress of the shouting. It turns out that in our country, only pressure helps.
And speaking of stress, don't be surprised by the new cause of mortality: "stress.".
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