It was supposed to be another routine event for the residents of Beit Shemesh in general and the Haredim in particular. The Beit Shemesh municipality organized a singing evening with the great Hasidic singer Mordechai Ben David - with the trigger: the 65th anniversary of the founding of the city.
An advertisement published by the municipality ahead of the performance stated that the event was intended for men only.
In Beit Shemesh, as always, the Reform organizations jumped at the chance and contacted the mayor, claiming the exclusion of women. At the same time, they contacted the Deputy Attorney General - Dina Zilber (the event was also funded by the Ministry of Culture and Sports), who agreed with the claims, but was content with criticizing and waiting for a different response from the ministry.
The city hall, which worked on producing the event, breathed a sigh of relief. The tickets were snapped up, but just hours before the event, someone decided to puncture it. Or at least tried to.
I'm not talking about that fanatical group that controls terror in everything related to the state or the municipality. They are looking for employment/action. Where they can make their voice heard - they will. Sometimes it's graves, sometimes it's conscription into the IDF, and sometimes it's Moshe Aboutbul. An entertaining spectacle in itself, as long as it doesn't cross the line of good taste.
Propaganda leaflets against poetry nights were distributed throughout the city, emphasizing the performance that was about to take place, with signatures from all the city's rabbis attached.
I do not wish to enter into the considerations of the city's rabbis, because I am not worthy of it. But one thing bothers me: two months ago, during the interlude of Sukkot (the week after Sukkot), a singing evening (in the Shabbat dialect - Komzitz) was held with the singers Benny Friedman, Shamili Unger and Shmuel Greinman, accompanied by the musicians' orchestra, in the sports hall located in the heart of the Haredi neighborhood (it is worth noting that the event was beautiful and amazing). The event was attended by nearly a thousand enthusiastic yeshiva students, residents of the city.
Unlike the current evening, which was produced by the Mayor's Office, the previous evening was produced by the Haredi HaN department in the Beit Shemesh municipality, which is run by the representative of Degel Hatorah - Rabbi Shmuel Greenberg.
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Confusion prevails among the general public.
It is not clear what the uproar was about? After all, at the end of the month of Tishrei, entrance tickets were distributed to yeshiva students in the yeshivahs between times - without any resistance. But now, when the evening took place outside the boundaries of the settlement, in a remote, completely separate industrial area - a commotion arose.
For what and why? Because is there anyone else who is willing to give the public, yeshiva students, the opportunity to enjoy the purity of the Holy Land?
It smells bad, especially when the timing is just moments before... food for thought.
One of the activists who was involved in producing the event said in response: "It is unbelievable that on the one hand we are being attacked by the Reformers for holding an event on the purity of the Holy, and on the other hand the Sycharites, who had a day or two to go and couldn't find anything to protest about, found an opportunity to make their voices heard in order to mark territory: Here we are in control here.".
Regarding the information brochure distributed the day before, he said: "No one will be able to ruin the show, the show will be and will continue. Overall, anyone who fights against it is disgraced, because it shows everyone that they have no influence in the public.".
He said and was right.
The performance took place and was packed to the brim, with true Jewish joy over the purity of the holy place. The activists who ensured the boycott of the evening can mark another "V" for themselves. In the hope that next time they will devote their time and energy to the things that really matter...
And to you, dear businessmen, please, before you go to sign rabbis, you should check the facts to make sure they are correct. So that there is no slander in the rabbis' signatures.
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