Enough with the poor image: about four boys who excuse the violations during Corona

A few weeks ago, the chairman of the ZAKA organization, Yehuda Meshi Zahav, lost his mother and father to the coronavirus, within a period of less than a week.

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Following the enormous loss, he came out strongly against the violations in the sector:"Our hands not They shed the blood. this?!""

And I ask: Is it only after a tragedy that there is room for outcry and self-criticism, and how great does the loss have to be for us to admit that we have sinned as a sector?

It's time to say enough is enough with the risk-taking, the accusations, the repercussions, and the self-excuses. It's time to admit the truth: The behavior of the Haredi sector during the Corona period, the mass gatherings, and the disregard for guidelines are unjustified.

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Media and public figures who were asked about the violations tried to justify them with four different tactics, which remind me of the four sons from the Passover Haggadah:

1. "The wise son""What does he say -" Excuse: The Haredi cities and neighborhoods have a low socioeconomic status, high population density, and large families with many children, so the infection rates will be higher anyway. (Avraham Rubinstein, MK Uri Maklev, and others).

And we answer him: Precisely because of the existing facts, we must be even more careful and present solutions.

2. ''The Evil Son' - The Accusation: Violations are also taking place in Balfour, the beach in Tel Aviv is crowded with bathers, why is the finger of blame pointed specifically at the ultra-Orthodox? A funeral is the same as a demonstration! (Yair Sharky explains in an interview with Dana Weiss).

And they answer him: This is not a competition about who endangers human lives more, this is about a common goal of getting out of the crisis. The 'corona' does not distinguish between ultra-Orthodox and secular, the more we follow the guidelines, the more we will benefit from it.

3. ''The Innocent Son'- ""It's not me": "It's not all Haredim, it's an extreme minority that exists in every sector, most of the public is disciplined to follow instructions, prays in an open area, the children study from home, so why generalize?" (Dana Veron in an interview with Kobi Mahat).

And they answer him: When it was a question of minor violations, the claim could be accepted, but when 'tishim', mass weddings and funerals with thousands of participants take place, it is no longer possible to ask not to generalize. Of course, this does not contradict the fact There are many communities and Hasidim who observe the law. And strictness in it, from mild to severe, who were very extreme in adhering to the guidelines, But those who are not strict can certainly no longer be defined as "an extreme minority on the fringes of the camp.".

4. ''Who doesn't know how to ask' - changing the subject: The media creates an image of us as a public that spreads diseases and is an economic and security burden on other citizens, but ignores the great mutual support that exists among us. For example, we have many charitable organizations. Who hasn't heard of 'Ezra Lamarfa', 'Yad Sara', 'ZAKA', 'Hatzala', 'Yedidim', and more? (Discussion in the Shtetl).

And they open up to him: he doesn't know how to answer in a classic way, ignores the question and runs away to places he wasn't asked about.

With these claims, our media and public portray us as a small child who, when scolded, instead of taking responsibility, is only looking for someone to blame, someone to throw blame at, and who to make excuses for.

You have probably already heard the parable of the "Harsh Sheep" by Israel's interpreter, Mrs. Yonit Levy: "The sheep arrived and said, 'Excuse me, a cart passed by with some herbs. I was hungry, so I ate them.' The tiger looked at the lion and said, 'Here is the plague because of her, and they devoured the sheep.'".

Not only did Mrs. Levy not buy this pathetic parable, but neither did I, as an ultra-Orthodox woman.

So they'll tell me: What, exactly, do you want? Let's just say out loud, 'We're to blame,' what do we get out of it except flattery and slander? After all, at the end of the day, those who seek to slander are not looking for answers, but are just waiting for the next incendiary substance, and you provide it to them. In addition, there is a reason why public figures cannot say certain things. Because as soon as they come out against the violations, there will be those who will inflate the headlines and blow them out of proportion.

So why all this to me? Ultimately, it's about the 'poor' image we create for ourselves, an image that existed long before the 'corona' that only intensified in the last year.

When I run out of space on my phone, deleting a few photos and videos doesn't help, it's doing a deep clean. This reality, where every few weeks there's a major violation, and they come out against us in the media again, looking for satisfactory answers and we shrug it off, must end. After all, we all have one interest - and that is, to get out of this crisis as quickly as possible.

Passover is approaching. I hope we learn to be free, to accept criticism, to free ourselves from the bondage of ego and self-justification, or at least to take a break from leaven and return with renewed strength to come up with more satisfactory excuses.