The emergence of the "self-righteous" members of the "Jerusalem faction" onto the streets of Israel and into Israeli public life raises one of the fascinating questions of identity that circulates, and seems to reawaken from time to time, among groups and factions on the ultra-Orthodox street.<\/p>\r\n
Besides the colorful images of wet, dancing boys on the roads of Israel, the central question remains: Who is 'Etsnik'?<\/p>\r\n
Ten days before the demonstrations, a Sephardi priest, Avrech Rachfeldi, used sweet language to tease me, because he had come to the conclusion that he was a 'nationalist'.<\/p>\r\n
\""It's not just me," he told me at the back of the synagogue, "a significant portion of the Torah scholars have recently realized that this is the right path, we are fighting for the Torah" [the Torah, in his language]. He also added in a whisper that he is not afraid to reveal his opinion to anyone, and he is not afraid of anyone.<\/p>\r\n
"Good luck," I said, and I was interested, Is your son reporting to the recruitment office? <\/b><\/p>\r\n
-"Yes," he replied. "Nevertheless, Rabbi Chaim said that one must stand up. But the path [at this point he gestured upwards] of the Children of the Torah is the path of the Jerusalem faction.".<\/p>\r\n
Do you participate in demonstrations on behalf of immigrants who were arrested for the honor of the Torah?<\/b><\/p>\r\n
- "No, that's not my style, and I'm not sure it's the right way, either, but I appreciate the protesters.".<\/p>\r\n
Where do your children study?<\/b><\/p>\r\n
- "In 'normal'. It's not because of me, my wife just says she doesn't want them to feel different, then there's the matchmaking thing, you know, it's a mess.".<\/p>\r\n
Another member, who declared himself an "Etznik" right from the start, detailed to me how the central faction is leading the Haredi street toward a less-than-ideological approach on cardinal questions such as the attitude toward Chabad, the Western Wall plan, the Haredi high school yeshiva and academia - and especially the decree on the draft ban.<\/p>\r\n
I've asked him that too many times: Is your son not reporting to the recruitment office?<\/b><\/p>\r\n
- "No, but not because of the recognition of the army, God forbid. We simply go abroad every year, and failure to show up could delay him at the airport.".<\/p>\r\n
But you probably go to demonstrations?<\/b><\/p>\r\n
- "No, I'm not the right age. Do you see me lying on the road and getting a water hose from a Makhtezit, at my age? Are you normal?"<\/p>\r\n
Are you a subscriber to Hafels?<\/b><\/p>\r\n
- "No, but come on, I read Haredi newspapers myself? I've never bought Yated either. Why just subscribe and not read, what's the point?"<\/p>\r\n
- Are you willing to declare that your son will only ask for a girl from an egotistical family?<\/b><\/p>\r\n
\u00a0- "Leave this nonsense, my wife will kill me. Let him marry someone who suits him, a good Haredi girl, I don't go into places like that.".<\/p>\r\n
So what are you selfish about?<\/b><\/p>\r\n
- "A Jew must know the correct view. He does not have to act according to it, but he must recognize what the right path is, where true Judaism lies. I may be a prat, but I know that the true Torah followers are on our side.".<\/p>\r\n
But if you send your son to the draft board, your children attend 'regular' institutions, you are not willing to participate even as a spectator in demonstrations, you are not willing to spend the not-so-high amount for a monthly subscription to the newspaper that is fighting for its life out of your own pocket, and you do not insist on inventing for your son the whole belief in the pure nationalist view - what is your nationalist identity worth?<\/p>\r\n
In other words, the principle must be stark in its simplicity: there is no point in identifying with a group or idea if you are not willing to pay a price, a personal price, for participating in it.<\/p>\r\n
There is no minimum appreciation for a person who is unable to give of himself, to step out of his comfort zone, for the sake of the principles in which he believes.<\/p>\r\n
And this issue is also relevant in relation to other ideological groups within the group.<\/p>\r\n
\""I appreciate your activity," people tell me in relation to various events on the Haredi street in which I was involved, "but it's not for me, I don't want to be exposed.".<\/p>\r\n
What Yoav Lelom is doing is a holy work, claims almost every Sephardi who has experienced the primitive power of Ashkenazi racism - but when he is asked: Are you willing to talk about it? To be interviewed? To cooperate and complain to the authorities? To demonstrate in front of the home of the education criminals? He answers in panic: 'No, it could get me into trouble, I'm not like that, my wife says it will hurt our chances.".<\/p>\r\n
Well, it's already hurt you. Your identity is fractured.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 Eliezer HaYun, 10 Haredim<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What does it mean to be an 'Etsnik'? To support struggles, to show empathy, to claim that 'Beni Teira' are afraid of conscription? \u2022 Eliezer Heun claims that different ideological groups operate in Haredi society - and the real barometer for identifying with them or belonging to them is one: the willingness to pay a price","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[1897,23454,23453,23452,23455],"class_list":["post-399760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-138","tag-1897","tag-23454","tag-23453","tag-23452","tag-23455"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n