Jerusalem – Israeli Secularists Find Their Lost Voice In Yair Lapid

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Israeli politician Yair Lapid arrives at the Yesh Atid headquarters in Tel Aviv January 27, 2013, for a party meeting. Photo by Flash90 Jerusalem – After a stunning success in last week’s election that positioned Yesh Atid as Israel’s second largest party, its leader, secular talk-show host Yair Lapid, said his party’s campaign slogan “sharing the burden” will be a core principle when negotiations begin to seat Israel’s next governing coalition.

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Originally, Lapid’s catchphrase ‘sharing the burden’ spoke more directly to mainstream secular issues in Israel’s ongoing national identity battle. It called for a lifting of draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox, subsequent integration into the workforce, and a realignment in the balance as to who pays taxes and who qualifies for government aid. But with last week’s victory, ‘share the burden’ will now cover a broader sociological shift with regard to gender issues, over-reaching rabbinical controls with regard to marriage and divorce, and lopsided ultra-Orthodox influence in the public sphere.

The NY Times reports (http://nyti.ms/WrEeUk) that Mickey Gitzin, director of Be Free Israel, advocates for equality and religious pluralism, said, “All of a sudden there was a change in seculars in Israel–they see themselves as a group that needs to fight for themselves. People say, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t see myself as part of a society where a woman cannot sit in the front of the bus.”

Ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Shmuel Jakobovits agrees. Jakobovits, who runs the Torah Institute of Contemporary Issues in Jerusalem, said, “The community is growing, and it’s perceived as a potential threat to the character of the rest of the country. The underlying issue is that there’s an ideological contest over the soul of the state of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Over the past decade a population shift has seen the ultra-Orthodox population–known as Haredim–grow from 6 precent to 10 percent–resulting in public clashes in heavily populated neighborhoods. Buses have ceased to run, images of women have been routinely vandalized, and drivers pas sing through on the way to Sabbath have been harassed.

In 2011, an 8-year-old Modern Orthodox girl was spit upon and called a prostate because her clothes were not deemed modest enough.

The first test for Yesh Atid, according to Lapid, will be the draft. A spring 2012 Supreme Court ruling invalidated a law exempting yeshiva students from serving, but to date the government has failed to introduce a plan for integration. Lapid wants to limit exemptions to a few hundred, while imposing sanctions against those who do not serve.

Lapid is also committed to working towards reform of social issues as well; including civil marriage for same-sex couples and inequality in family laws.


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Boochie
Boochie
11 years ago

his father tried doing the same thing – he lasted half of a term

the shinu patry no longer exist

11 years ago

I really doubt that the eight-year old girl mentioned in the article was called a prostate. Even the idiots who did it aren’t that stupid!

Erlich
Erlich
11 years ago

Yasher Ko’ach to Yair Lapid. Mainstream Jews are fed up with the free ride of the Haredim at the expense of the former.

Geulah
Geulah
11 years ago

I think they finally got it right. Let’s all share the burden. The charedi will go to Tzhal and the not yet charedi will go to Ponevezh. That way the left will have it’s way and the Torah will not be abandoned in Eretz Yisroel. Yair can start tomorrow at Machon and lead the way. If you see your brother’s burden fall you help him pick it up, if the level of learning will be diminished by the yeshivaleit going to the Army, Yair will to the Yeshivah to pick up the slack. Perfect solution.

DRE53
DRE53
11 years ago

Like many other israeli political parties, I can see Yesh Atit’s represantation in the next knesset falling to 3-4 eats and then vanishing totally.

enlightened-yid
enlightened-yid
11 years ago

The tide is shifting. Haredim are multiplying too rapidly and becoming an existential threat to a functioning Jewish state because they are a political, social and economic burden and disruption for Israel. Plus, Haredim are becoming more vocal, radical and extreme than they were 25 years ago. Then you have the National Religious which is another right-wing block with its own crazy ideology morphing more into extreme with their settlement fantasies. Sooner or later the bubble will burst because it’s unsustainable socially, politically and economically and majority of Israelis are starting to feel it. Natanyahu better get the message.

Reb Yid
Reb Yid
11 years ago

The politics of the Kenesset are such that he will not get any of his legislation passed. By the next election he will be known as the guy who couldn’t deliver on his promises.

a-simple-jew
a-simple-jew
11 years ago

there must be a compromise here. haredim living in eretz yisroel should SHARE some of the burden. there’s no such thing as a free ride in life. if the haredim don’t like it, let them pack out and live somewhere else. not all haredi young men are qualified to be learning in a full day kollel. we must develop a system whereby those who are really qualified can continue in kollel, and those who are not should serve in the army or some other national service. that group can still have shiurim and continue learning a couple hours a day. it’s not all or nothing. and it’s only fair.

NeveAliza
NeveAliza
11 years ago

Had ALL the Chardeim voted in this last election, perhaps Lapid wouldn’t be in such a pivotal position. Maybe the Eibeister is telling us something?
We’re always so quick to connect the dots in other events (this disaster happened because of lack of tzinnus, Hurricane Sandy happened to tell NY Yidden to move to E’Y, the Shidduch Crisis is because of internet, etc.) so maybe the message of this last election is that if you want to make sure E’Y has a strong Torah value system, ALL frum Yidden should vote?

rebbeofalltherebbes
rebbeofalltherebbes
11 years ago

Nismaleh Ha’Sou

Secular
Secular
11 years ago

Israeli George Clooney

11 years ago

What about the arabs sharing the burden. The arabs get funded and supported by the government. The arabs even have a judge in the supreme court of Israel but Chareidim are kept out. I say no chareidi should join the army until they draft all the arabs. The sole reason for drafting chareidim is to weaken them spiritually. You can not trust the secular government with your kids spiritual or physical lives.

ActualJew
ActualJew
11 years ago

I love this guy. I am frum and a capitalist and if i lived in Israel I would vote for him. he will go after the welfare cheats and predatory capitalists who suck the Israeli people’s blood.
kol ha kavod.