Stand up to fascist threat

After all, if we look at what happened here in the past year, we discover for example that some rabbis teach their followers how to kill Arab children; elsewhere, Ashkenazi haredim are unwilling to see their daughters studying with Mizrahi girls. We also see that our legal system had been disgraced, and that rabbis who live at the public's expense guide their followers on leading protests while dumping garbage on the streets.

This bunch of cursers is orchestrated by his highness, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a highly successful, prolific stand-up comedian. (Fifteen years ago he promised to hold a great ball to celebrate my death, yet here I am, still alive and in good health.)

Yet all of the above are well-known maladies. In the past year we encountered another disgraceful element, known as "Zionism" and those showing arrogance on its behalf.

As far as I know, the Zionist movement was established in order to set up a sovereign state for the people of Israel in its native land. We've had great success with this enterprise. We have a flourishing, progressive county that constitutes a home for every Jew who wishes to live here. As a "Zionist" myself since age 12 (in a Zionist youth movement,) I swore on the Bible, the gun, and the flag in ninth grade and was enlisted into the ranks of the Haganah underground movement. I arrived at Jerusalem's Old City, which was under siege at the time, and after the State's establishment I continued to serve in many roles.

Yet despite this, I have no idea what this current-day "Zionism" is; the kind of Zionism that wishes to dictate to academicians what they're allowed and not allowed to teach, while producing blatantly anti-democratic pressure. In fact, the customs adopted by these "Zionists" stir uneasy feelings within me, as they're adopting Mussolini's creed. And don't think I'm exaggerating here: Below are some sections from the fascist movement's credo.

Do away with haredi parasitism  

Fascist philosopher Giovanni Gentile wrote about the all-encompassing, totalitarian nature of this doctrine, which he said is not merely interested in political organization and tendencies, but rather, in the nation's will, thought, and feeling.

Mussolini himself declared that fascism believes in sanctity and heroism, resists socialism, rejects the possibility of equality to all, and objects to liberals in the fields of politics and economy. For fascists, he said, the State is a spiritual, moral fact in and of itself, with the fascist state constituting the desire for power and imperialism. For fascism, he added, the aspiration for expansion is a fundamental expression of vitality and its absence is a sign of decay. Revived nations are always imperialistic, he said.

Does it sound familiar? Members of the Im Tirtzu organization would do well to thoroughly examine Mussolini's words and methods; perhaps it would prompt them to be more cautious.

The supposed religious arguments and the utilization of the sanctity of stones and land where generations of Arabs have lived terminated the remnants of morality in Israel; what is known as "Jewish morality." However, not only rightists turn a blind eye to the rights of the natives living in Eretz Yisrael: Our courts have also lost this sensitivity, resulting in robbery based on court decisions – the Sheikh Jarrah expulsion.

At old age, I'm very proud of what we achieved as a sovereign, Aliyah-absorbing state. This is Zionism's success. Yet I don't understand the Zionism espoused by the Im Tirtzu movement, The Institute for Zionist Strategies, and their ilk.

What is important and Zionist in my view is the concern for eliminating the terrible poverty among us, the violence, the housing shortage, shameful displays of racism, and haredi parasitism. We already have enough kashrut inspectors. It would be better to have yeshiva students enlisting for national service and serving within their communities. With solid guidance, they can perform many mitzvoth.

It's important to keep in mind that the people of Israel is known for its displays of solidarity and voluntarism during days of distress; these people very much care about putting and end to violence and to eradicating the discrimination against and harm done to Arab and Druze citizens, and mostly to the Bedouins in the south.