Secular, Orthodox Jews clash on Yom Kippur
We must learn the lessons and truly understand that the internal threat within Israel is the most acute and dangerous threat of all."
(TIMES OF ISRAEL) – President Isaac Herzog sounded the alarm on Tuesday over events this week in Tel Aviv in which secular and religious Israelis scuffled over gender segregation during public Yom Kippur prayer services, warning that the societal chasm poses a “true danger” to national security.
A religious group, defying a municipality order backed up by the Supreme Court, had set up an improvised gender divider for Yom Kippur prayers in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, prompting angry protests from liberal residents that ended up thwarting the entire prayer service.
Rosh Yehudi, a not-for-profit that states that it encourages greater adherence by Jews of halachah, installed a bamboo frame with Israeli flags hanging down from the top side. While police did not remove the bamboo frame, angry protesters pulled it down and broke it apart as both sides exchanged angry words.
Similar events, and similar protests, took place in public spaces across the country.
Herzog spoke on Tuesday alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi at a ceremony at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl military cemetery marking 50 years since the Yom Kippur War. Herzog noted that in 1973, Israelis were forced to “put all the disagreements aside and unite to punch back against enemies trying to eradicate them”.
He added, “We must learn the lessons and truly understand that the internal threat within Israel is the most acute and dangerous threat of all.”
He referred to this year’s events in Tel Aviv as “a shocking and painful example of how the internal struggle within us is escalating and becoming extreme”.
“I know that I speak for the absolute majority of Israeli citizens when I express deep sorrow and shock at the sight of our own people fighting one another on a day that has always been a symbol of unity,” he said.
“How did we get to this terrible situation, in which 50 years after that bitter war, sisters and brothers stand on opposite sides of the divide? Those who pour fuel onto this fire are a real threat to Israeli unity. It has to stop here and now. The division, the polarisation, the never-ending disputes – they are a true danger to Israeli society and to the security of the State of Israel.”
Activists from competing camps said on Tuesday they would still hold converging prayer services at Dizengoff Square this week amid the continuing fallout.
Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s announcement that he and other members of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party would pray on the square on Thursday afternoon prompted criticism from prominent members of his own right-wing bloc.
The events are seen by some as fresh proof of the rippling effect of the societal conflict unleashed by the government’s judicial overhaul, which has spread to multiple areas of life and overlaps with divergent visions for the country’s character.
Politicians waded into the growing furore, with Netanyahu attacking the secular activists in a statement after the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
“The people of Israel sought to unite on Yom Kippur by asking for forgiveness and unity among us,” he said.
“To our astonishment, specifically in the Jewish State, on the holiest day for the Jewish people, left-wing demonstrators rioted against Jews during their prayer. It seems that there are no boundaries, no norms and no limitations on hatred from the extremists on the left. I, like most Israeli citizens, reject this. Such violent behaviour has no place among us.”
Meanwhile, large numbers of people attended nationwide rallies for the 38th straight week on Saturday against the coalition’s controversial judicial overhaul.
Demonstrators highlighted developments in recent days, including increased hopes for a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia, controversial remarks against protesters by Netanyahu, and the premier’s continued refusal to commit to respecting a potential High Court judgment against overhaul legislation.
Protesters echoed the theme of Yom Kippur and marched under the banner: “There is no forgiveness for the attempt to turn Israel into a dictatorship.”
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