There comes a time in every ultra-Orthodox lawmaker's career when he cries "gevald" and nothing happens. No one takes him seriously. This is not because he doesn't yell loudly enough nor is it because those around him are uncaring or callous, rather because they have heard it too often and they know it to be false. They no longer buy into the fake indignation and feigned shock.
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They know what he is doing and he knows they know the simple truth: you've cried wolf too many times.
Last week, Haredi MKs again accused lambasted the whole world of antisemitism, hating the Torah, persecution of yeshiva students and a host of other delights. One might have thought that the Knesset had called for the burning of Talmudic books, the razing of a yeshiva, or that a group of Cossacks stormed a religious community with torches and pitchforks.
But no. None of these things happened nor was any risk of them transpiring.
All that happened is that an amendment to the conscription law passed its first reading. The amendment effectively changed nothing with regards to exemptions afforded to yeshiva students and had Shas and United Torah Judaism were part of the coalition they would have voted for it.
So what brought on the baseless drama and the torrent of apocalyptic phraseology? Well, it is simply the custom and that, as everyone knows, cannot be changed. We must shout our gevalds with full force and if it fails to faze anyone, well, we'll cry gevald about that, too.
So why was everyone unfazed by the "concerto for a pogrom" by UTJ leader Moshe Gafni and his choir of MKs? There are several reasons for this, and the routine "cry wolf" modus operandi is not the most important of them.
First, the excessive use of the term "antisemitism" is an unfortunate choice that stems from the assumption that the ultra-Orthodox are the "Jews of the State of Israel – that they are somehow more Jewish than both the Left and the Right, more Jewish than secular Israelis and far more Jewish than the national-religious.
It seems to me that there were days when a considerable part of the public secretly agreed with this outrageous assumption, which lent it a certain validity. Those days are long gone, thank God and when a UTJ lawmaker slaps anyone with "antisemitic," it is more pathetic than anything else.
Second, the use of words such as "Torah" or "yeshiva students" as if they were some exclusive ultra-Orthodox asset, is fast losing credibility. When Zionist Israelis seek to study Torah, they pay for their studies and they are not rewarded with subsidies or exemptions for their efforts. They perform reserve duty as required and complete their studies when they return safely.
Then there is the issue of content. Many Israelis study the Torah in a way that does not negate science or medicine, or embodies disdain for common sense or what it means to be Israeli. Does that Torah count any less? There was a time when they tried to convince us that was the case. Those days are long gone, too, and Haredi leaders would be wise to recognize that.
Scholars who are or are not bearded, who speak modern Hebrew, have a military service ID and sport – if you can believe it – feminist views, study and know the Torah, and they love it just as much as their ultra-Orthodox counterparts. A growing number of Israelis already understand that.
The way some of the ultra-Orthodox leadership has been handling the coronavirus pandemic as well as and civilian safety incidents such as the Mount Meron disaster, has often raised questions such as "what are you really teaching?" Why is it that whenever there is a real need to change the public routine someone will rush to say that they are persecuting the Torah when all that is being discussed is Lag B'Omer bonfires or paper plates.
Last, but not least, there is the nature of the bluff that is to say that bluffs have a short shelf life and rigid expiration dates.
From time to time, Haredi leaders announce that this time they will not remain silent or stand aside. At this time – regardless of what time it is – war has been declared against them, so the masses will take to the streets and all hell will break loose.
The problem is that this threat is never directed at a real enemy. They never take to the streets for a big cause, claiming it would be better served by studying the Torah. But when petty politics come calling, this ancient logic is instantly forgotten, yeshiva students are called up, and belligerence takes its most simplistic, vulgar form.
It is then you see young men, often described as delicate souls who lack the mental ability to be soldiers, stun their surroundings with their combat prowess. But the public isn't stupid and it knows a bluff when it sees it.
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