The warning signs raised this week couldn't have been more clear. Israeli society is crying out for help. All those who hold this enterprise dear must say, "Enough is enough!"
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There are extremists in every sector. The main question is how much space do we afford them. Affording space means imbuing significance. When we see a young Haredi man attack a bus driver or set a garbage can on fire, we cannot accept that. The same is true when a political party publishes an image of a Haredi man under the caption "hazardous to your health."
Language creates meaning. When the dialogue focuses on Haredim that violate the coronavirus guidelines and the term used is "Haredi," this is a missed opportunity. The Haredim are not the only ones violating the guidelines, and with a little bit of effort, we can focus on this specific group.
I have received emails from Haredi residents asking me to ask the police to ramp up enforcement in our city. That's why this is also a missed opportunity when it comes to the loss of Haredi opinion leaders. The generalization leads to a loss of brave voices who know how to stand up against unacceptable phenomenon despite various forms of pressure. On the other hand, there is talk of the police using excessive force, this is also a generalization.
I seek to be extreme in my moderation. I refuse to allow the radical minority in my city to shape the municipal agenda.
Dialogue is power. It is not weakness or submission. We must strive for a settlement and not for submission. When society's sectors are made to submit, the discourse is one of winners versus losers, and there is no partnership or accountability for forging a better reality.
When we build trust with others, we should not say, "I conceded here, so now it's your turn to yield." The dialogue must be inclusive, not divisive. I'll offer an example: An employee of the Beit Shemesh Municipality raised the idea of opening up a yeshiva if all of the institution's students had recovered from the coronavirus. The answer was "no" because of the inequality it would create. What was the price? Some of the students loitered in the streets. When I asked to continue the model we developed for outside learning, this was partly to motivate those violating the guidelines in unrecognized Haredi frameworks to go outside and teach independently. This way, they would safeguard their health and more importantly, minimize the dissonance that arose between Torah study and coronavirus guidelines.
I call to bolster dialogue and elevate the moderate viewpoint that will focus the attention on the true state of our struggles as a society, constantly assessing what works and what needs improvement.
I call for dialogue to be seen as a forward-looking force because once the pandemic is over, there will be issues that need to be dealt with, some of which have nothing to do with the country's rehabilitation from the virus.
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