Economic recessions and pandemics have always been fertile ground for anti-Semitism. Sadly, we are witnessing this phenomenon in the United States. Last week, here in Israel, we were exposed to a special type of homemade racism: In one fell swoop, countless "objective" scientific figures and their salvo of "enlightened" commentaries, brought us back to dark times by opening a Pandora's Box of stereotypical tropes.
Racism can be painted in different colors, but the hatred beneath it will always be black and white.
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The coronavirus outbreak in Bnei Brak, if we can go back to the statistics for a moment, occurred in the wake of Purim celebrations, which were entirely permitted at the time. Such was the case in other ultra-Orthodox towns and neighborhoods. Since then, Bnei Brak's morbidity rate hasn't been significantly different from the country's average. In other words, there were many sick people in Bnei Brak from the outset, but the rate of the spread of infection isn't particularly different.
Meaning, it isn't the flouting of the quarantine directives that has necessarily led to the current numbers of sick people.
This didn't stop many people from immediately making a connection between the morbidity situation in the city and the danger of the virus' continued outbreak in the rest of the country.
Several days ago Israeli journalist Moav Vardi appeared on Kan 11 and presented Israel's morbidity figures. Although his statistics didn't refer to the morbidity rates according to specific towns or communities, it didn't stop him from concluding with a few choice "anti-Bnei Brak" sentiments, explaining that if the morbidity rate continues to rise, and if they (the haredim) arrive en masse to the hospitals, the entire healthcare system will collapse.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper joined the chorus in typical style, with its editorial cartoon depicting Health Minister Yakov Litzman with red legs. The same message has appeared elsewhere as well: The ultra-Orthodox, as a collective group, are a separatist, undisciplined and anti-social community: Haredim pose a danger to us during a pandemic.
It can't be denied that the sentiments we're hearing today wouldn't be tolerated with such apathy had this factory of hatred not been working at full steam over the past year and the ringleader has been Yisrael Beytenu: "Over a million members of the orthodox community are currently sustained at our expense," claimed one of the party's campaign videos; Another video showed haredim dancing with money being showered on them from the sky; while another caricature depicted an ultra-Orthodox man hugging a sack of money with the inscription "budget," and a soldier with torn, empty pockets standing next to him.
The message today needs to be heard loud and clear: Everyone who contributes to the hatred of the ultra-Orthodox would be appalled and outraged if "haredim" were replaced with "Arabs." Here's an exercise: Replace "haredim" with "Jews." What do we get? Classic anti-Semitism.
Our Jewish memory – for those who haven't lost it – forbids us from the ignoring the deep-rooted, anti-Semitic propaganda behind these expressions. Even if haredim haven't been rounded up in the streets yet.
