Motti Zurger, a Haredi man of Haredi appearance – including a beard, a black kippa, black trousers, and white buttoned shirt – stepped on stage to speak at Saturday's protest over the lack of help for the self-employed who have lost their livelihoods because of the coronavirus crisis. Before he opened his mouth, one protester gave him the finger, and from his other side, a guy jumped out, calling, "Get this Haredi offstage." That was it – shamelessly, and without hearing what he had to say, prejudice prevailed.
There is an outburst in Haredi society, and not necessarily because of coronavirus. It is an outburst of anger and defensiveness that result from being the subject of mean and insulting accusations and being portrayed as disease vectors who suck up public funds.
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There has always been incitement against the Haredi world, from the time journalist Gabi Gazit called them "worms and leeches" to former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who turned the phrase "Haredi extortion" into a campaign, to the current wave led by Avigdor Lieberman, Miki Levy, Rina Matzliah, and the fences set up between Bnei Brak and neighboring Ramat Gan.
The Haredim are suffering from coronavirus just like other Israelis, and even more. Their health, and economy have been hurt, and their leisure world, which mainly involves weddings, bar mitzvahs, tishim, and lessons, has been closed down, with no end in sight.
The average Haredi lives with a general sense of "they're screwing me over" characteristic to minorities. But that feeling is becoming reality. They hear about celebrity parties on rooftops that aren't broken up by police, in comparison to raids on Haredi yeshivas; they see thousands gather in Tel Aviv and receive a warm embrace from the media, compared to fists from police in Mea Shearim. They see closures on their neighborhoods with little warning, no consultation, and no explanation, as opposed to Raanana or Tel Aviv, which barely come in for a scolding, despite their rising number of corona cases. They are frustrated.
The pressure and frustration in the community bubble up to Haredi MKs who are themselves trying to fight the corona tsunami that is washing over the government. Haredi MKs are seeking stability and see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions as a threat that could dismantle the government. So they are moving closer to Justice Minister Avi Nissenkoren and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz for sympathy and understanding.
Are the Haredim divorcing themselves from Netanyahu? Apparently not. The Shas public is more pro-Bibi than the Likudnikim. But their faith in Netanyahu has certainly been damaged.
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