Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai announced Sunday that in February he would open all cultural venues in the city for people who have received both vaccines. He won't wait for governmental approval, as the administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister-designate Benny Gantz "does not know how to manage anything properly."
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How? What is the plan? The municipality has promised an update "in the upcoming days."
In the meantime, the very city he leads is at the top of the list in terms of morbidity, with 2,172 active coronavirus cases. Who would have thought that political moves have consequences in the real world?
There's something amusing when a man who has been mayor for so many years becomes the establishment itself and is now declaring war on the national government, demanding a limit on political terms. It is no less entertaining that he turned the municipality into a light show of fake morals and is running to be prime minister but refuses to vacate his mayoral office.
Unfortunately, Huldai is only the latest example of the populist paradox that has ruled been ruling over us. Right now, when politicians must exhibit at least some basic public responsibility (including by the opposition), they, again and again, turn to reckless and divisive political moves and demagogy.
Why Huldai chooses these moves is understandable. While every day a new left-wing political party emerges and promises to sweep the masses, the party that Huldai founded with such grandeur is barely holding up in the polls.
In such a situation, a populist will always turn to a quick fix: more populism, which is bad enough as it is, but amid a pandemic, it comes at the expense of public health.
History has taught us that the more the Left shrinks, the more its leadership becomes extreme. Populism is like gambling: it can be successful at certain times but very risky at others. Huldai is risking to ignite the flames in an already highly flammable field.
In his hasty attempt to appeal to the small crowd of Tel Aviv culture lovers, and garner a few more votes, he is willing to put the national struggle against the pandemic and the health of the residents of his city at risk.
This is what happens when every single thing turns into a political matter. At some point, you need to let go of the campaign, think of the right policy, and try to convince the public that you, of all people, will be able to implement it. When Huldai fails in this as well, it will make the situation much worse for all of us, both financially and in terms of our lives. Not even a million light shows will be able to stop the morbidity.
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