You might not recognize the name Babchik, but Motti Babchik is the powerbroker of the Gur Hasidic community and, allegedly, the de facto Housing Minister. He served alongside Yaakov Litzman during his tenure as health minister and smoothly transitioned to the Housing Ministry under Yitzhak Goldknopf's leadership.
How influential is this man? Evidence of his clout can be found in the parade of Knesset members, ministers, and VIPs who flocked to the wedding of the Gur Hasidic community's "chief of staff's" daughter. The wedding took place Monday, just a day after five hostages brutally murdered in Hamas captivity were laid to rest, and on the same day as the heart-wrenching funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, also killed in Hamas captivity.
On the streets of Jerusalem, people wandered shell-shocked, bleary-eyed, stunned, and bewildered. Thousands who had never personally known Hersh sobbed like babies, struggling to breathe in the face of the cruel fate that befell this sweet young man and the other hostages who were with him in captivity.
In a completely different part of Jerusalem, in a parallel universe, Knesset members and ministers streamed into Babchik's daughter's wedding. Just a day earlier, Minister Miki Zohar had asked his Likud colleagues not to attend his son's wedding, singer Elad Zohar, due to the tragic and unfortunate events. It seems that the Knesset members and ministers in the Coalition failed to internalize the message and were photographed smiling, raising toasts, celebrating. These media-savvy individuals, aware of every frame, knew that pictures would emerge and understood their implications on a day when Israel could barely breathe.
But never mind the Likud Knesset members, never mind Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, May Golan, and Shlomo Karhi. People who haven't excelled in showing sensitivity and connection to the situation and the terrible crisis that has befallen Israel in the past year. Never mind them, playing petty politics, urgently needing to ingratiate themselves with a powerful Haredi operative, we've grown accustomed to that.
But the wedding also drew those who dare to present themselves as an alternative to the current governmental corruption. Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Ayelet Shaked were there. They, who claim to set themselves apart, promise the people of Israel empathy and a different kind of politics.
Weddings in Israel should continue, life shouldn't come to a standstill, but there's a vast difference between a wedding and a disconnected, callous display of politicians smiling from ear to ear and raising a toast while a devastated couple buries their abandoned son.
Gallant, Shaked, and Gideon Sa'ar, if on such a terrible and bitter day you're not red-eyed from crying, choked up, withdrawn and beating your breast in contrition, if on such a crushing day, you're smiling and making sure to show your face at a wheeler-dealer event that might pay off politically, instead of asking for forgiveness a thousand times over, then you're not worthy of this nation. We deserve better than this.
