A week into the shutdown and moments before Yom Kippur, days of awfulness are truly upon us. No one is being held accountable; there is no discipline or reason or responsibility or leadership. Coronavirus is raging unchecked and the battle has reached new heights, but the only ones to get an emergency call-up are fighting on the front of polarization and schism. They aren't fighting the virus; they are fighting each other.
The startup nation is proud to present the major sources of infection: the people who are protesting, and the people who are praying. It was apparently convenient for someone for us to go back to the good old Left vs. Right and religious vs. secular arrangement. No, it wasn't one person. It's the guy who was busy with his personal matter while also wanted to appear strong to his voters, the ones who think they invented democracy and the ones who think that they have exclusive ownership of Judaism.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
This week, the Corona cabinet met for a good nine hours to repeat the same threats and ultimate about protests and prayers. Nine hours of babble instead of nine minutes devoted to drafting a short announcement that the lockdown would apply to everyone. Full stop. Without exemptions, without concessions. One people, one fate.
The chaos is being directed by the unity government, which very quickly became a disunity government. Its members forgot that our real battle is to save the economy, to save welfare, for our children who are cut off from schools, for the battered women who are trapped at home, over the lack of social workers and the fact that medical staff is exhausted. Things have gotten so absurd that it seems as if we're on a train speeding over a cliff, and all the engineers care about is who turned the keys. Are you crazy? Hit the brakes!
This bonfire of nonsense didn't light itself. The media is also throwing gas on the fire, by putting more and more emphasis on protests and prayers, and breaking into broadcasts with updates from those hotspots. The people who call themselves watchdogs have become, whether they noticed or not, attack dogs for both sides. Instead of ignoring political power games, the media spent a week running headlines about "The battle over Yom Kippur" and "Protests vs. prayers." Instead of leading a discourse of unity and responsibility, it is providing a platform for incitement, baseless hatred, and slanderous spins. Media managers and editors: it is time for some introspection from you, as well.
And of course, as with every crisis that befalls us, we are starting to hear comparisons between the current one and the ultimate failure – the Yom Kippur War. But unfortunately for all of us, the insanity today makes us almost nostalgic for Israel of 1973. Then, the failures led to a terrible war. But days after it broke out, the leadership at the time came to its senses, the public came together, there was solidarity, and the army turned the tables on its way to one of Israel's most glorious victories. The COVID situation, as of now, is absolutely different. Seven months ago, the war broke out, and we are losing battle after battle.
The current situation is reminiscent of a scene from Save the Lifeguard, Uri Zohar's last movie. A swimmer complains about Zohar, who until that point had been busy with everything except his main job.
"Excuse me, just a moment," the man says to Zohar the lifeguard. "Don't you think you've gone a little too far? You're eating my food, you made me watch the kid. Maybe you want me to be a lifeguard instead of you? You're a lifeguard, be a lifeguard."
In the film, Zohar answers, "Thanks. In one moment, you put me straight." But that only happens in movies. In reality, we'll have to pray.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
