A hint of racism

On the fringes of new Chief Justice Asher Grunis’ swearing-in ceremony, a certain television channel thought it would be appropriate to focus its cameras on the face of Justice Salim Joubran during the traditional post-ceremony singing of the national anthem. The camera focused on his lips, which were not moving. Clearly the television crew did not intend to report on the singing abilities of the judge, who has been serving in the Supreme Court since 2004. The intent was to shame him for choosing not to sing the national anthem. And even worse, it would have shamed him even if he did sing the anthem, because the honorable justice is an Israeli Arab.

I felt that this was an ugly media manipulation, because Joubran respected the situation with his silence – he did not voice objection; he did not leave the hall the way some ultra-Orthodox officials do when women sing; he did not remain seated in protest while everyone stood, unlike certain people who refuse to stand during the siren on memorial day (especially if there is a television camera around). He simply did not make a big deal out of singing Hatikvah.

More disgraceful than the decision to film Joubran was the editors’ decision not to edit the footage out. That is exactly what the editor is there to do: to be the responsible adult and use discretion in choosing which parts of the footage to air.

And then, a media offensive was launched against Joubran. Those leading the attack failed to realize that what they were doing to the respectable judge was tantamount to Jews being forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition. They were demanding that Justice Joubran think like them and believe in the same things they believe in. Fortunately for all of us, Jews and Arabs alike, is that those people do not have the kind of terrible power that the Inquisition had in Spain during that dark time.

It is safe to assume that these people feel that this is how a democratic country should look (referring to the term democratic in the context of “Jewish and democratic”). Once again the editors of the various television programs failed to exercise their good judgment by allowing them to disseminate their hatred on the air.

Against this backdrop, notably exercising responsible judgment were Channel 10, which chose not to air the footage, and Vice Prime Minister Moshe (Bogey) Ya’alon (Likud) who came out against this incident. The entire Likud movement would do well to unite behind Ya’alon’s remarks, if it claims to continue in the footsteps of my grandfather (Ze’ev Jabotinsky).

My grandfather concluded his most territorial and nationalistic poem (“The East Bank of the Jordan,” or as it is also popularly known, “Two Banks to the Jordan”) with the following words:

From the wealth of our land there shall prosper
The Arab, the Christian, and the Jew,
For our flag is a pure and just one
It will illuminate both sides of my Jordan.

Two Banks has the Jordan –
This is ours and, that is as well.

My two hands I have dedicated to the homeland,
My two hands to sword and shield.
Let my right hand whither
If I forget the East Bank of the Jordan.

Two Banks has the Jordan –
This is ours and, that is as well.

Justice Joubran did a good job in balancing his own private views while respecting the state and the general consensus. It may have been better if his associates had chosen to keep quiet and left his opponents behind a wall of respectable silence.