There are many big cultural differences between the Har Nof neighborhood in Jerusalem and Yanuh-Jat in the Galilee. But there is also a tragic connection between the two that has grown even stronger since the massacre at the Jerusalem synagogue. A connection between the four murdered Jews who were born in the Diaspora and chose to settle in Israel, the center of Torah study, and the Druze police officer whose blood was spilled while he did his job heroically, who grew up in a village that his family has lived in for many generations. The former believe that studying the Torah is the best protection, and the latter believe in a blood pact that is evidenced by the 400 Druze who have fallen to protect the state. I visited the Galilee home where Sgt. Maj. Zidan Saif was being mourned and the Har Nof homes where the four Jewish men were being mourned. In both places, women and men sat separately. Ancestral tradition is a central part of both cultures, and both feel their unique contribution to the state is not understood by everyone. Among the Druze, I heard more than once: "How many more times will we need to pay the price of proving our loyalty to Israel-" Others wondered, "When will we see Israelis come to Druze villages during the holidays and not only to visit mourners-" And in the ultra-Orthodox community, the immediate and natural reaction was gratitude to Saif and the Druze for their sacrifice and courage, which prevented a much greater disaster from occurring. The haredim who attended his funeral were thought by many to have done a sacred thing. The letter written by the four widows after the murder also carried strong messages of unity and fraternity. The letter was written with a great sense of nobility and an acceptance of fate that only the ultra-Orthodox are capable of. The haredi community is beginning to understand that its members are integrating into society in different ways and to varying extents. In response, extremist factions are warning against getting too close, lest they learn that blood ties are not only formed during tragedies like the one at the synagogue, but that in our country, we are all connected by fate, whether we like it or not. What those same extremists fear is the hope of the majority of Israelis. As I sat with the late Rabbi Moshe Twersky's children, I told them about the effect of their mother's letter. The Israeli public wants that connection and they want to be closer. This desire is not a desire for others to change or conform, it is a desire for acceptance. The haredi public has many concerns about the process, but when they look at it closely, they will discover that the connections have always existed, even if there are those who fear them or want to hide them. The Jewish people have always known how to take their fate and use it to grow stronger. A special connection was formed in that synagogue between the haredi public and the Druze, but when we look closely, we will see that the connection is imperative, not just between Har Nof and Yanuh-Jat, but between all segments of Israeli society. Daniel Goldman is the chairman of Gesher Israel, an organization dedicated to bridging the gaps between different segments of Israeli society.
From Har Nof to Yanuh-Jat
מערכת היום
מערכת "היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
