Rousing the religious demon

[Violet_Crumble]

By Shahar Ilan

Could it be that a transportation company is violating the Sabbath, yet not a single leader or wheeler-dealer of the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community is threatening to boycott it? Even though its violation of the Sabbath was not a one-time occurrence, as it was with El Al airlines, but rather occurs every Sabbath? And not only are the Haredim not threatening the Egged bus company with a boycott, but some of its lines have won the title mehadrin (very strictly kosher), because they separate men from women. And not only does the ultra-Orthodox public use the mehadrin lines, but its wheeler-dealers are demanding that Egged expand the system.

Why, then, is the Sabbath-observant El Al in danger of a boycott, while cooperation between the Sabbath-violating Egged and the Haredi leadership is flourishing and prospering? It turns out that it is not Sabbath violation that makes the difference. The ultra-Orthodox leadership is threatening El Al because it can - because there is competition. It is not threatening Egged because there is no substitute for Egged. This is selective religious fanaticism on the basis of free-market principles.

The ultra-Orthodox are trying to depict the struggle against El Al as though it involved a community standing up for its consumer rights. However, this is actually a case of a small minority of consumers that is punishing El Al because it provided proper service to the non-Haredi majority and saved it from being stuck abroad over the Sabbath after a strike. This is not a matter of an attempt to preserve the rights of the ultra-Orthodox public, but rather an attempt to deny the right of secular travelers to receive aid at a time of distress.


For a few years, it appeared that the lessons of the Shinui Party had been internalized, and the ultra-Orthodox leadership had learned that it was not a good idea to rouse the religious demon from its slumber. As a result, the religious issue was at the bottom of the agenda during the last election campaign and both factions of Shinui were wiped out. Now, however, it appears that the ultra-Orthodox leadership, and especially the head of the Degel Hatorah party, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, has lost all it inhibitions and is being swept by a new wave of fanaticism.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/805011.html

[pelsar]

1. i think...

el al should "get some balls" and tell the haredi that they should fly on the other airlines and while they're at it, egged might want to discontinue the buses where women ride in the back....

actually for the most part the religious have far less power then they had a few years ago...case in point, stores are supposed to be shut on saturday and years ago fine were paid..no longer...stores are open without the threat.

but still its an on going threat, with god on their side, they just have to keep on trying.....now heres a group that i really do have little patience for and dont really care to "understand."

[breakaleg]

2. If they practice "selective religious fanaticism" as the article suggests, then I have

no time for them.

[oberliner]

3. What is the relationship between this article and the I/P conflict?

Is there one?

[Violet_Crumble]

4. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's about Israel...

Is there a difference between this article and the other articles posted here that are about Islam, religious issues in the Occupied Territories etc?

on edit: Shouldn't you be asking the same question about this one, just to name one of many articles posted here?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x160198

[oberliner]

5. I was just curious

if you thought the El Al boycott threat had some bearing on the conflict.

[Violet_Crumble]

6. Ah, but the article wasn't solely about the El Al boycott...

It was about the Haredi and their religious BS and the power they'd like to weild over a secular majority :)

[pelsar]

7. its not direct link....

its more part of the sociology/urban anthropology, etc aspect of the conflict......its just adds another angle....and its an attempt to balance out the discussions when the palestenain social problems are mentioned, which in fact because their society is far more fractured, with active armed groups that attack not just israel but each other actually does have an affect on the conflict.

The religious political aspect of the haredi in israel in terms of the I/P conflict is negligible (as opposed to the national religious which isnt). At most its about chasing them down as they sneak in to one of the "holy tombs" that is in the palestenain area.