The Cab Ride Through Hell

Drawing swastikas.

Committing arson.

Rioting en masse.

Just another day in the Palestinian Territories, na’chon?

Sadly, no.  In fact, we can’t blame these latest developments on terrorists, at least not in the traditional Arab sense of the word.  Nor can we pinpoint these heinous acts to Gaza or the West Bank or even East Jerusalem.  No, this unrest was in Israel proper, along the shores of the Mediterranean and in the streets of West Jerusalem.  That’s right, Israel’s Haredim certainly do know how to stir up the brown stuff.

Midway through what was quickly becoming the worst cab ride of my life, our driver – who made South African minibus operators look affable in comparison – decided to take the scenic route through Jerusalem.  That is to say, after my companion and I refused to pay 45NIS for at most a 30NIS fare, instead opting for the meter, this cabbie decided to take his touristy-looking, English-speaking passengers in the exact opposite direction from where they needed to be.  Indeed, it seemed, he’d be getting his 45NIS after all, and then some.

But then we hit a snag.  A flaming one.  And our by now heated argument – his side in Hebrew, mine in English (though revealingly, the madman did know how to say “GIVE ME THE MONEY!”) – subsided as the police vehicles raced past us.  As we drove past the burning dumpsters and the hundreds, if not thousands, of angry Haredi men and women, the car was filled with a tense silence.  Sure, I was furious at the driver – and he at me – but neither of our searing furies compared to those of the Haredim towards the Israeli government.

Following a decision to clear out an ancient gravesite to make room for a hospital’s emergency room in Ashkelon, large numbers of blackhatters began protesting.  Despite all reports to the contrary, they believe the graves are Jewish tombs, and as a result, are seriously pissed (excuse the technical terminology).

Now normally, this wouldn’t rile me up as much as it does – though, to be sure, a cab ride through fires and angry mobs will always be a bit disconcerting.  What really vexes me is how the Israeli ultraorthodox communities have hijacked the political process here.  Indeed, the main stumbling block towards peace with the Palestinians is continued Jewish settlement construction, largely for the ultra-religious.  And time and time again, flare-ups of violence are instigated by, or at the very least aimed at, yeshiva students or other Jewish fundamentalists in the settlements.

In my humble opinion, it’s time we called a kettle a kettle, and a spade a spade.  These religious wackos, these Jewish Tea Partiers, should no longer steer Israeli policy.  The state of Israel, if it wants to shine as a just, morally upstanding Jewish nation, must move forward, with or without its Haredi fringe.

(By the way, that cab ride?  Cost me 50 shecks and a lot of patience.)

Sam Melamed is a Masa participant, participating in Career Israel, one of Masa Israel‘s 160 programs.