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One famous account in the Talmud, a text of commentary and interpretation that holds a special place in Jewish religious tradition second only to the Bible, tells of a gentile who wished to convert to Judaism. The only condition this prospective convert faced for acceptance was for a Jewish sage to teach him the entire Torah in the length of time that he could stand on one foot. He first went to Shammai, who was known as a strict rabbi. Shammai felt insulted by this ridiculous request and unceremoniously told him to leave his house. The man did not give up and went to another great sage named Hillel. This gentle sage was not deterred by the challenge, and said: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this — go and study it.”
I was reminded of this story when I heard the recent racist, bigoted remarks by the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said: “If tells us ‘normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state,’ friends — no thank you. Keep riding camels in the desert in , and we will continue to develop with the economy, society and state, and the great things that we know how to do.” Obviously, Smotrich has never bothered to educate himself about the Kingdom. However, beyond demonstrating his ignorance — and not for the first time — he has become a blemish on Judaism. This abhorrent Jewish supremacist approach has taken hold of some quarters of the settler movement, which has Smotrich as one of its more prominent, though detestable, representatives.
A government so sensitive to any manifestation of antisemitism and one that is quick to delineate any criticism of Israeli policies as antisemitic must first put its own house in order in regard to respecting other religions and cultures. This would be the true meaning of “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.”
This was not a legitimate political opinion
Yossi Mekelberg
After facing criticism from various quarters of Israeli society, Smotrich apologized for the insult, but this is hardly his first offense; hence, his apology might not sound genuine. In 2016, as a young politician, he fervently supported segregation in hospital maternity wards between Palestinian and Jewish women, tweeting that “It is only natural that my wife would not want to lie next to a woman giving birth to a baby who would want to slaughter her baby 20 years from now.” This was not a legitimate political opinion, but the sheer racism of a man who believes that Palestinians are born terrorists. In contrast, Judaism maintains that everyone is born in the image of God. Imagine if an Arab man were to say that it is only natural for his wife to not want to lie next to a woman giving birth to a baby who would want to burn her village or olive groves in 20 years. He would have likely been arrested for incitement to terrorism.
Smotrich and his like are a travesty of Judaism. The Torah commands us to respect everyone. Moreover, in the book of Exodus, it says: “You must not wrong foreigners. You know what it is like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.” Judaism also prohibits slander or slur — counsel that the Israeli minister, who claims to be an observant Jew, is obviously ignoring.
Judaism also prohibits slander or slur
Yossi Mekelberg
But beyond everything else, Smotrich’s remarks reflect what kind of human being he is. One of the strongest words of praise in the Jewish tradition is being a mensch, which literally means a person. When referring to someone as a mensch, it means they are kind, thoughtful, and honorable — a good person in the most profound meaning of the word. First and foremost, Smotrich is not a mensch, and those who let him get away with his behavior, who vote for him, and who give him a place around the Cabinet table are culpable.
For too long, Israeli society has tolerated manifestations of racism toward Arabs, but in the past these ugly racist expressions and mindset were confined to the margins and had no place in the heart of government. In marches, including those on Jerusalem Day, and in encounters with Palestinians, groups of mainly religious-national youth sing: “May your village burn” — a popular song — and shout “Death to the Arabs.” Another disgusting chant, “There is no school in Gaza because there are no children left,” openly celebrates the killing of youngsters.
Since Smotrich is a senior minister, the appropriate response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have been to fire him on the spot. But do not hold your breath because the Israeli leader is too dependent on his ultra-right coalition partners to take any serious action. And as long as Smotrich remains a minister, it will be a stain on Israel.
- Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg