Sunday 12 January 2014

Hypocrisy


Israel’s President, 90 year-old Shimon Peres, takes pleasure in pathos and speaks to the dead Sharon: “On your forehead, there were victories of steel and golden hope.” 

Let him be poetic if he so wishes. But why, when an 85 year-old man dies after lying in coma for 8 years, why does he speak of “Arik Sharon, today lost an heroic battle for his life. … We all loved him.” What exactly was heroic in his death? And by the way, Mr. Peres, we did not all love him.   

It is not hypocrisy, the man is in love with his own words and most likely, believes them. 



And one more thing: Arik Sharon was not a religious man. Shimon Peres is not a religious man and does not normally wear a skullcap. The area in front of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, is not a synagogue. So why is the man wearing a skullcap? Sucking up to the religious? It is sadly a creeping process that has enveloped Israel. 

3 comments:

  1. As always interesting,

    thanks

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  2. We non Jews don't have a clue when one should or should not wear a scull cap outside of a synagogue. On the ski slopes in Crans, I saw men wearing scull caps. Is the message: I am religious? If so, why does it have to be demonstrated? And does one have to wear a scull cap in a synagogue, if the purpose of meeting there is a concert of classical music? I had that experience, and since all men (the majority not Jewish) wore scull caps, which were offered at the entrance, I eventually put one on, too. I would have preferred not to wear it, but didn't want to create a misunderstanding or hurt anyone's feelings.

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  3. Are we not being rather petty here? (and for illicit reasons at that!)

    It is perfectly customary for a secular male Jew to wear a skullcap when attending a Shiva (sitting in mourning) or accompanying a deceased one to his place of rest. This certainly holds for the president of Israel as well.

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