political violence among the Dati Leumi sector

This situation with MK Betzalel Smotritch (Hatzionut Hadatit), and some others, bothers me.

I understand some people in the Religious Zionism sector are upset at PM Naftali Bennett, Minister Matan Kahane, Minister Ayelet Shaked, and some others. There is nothing wrong with that. They can be upset, they can argue and prefer a different route and a different way to navigate the political situation.

Arguing, disagreeing, is fine. The polarization really bothers me. They are passul because they have taken a different political path and have made decisions I disagree with. That is what I really dont like.

Smotritch said, and others (like MK Rotman) supported him, that they should be chased out of their shuls on Shabbos and the upcoming holidays. They should be rejected and banished.

In response some people are talking big - things like comparing it to Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, causing the destruction of the mikdash, etc. That is too weighty for me.

For me it is just crossing a line into polarization. Who made Betzalel Smotritch the guardian of all shuls and of Judaism? Who is he to say who should be banished from shul? Just like I asked who is MK Gafni to decide who should wear a kipa and who should not when he screamed at Matan Kahane to remove his kipa, who is Smotritch to decide who gets to go to shul and who doesn't? Why are we letting them mix politics and religion, bring politics into the shul? if you stick to my politics I will let you come daven but if you disagree and go a different political path you cannot come daven? Who ever heard of such a vile position? Maybe this is just another sign for the need of more separation of Shul and State. This is just another victim - politicians get to decide who is allowed into shul and who isn't.

And it did not start with this.

Idit Silman was under heavy social pressure, as were others like Nir Orbach, for months, until she eventually flipped last week. Protests outside their houses (which is reasonable), in addition to social banishment, punishing their kids in school and Bnei Akiva youth groups? That is not right and should not be part of the arsenal.

That is pure political violence. This type of polarization should not be a part of our system. 

Smotritch's response is basically that people have the right to be upset. Yes, people have the right to be upset, but Smotritch is the one riling them up. Even if some people are upset, they were not chasing these people out of shul, they were not harassing them and their families, not all on their own. They were riled up by the leadership and guided to do these things. That is not "people have the right to be upset". That is Smotritch saying throw them out of shul.

Political violence should be unacceptable no matter which sector it comes from, and the Dati Leumi sector is clearly not immune to it.

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