It’s time to look in the mirror and admit what kind of society we’ve become: more violent, more dangerous, and, above all, one that finds it hard to admit it.
True, there are extraordinary people in Israel. There is a profound goodness, even a rare one, that is hard to find elsewhere. But alongside all this, we are surrounded by violence that is intensifying without anyone stopping it. It’s hard for us to admit it, so we run away, convincing ourselves that violence always happens somewhere else, but not to us or near us.
Underworld? Not us. Protection? Not in our neighborhood. Nationalist terrorism? It belongs to extremists and marginalized youth. Crime in Arab society? Their problem.
This is how a convenient illusion is built – that none of it really has anything to do with us. It is indeed a human reaction because when things are difficult, there is a tendency to run away or avoid confrontation. But then violent incidents happen that force us to see the truth.
A horrifying murder
The murder of 21-year-old Yemanu Zelka on Independence Day at a Pizza Hut in Petah Tikva by a group of teenagers is one such case.
Children, aged 12 and 13, and the “adult” among them, aged 15, planned and carried out his murder in cold blood, only because Zelka asked them not to spray foam on people. Suddenly, in a single moment, the violence is no longer “there;” it is literally “here.”
Then we hear the voice of Yaros, Yemanu’s sister, who says: “We understand that Yemanu is everyone’s child.” Amid the heavy grief, she poses a question addressed to all of us: How do we look after our children?
It’s not a theoretical question; it’s an everyday reality. This is not a problem of one group or another, nor a phenomenon that can be isolated. It’s a danger that surrounds us all.
This situation is frightening, and rightly so. The feeling is one of a lack of control, and the truth is that there is no magic solution. Violence is the product of a combination of factors: education, enforcement, legislation, and social norms. But there is one clear starting point, and that is to stop ignoring it. To realize that being shocked is not enough. That shock is a reaction, not an action.
The case of Yemanu Zelka is not just a shocking tragedy; it is a reflection. It shows us what we have become.
We must not look away from it.
Surrounded by violence in our society
The reality around us is rife with violence, and it also exists within us. True, there is also a great deal of good here, and most people are indeed good. But good alone will not stem the deterioration. As A.D. Gordon wrote, “It is not enough to increase the light; one must also fight the darkness.”
An encounter with an adult offender provokes anger, but an encounter with a 13-year-old offender is truly terrifying. A child who talks, acts, and murders like an experienced criminal, and also conducts himself that way in an investigation, is not only shocking; it’s a wake-up call.
It’s here. It’s us. And it is impossible to move on as if nothing had happened.
The writer is the executive director of the Hanaton Educational Center, located on Kibbutz Hanaton in the Lower Galilee.