Is baseless hatred to blame...... or is it lousy leaders? In these dark days for Israel, the tragedy at Mt. Meron seems so many disasters away already. How do you three ladies feel about what happened there and how it has been dealt with by the government? Has it changed your views on anything?Very confusedBeit ShemeshDanit Shemesh:Precious lives were lost, leaving a gaping hole in our world. These are not simply anonymous faces on a screen. They were our sons, brothers, fathers; each with a unique story, a contribution to us as a people. This is trauma - an event bigger than our ability to process it. Compounding matters, it happened on a holy day on the sacred site of a revered Tzadik, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, where we go in search of spiritual connectedness. A calamity of this scope presumes existential questions. It is clearer to me now that our way of life is under attack, mostly by those who view us through a cold, political lens. Some detractors choose always to blame, and they find on what to base their complaints; some proclaim they know better and feel justified in their indignations. But there are also those who truly listened to the mourners, showing solidarity, helping unconditionally, Jew to Jew. Policemen and Zaka volunteers visited houses of mourning where they found strength, determination; a quietude which can only be called spiritual. If you stop politicizing and start personalizing, you may learn that we are an amazing, strong, directed people who live and die connected to our singular purpose in life - to do Hashem’s will. Shlomo Hamelech said there’s “a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die…a time to mourn and a time to dance…” My brothers danced, and then they died. Although I agree that we need a proper inquiry into what went wrong, the “why” of it is usually beyond us; the “what” is in our hands – to stay connected with humility as well as zeal. Pam Peled:I was saddened and horrified by the senseless, tragic loss of lives; I hoped a swift investigation, responsibility and consequences would cause leaders to reconsider flouting civic safety warnings.The disaster has changed me unexpectedly: reactions to it have shattered my core. I was astounded as a seemingly deranged curly-haired Rabbi ranted, on his “Daf Yomi Moment,” about baseless hatred bringing down the last ‘Beis Hamikdash.’ But despite his fake-sobbing, there was no baseless hatred on the mount; just too many people listening to Interior Minister, Arye Deri, whose boast that he ‘fought like a lion’ to ensure the festivities took place unimpeded, against official warnings, is now notorious. A woman eyewitness wept, on social media, minutes after the crush, that God and Rabbi Shimon could have easily averted this catastrophe, but didn’t; ergo it’s God’s will. This is the “last push” she repeated endlessly – I guess before Messiah? – victims might soon ‘love-bomb’ us from ‘the other side.’ One grieving mother claimed God killed her kid as a kind of ‘kapara’ to avert a more deadly mega-disaster that had been in the works; these deaths saved us all. Rav Kanievsky advised washing hands (a Covid spillover?), and women covering up more, although admitting God’s motives are mysterious. I realized that I do not belong to this; I don’t believe in a God who kills his faithful to save more faithful. Like a dieter eating 4 chocolate squares instead of the whole lemon meringue pie? I’ve become jaded, living in Israel, where these beliefs are becoming more mainstream. I’m not sure that I’m still part of that kind of a Jewish people. Tzippi Sha-ked:We do a lot of verbal wheel spinning at Three Ladies – Three Lattes Headquarters. Our take on the Meron tragedy proved to be a litmus test not only for how we view tensions across the religious spectrum, but of faith itself.This year has been especially tough. Many of us ‘non-Hareidim’ have lost some/all respect for Hareidi Leadership which evidenced contempt, irresponsibility, and irreverence for Israeli Law. While our hearts grieved over the tragedy, our minds railed against the likes of Deri for pushing for greater attendance in Meron and the magical thinking that religious lives were immune to danger. This horror could have been averted had the state not capitulated to blatant violations and demands against safety laws. I long for the day when Hareidim will adhere to the concept of Pikuah Nefesh, Corona included. This tragedy sparked intense social media discussions that showcase the clash of interpretations of faith, spiritual responses towards tragedy, and the very future of Judaism.Pam despises a response of “strengthening” through taking on more stringent Torah commandments. That bereaved families clung to beliefs that their loved ones were plucked due to being ‘completed righteous ones’ made her rail against a Judaism that perceives victims as sacrificial lambs. “Your God is brutal,” she claimed. “Leave it,” I intoned, “Allow people to find solace where they can.”“Solace is one thing,” she rebutted. “But I can’t buy into that version of God.” To be honest, I’m not sure I can either. Still, I won’t mock others’ spiritual responses to tragedy. Of course I agree that we need a Governmental inquiry into what happened.I’m part of this messy fabric – and I’m not opting out.
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Three Ladies, Three Lattes: Baseless hatred or lousy leaders?
In these dark days for Israel, the tragedy at Mt. Meron seems so many disasters away already. How do you three ladies feel about what happened there and how it has been dealt with by the government?
