With the Olympics in Tokyo dominating many television screens the world over, also in Israel the hopes are high for success and the medals that come with. And with only one gold metal ever won in the past, the gymnast Artem Dolgopyat became an instant hero, and his name became a household word after his impressive performance in the men’s floor exercise and his winning of the gold medal. Immediately after his success he was interviewed and emotionally talked about fulfilling his dream and representing Israel while being draped in two Israeli flags. The praise and congratulations came in from all over the political spectrum and beyond and Artem deserved it. His success showed that Israel is on the map. Never mind that he made Aliya from Ukraine when he was twelve and Israel nor Judaism had played a major role in his life before that. (His father stated that they came to Israel to allow his son the best opportunity to succeed in gymnastics). He now feels Israeli and is proud to represent his country.
But wait! Artem’s mother, who came to Israel together with him and with his father, is not Jewish! Which, according to the Jewish religious laws, (which are the only laws on many subjects in Israel) Artem Dolgopyat is not Jewish either. And thus, according to the new Nation-State law, passed by the Knesset and recently approved by the Israeli Supreme Court, Israel is not his home. Israel is the home of the Jews, and anybody else will be tolerated, but should never think or believe that Israel is his home, because it isn’t. So all these politicians who went out of their way to congratulate him and praise him, went out of their way to congratulate and praise somebody who is only a guest???? These same politicians, including Prime Minister Bennett, have gone out of their way to get the Nation-State law approved, making Artem a second-rate citizen and as his mother claimed, will not allow him to marry in this country, because only Jews can marry here. When asked about this issue, Artem himself did not want to discuss it and said this is a matter of the heart.
In the new Israeli government there are those who are optimistic (or should I say delusional), who vowed that it is not possible that a man like Artem cannot get married in this country and they will do anything to get that changed, which resulted in a rebuttal from Arye Deri, (a Shas politician) that such a step would lead to the end of Israel as a Jewish State. Of course the more important question these politicians, (such as Michaeli and Lapid) should ask themselves, is where they have been all this time. There are thousands of young people in Israel, that according to the law are Israeli citizens, but are not allowed to marry here because of religious laws which are more powerful then democratic laws. True, most of them are not very good gymnasts, and the majority are just regular Israeli citizens who want to build their life here, have children and see them grow up as Israelis. Apparently, for politicians, only the limelight will make them do (or at least) say something and maybe even initiate steps to put a stop to discriminatory rules. The problem with such superficial behavior is that most of the time it disappears just as fast as it came up. Artem’s name is now a big thing, but who will remember him in two-three weeks? And the thousands of no-name Israelis in the same situation, were never remembered so didn’t even need to be forgotten. Later this year, Artem will take part in the World Championships and maybe that will rekindle the hype but there is little hope it will lead to anything.
It is unlikely that an Olympic success, (no matter how impressive), is going to change anything in the daily lives of Israelis, not of the Upper (Jewish) class and not of the lower classes. The only thing that will bring about real change, the only thing that will turn the Big Lie that “Israel is a Democratic State”, into the truth, is a change of attitude among the “Upper” (Jewish) Class. The realization, that religion is not a State matter. That, while religious freedom is an important basic human right, religious coercion is exactly what the word says: coercion. As long as the majority of Jews in this country does not advocate, promote and demand that Religious coercion is stopped, we will have citizens who cannot get married here, citizens who are told that this is not their home, and most of them will not be gymnasts.
Yesterday in the Knesset, the opposition leader Netanyahu was handing out Olympic medals to cabinet ministers in a cynical gesture indicating their failure. The minister or ministers who will succeed in ending religious coercion in this country will deserve an Olympic medal for Democracy. But maybe they should speak to Artem Dolgopyat about the hardships and the sacrifices winning an Olympic Medal demands.
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