Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square last Saturday evening, waving Israeli flags in solidarity with Israel's African migrants. This demonstration was part of last-ditch efforts by the Left's "compassion industry" to stop an ultimatum issued by the Israeli government to migrants who entered the country illegally: Leave Israel by April 1 or be forcibly deported. Backed by hope for a new, humanitarian, equal and merciful Israel, they stood shoulder to shoulder with asylum-seekers they imagined were waiting to be sent straight to the jaws of death.
It was an impressive evening for the Israeli Left. The compassion industry has never looked more photogenic. Backed by pluralistic slogans and newly elected Meretz Chairwoman Tamar Zandberg's renewed fighting spirit, they assumed the role of saints, rejecting apathy toward the plight of the stranger, widow or orphan, in particular because the matter concerned blacks. Strangers, widows and orphans are specifically singled out in Judaism as those who require additional attention and assistance from the community. When the Left wishes to prove its own righteousness, it is unafraid of religious indoctrination, playing on biblical passages to remind us all how proper Jews are supposed to behave.
The impressive demonstrations were well organized, enjoying support from the media. The message was almost logical: "South Tel Aviv opposes the deportation." Large sums of money from many different countries float around in that area. In fact, the young do not really care for the place. The moment they become parents, they will not live in the area surrounding the Central Bus Station. If they can, they will move nearby to Rothschild Boulevard, an affluent area void of blacks. The line dividing white and black is clear and hermetically sealed in Tel Aviv. The compassion industry loves the asylum-seekers from afar, as a concept.
Over the course of the demonstration, a number of very old women attempted to have their voices heard. Some of these were born in south Tel Aviv and some arrived as young women to later establish families there. These women no longer recognize familiar streets. Their lot in life is feeling foreign in their own home, identity loss and day-to-day fear.
The police put them in a small area on the side, while most of the square was taken over by migrants who waved Israeli flags that were thrust into their hands. The infiltrators waved the flags as needed, but no death awaits them in another country, only perhaps a slightly compromised quality of life. Because they prefer the Israeli way of life, they wave flags – a small price to pay for a worthy prize. The quality of life of the older women, standing on the side, however, was not considered that evening. Those in the compassion industry direct their attention very selectively.
Among these women was Shefi Paz, whom police identified as the "ringleader." Formerly a Meretz activist, in recent years she has been a leader in the local protest against illegal infiltrators. She only needed to be identified by police for them to pounce on her, and within seconds eight strong police officers began dragging her away. They pulled her so fast she could barely breathe, a 65-year-old woman begging the young and strong police to go slower because it was difficult for her. This did not help, however. Only once she began gasping for air did they give her a couple of seconds to catch her breath before going back to dragging her like a sack of meat – like an object.
As a result of her being aggressively dragged, her shirt was pulled back, exposing her midriff. She asked them to allow her to cover herself, begging them to let her fix her shirt, but they did not listen. They dragged her as fast as they could for a thousand feet.
While this disgrace was happening, the compassion industry just stood and watched judgmentally. Instead of helping her, they cheered on the police, clapped their hands at the sight of a 65-year-old woman struggling between trying to breathe and covering her abdomen. The next day, she woke to find that the Left had spread pictures of her being dragged by police brutes and was poking fun at her exposed body. This is what industrialized compassion looks like.
Had this older woman, identified with the Left, been dragged half-naked to the joy of a right-wing crowd, the whole country would be up in arms! The video would be broadcast for days on end. In newsrooms, people would glare at them contemptuously and prattle on about how disgusting Israeli fascism is – that is, of course, fascism from the Right.
But this woman is associated with the Right. A right-wing woman being mistreated does not sell, so the media does not do any more than yawn. No supportive correspondents wait to interview Shefi Paz. The only thing that awaits her is the graffiti on the wall outside of her house, which reads: "Shefi Paz to the gas chamber."
