We deserve more: The Knesset's antics have distanced it from the serving and contributing public | Adv. Ehud Peleg

The trouble is that we were no longer surprised. The shameful conduct of the Knesset in the last week of the session set records for unbridled rampage, devoid of any moral backbone. And then they wonder why the Supreme Court is required to intervene in its work as it has never been required before, in order to save not only Israeli democracy — but the Jewish-democratic State of Israel.

The height of audacity and villainy was that they even did so supposedly in the name of the Torah. The Torah, which by the way is mine no less than it is the religious parties', never sanctioned such behavior; on the contrary: it forbade "taking the Lord's name in vain," and the Sages forbade "making the Torah a spade to dig with." The combination of exemption from military service for the ultra-Orthodox, stopping the arrest of deserters, paying generous stipends to Torah students — and on the other hand, extending military service for those who serve — seems like a logically impossible combination. But logic stopped long ago outside the Knesset building, not to mention morality and decency.

"In a place where there are no people, be a person," said Hillel the Elder. The interpretation is that in a place where people stop acting like human beings, you act like a human being. And what does it mean to act like a human being, Hillel added and taught us: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor." In other words, act with decency: treating others with respect, honesty, and consideration, without exploiting weaknesses or distress. Decency is a scarce commodity today, and so are people... and some of them also pay a heavy price when they stand up against the conduct of people who do not act like human beings in this sense.

In the general darkness, the light of a few stars who dared to act differently still glimmers: Minister Ofir Sofer from the Religious Zionism party and MK Dan Illouz from the Likud, who voted against coalition discipline and will pay a personal price for it; MK Yuli Edelstein from the Likud, who as chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee tried to prevent the evasion law — and was removed from his position; and MK Sharren Haskel from the Likud, who resigned from her position as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs following the approval of the laws. These are the exceptions that, unfortunately, prove the rule among the coalition parties.

Ben-Gurion said at the time that the word 'value' (erech) comes from 'decision' (hachra'a), and this is also its test: the way you decide is what will determine the value that represents you — not what you recited, gave speeches about, or declared. Your actions will bring you closer and your actions will distance you. The actions of the current Knesset have distanced it even further from the parts of the people who serve, fight, and contribute to the state.

Our Loves

The events of October 7th once again illustrated the importance of value-based behavior precisely in crisis situations. The people of Israel suffered the hardest blow of all that day, however, the best of its sons and daughters rushed and jumped into the fire to help their attacked brothers, driven by the values of love for one's neighbor, mutual responsibility, and unity of fate — the values that characterize the people of Israel.

Creator and director Avi Nesher presents this human greatness of ours in his new and important film "Our Loves." On the face of it, the film deals with the surprise attack on the Gaza envelope communities, but in fact, it deals, as Nesher does wonderfully in his films, with human relationships that get caught in dramatic whirlwinds and extreme tests. In these moments of breakdown, a person is tested by their personality and values and is required to make decisions that require rethinking and a sober look at their true priorities.

The film does well to show the struggle of the little people, busy with their daily problems, with the magnitude of the hour and with the truly important issues of responsibility, helping others, and self-sacrifice for the sake of saving lives. Without blurring the problems, mistakes, and failures that surfaced on that terrible day, the film evokes pride and respect for the functioning and resilience of our brothers, the residents of the South, in the face of the difficult events. When the lights go on in the hall and the spotlight is turned back towards our parliament (which is far from acting like a 'team'), the conclusion is strengthened that these are two different worlds.

Our people deserve a more worthy parliament, one that would justify the words with which many of the speeches heard in it open: "Mr. Speaker, honorable Knesset." In order for us to reach this, it is necessary to rely on a different world of values as a basis for that process of restoring proportions and making moral decisions. This world of values is not created out of nothing; it is first and foremost the result of education and tradition that have been cultivated — or not — over the years.

"If you want to know," asks Bialik in his famous poem, from where will we draw this world of values? — and the answer is written in the words 'present-absent' (depends on the home, the teacher, and the guide): education, education, education! — Bialik saw the education system as the "foundry for the nation's soul" (provided that it indeed fulfills its purpose).

In an era of a lack of personal example from our elected officials, the education system must grow new elected officials for us by better imparting the humanistic values promised in the Declaration of Independence — the values of decency. This is the only chance to get back here our old and good Land of Israel, with the proper value hierarchy and with the right priorities. Avi Nesher expressed this well in the apt name he chose for his new film.

The author is the director of the Center for the Promotion of Decency in Israel.