Israeli flag
Israeli flagIsrael news photo: Flash 90

As most Zionist Israelis decorate their cars with Israeli flags ahead of Independence Day, this is not a common sight among the haredi community. While the vast majority of haredim do not share the extreme belief to deny the celebration, they are also in no hurry to take part in them.

Despite this, one haredi man, Akiva Weiss, a political correspondent of the Behadrey Haredim website, decided this year to put an Israeli flag on his car for the first time.

In a heartfelt post to his Facebook page, Weiss explained that for him, it is a corrective experience.

Titled "in memory of the flags," Weiss said that as a schoolboy, his haredi-extremist educators preached flag-burnings.

"I was maybe 8 years old, a child being taught Talmud Torah in an extreme anti-Zionist way.  As obedient children, we used to snatch the Israeli flags off of parked vehicles and burn them in the Lag B'Omer bonfire," wrote Weiss.

"First, I ask forgiveness of those car owners whose flags were taken. Each flag has an owner ... Secondly, as a corrective experience, I decided to put a flag on my car, hoping that a young Satmar student will not tear it off, and who knows, maybe one day he will become a political reporter.”

“Happy Independence to those celebrating,” he concluded.