Ben Artzi
Ben ArtziRefael Levy

Dr. Haggai ben Artzi, the brother-in-law of the Prime Minister, defined the court decision to disallow a gender-separated haredi event in Afula.

"I don't think the word has yet been said to be used in this context - really it's a ruling that is a religious persecution decree ["gzeirat shmad"], he said in an interview with Arutz Sheva.

He says "the concept of religious persecution decrees speaks of laws that prevented Jews from living their religious and traditional way of life many times because of enlightenment and progress. Even in modern times, we have known laws by Stalin and Lenin to prevent Torah study. This is a religious persecution decree because it is a public event, with the consent of the communities who want it - religious and haredi - in a public space in the Jewish State, that the court decided is a criminal offense that the police must prevent. Most synagogues are also in public buildings and the next step may be to prevent segregation in synagogues. If any gender separation is a criminal offense, then religious Jews cannot live their lives in the Jewish State, and that's what history calls religious persecution decrees."

He also finds it difficult to understand the criticism of Minister Betzalel Smotrich for attacking the Prime Minister's conduct.

"My problem is that when Minister Betzalel Smotrich rightly sounds a great and bitter scream - who's attacked? Him. I haven't heard the Prime Minister or any of the Likud ministers say a word about the scandal and madness of religious persecution in the Jewish State. Everyone attacked Betzalel Smotrich, that he needs to be fired and he's impolite. When we're discussing decrees, the problem to gauge is whether he spoke politely? It's completely out of proportion."

His criticism is directed at the movement headed by his brother-in-law, the Likud.

"I say with regret that the Likud has in recent weeks published huge ads that tell us that the Likud is the home of religious Zionism. It is impertinence and bluff. The problem is not BeTzalel Smotrich. The problem is the court and if it is based on a law, then the problem is the law. They should stand up and say, 'It's crazy, it's a scandal; we'll change it.' They don't care."

Ben Artzi says this case proves that the religious community supporting the Likud should recalculate. "If that's the case, I urge the entire haredi, religious, and traditional public who votes Likud, to absolutely not vote for them this time at all.

"If this is the Likud position when such an atrocity occurs in the Jewish State and they do not have a single word to say about it - it means that they're not our home or our partners. They won't make sure that a Jew will be able to live his life in the Jewish State. I say this with pain, because we always believed that the Likud was our ally and it understood what it meant to be Jewish but this time they went too far," concludes Ben Artzi.