Israelis must refrain from violence, even if we disagree

This wasn’t a protest – it was an attack on the very idea that coexistence is possible. On the eve of a day meant for national unity, these rioters chose division, hate, and violence.

On the eve of Remembrance Day, a day in which Israelis come together to mourn those killed in the country’s wars, a different beast was lurking.

Every year, we come together across the country to remember the fallen, whether they were soldiers, police, or civilians in the wrong place at the wrong time. Right, Left, and Center – we acknowledge our unified pain as a nation, regardless of political or religious background.

But every year for the past 20 years, another ceremony has taken place: a joint Israeli and Palestinian ceremony, mourning losses on both sides of the war.

This is consistently a unified event of those on opposing sides of a never-ending war coming together to recognize that death has ripped families apart on either side of the border.

Many of those who attended and spoke this year were October 7 massacre survivors, as well as families of victims of terror; the audience included members of the opposition, the press, and a massive audience from the general public.

However, the event continually sees opposition, and this year was no exception; in fact, the opposition to the ceremony quickly turned violent, reflecting a tear in Israeli society we have known to be present for years.

Opposition to joint Israel-Palestinian ceremony turns violent

The ceremony was being screened throughout the country, as well as in the West Bank, since Palestinians had their permits revoked and were therefore unable to attend the main ceremony. One such location was Ra’anana, a city with secular and religious Jewish communities, and, namely, a massive new immigrant (olim) community.

The ceremony broadcast was held at the Reform synagogue – the same one at which I had my bat mitzvah. The synagogue I know like the back of my hand because I learned there, read from the Torah there, danced to American singer Sean Kingston there.

That same synagogue, however, was violently disrupted by around 200 right-wing activists who opposed an event promoting coexistence. Protesters assaulted participants, threw objects and firecrackers, and damaged cars.

I wish I could say that these were far-right extremists, but unfortunately, that is not the case. The deputy mayor of Ra’anana, a member of the Likud party, egged them on and called for the protest in the first place. Protesters chanted inflammatory slogans and physically attacked people, including a woman in a hijab and the deputy director of the Reform Movement, because some people who could not stand the idea of living together peacefully, not even them, but even other people living near them, decided to act violently against it.

Organizers had warned police of threats, but only a small security presence was deployed, with merely a handful of police officers at the site. They consequently struggled to control the mob and eventually evacuated attendees in small groups.

Rather than call out the violence, however, the Likud’s Ra’anana branch head praised the rioters and issued threats of further action against left-wing groups and outside attendees.

This wasn’t a protest – it was an attack on the very idea that coexistence is possible. On the eve of a day meant for national unity, these rioters chose division, hate, and violence. That they were enabled – even encouraged – by elected officials should chill every one of us who still believes in democracy, dignity, and dialogue.

We don’t all have to agree, but we must all agree that violence has no place in the public square, especially not when an activity is aimed at peace.