What better way to spend your wedding day than fighting for the state of Israel? A bride made a surprise visit to the Women in Green’s week-long vigil tent on Wednesday, which is located in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem.
The vigil, which as of Friday is in its sixth day, has been titled “The Mothers say YES to Israeli Sovereignty over Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley,” and has been hailed as a new tactic for the nationalist camp, taking a page from the political left’s protest methods.
“If, even on the day of her wedding, a bride sees fit to take part in the national struggle, then the people of Israel will surely be victorious,” remarked Women in Green.
Efrat Leshem, the bride, is the granddaughter of the Ganiram family, which has actively led the founding of communities in Hevron and the Golan Heights.
Another surprise visitor to the tent Wednesday was Sapir Sabah, who came with her mother Nurit after being at the Knesset. Sabah is the student who exposed high school teacher Adam Verete’s defamation of the IDF as “immoral” and his attempts to push his extreme leftist ideology on his students.
Sabah said she doesn’t accept the ORT educational network hearing that let Verete off with a warning, after he claimed in class “the state did not belong to the Jews at all but to the Arabs, and as far as he was concerned, the Jews had no business being in Israel at all.”
“I would give up if he was sorry and had expressed regret, but he continues his incitement,” stated Sabah at the vigil. An event has been arranged by former MK Michael Ben-Ari for next Sunday in Kiryat Tivon near Haifa to honor Sabah for her efforts defending the country.
“The education system betrayed Sapir Sabah,” accused Ben-Ari on Facebook. “It betrayed the Zionist youth, and stipulated support for anti-Zionism. …After the crazy left has taken sides with Adam Verete, it’s time for the sane people to back up Sapir and the Zionist youth.”
Rebbetzin Shani Taragin also spoke at the tent on Wednesday, reading “each person rules in his house” from the Book of Esther in honor of the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim. The scriptural reference was used as evidence that the people of Israel must be sovereign in their land.
Various public figures have been showing up at the vigil tent to support the initiative; on Wednesday these included MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud Beytenu), MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home), Yochai Dimri, the head of the Council of South Hevron, and others.
The vigil, which Professors for a Strong Israel and Matot Arim have cooperated in organizing, will continue through Sunday.
Video from the vigil shows various participants, including former Israeli Ambassador to the US Yoram Ettinger, Rabbi Sholom Gold, Shiffra Hoffman, and Jeff Daube.
