A Day of Contrasts

Two events will take place today in Jerusalem. One of them will be a disgrace and a disgrace to its participants. The other will be a noble event, a mitzvah, and a merit for those who take part in it.

The first event is an event which is being forced upon the vast majority of Jerusalemites, is the so called "gay pride" parade. I have blogged about this in the past.

The other event is the funeral of Rabbi Uri Zohar z"l:

Rabbi Uri Zohar, one of Israel's most famous performers and later, one of the world's most prominent figures to become religious, has passed away at the age of 86.

Rabbi Zohar was born in Tel Aviv in 1935 to parents who were recent immigrants from Poland. He studied philosophy in Hebrew University and then began a hugely successful career in the performing arts, gaining renown as an actor, comedian, screenwriter and film director, alongside fellow artists such as Arik Einstein, Shalom Hanoch, and Jonathan Geffen.

In the late 1970s, Rabbi Zohar became religious, joining the haredi community over time; his transformation was watched with shock, admiration, and sometimes horror by the Israeli public. He later chronicled this period of his life in a book he titled, "My friends, we were robbed!" referring to the Jewish heritage so many secular Israelis are ignorant of.

A day of contrasts, indeed!