Elad Tsadikov: "The 'Jews Are Coming' Dishonors Judaism Systematically. It's Time to Say Enough"

Elad Tsadikov, a member of the Herzliya City Council representing Degel HaTorah, is very busy these days. Besides his regular duties as a council member and a member of the 'Degel HaTorah' party, Tsadikov and several activists from the 'Ofek – The Jewish Information Headquarters' organization are leading the fight against the television program 'The Jews Are Coming', from the public broadcasting corporation 'Kan', which dishonors everything sacred and dear to the Jewish people.

"We stayed silent for six years that this program has existed," says Tsadikov in an exclusive interview we conduct with him amid the final preparations for the large rally that will, with Hashem's help, take place tomorrow (Monday). "Despite the poison and contempt presented there against everything Jewish - we stayed silent, because we feared that if we started a fight against them, it might further help them and bring ratings to this program. But once they dishonored the name of He-Who-Is-To-Be-Honored, for us, the silence ended. We cannot remain silent any more."

"If Muhammad Were Dishonored, the Country Would Be in an Uproar"

Elad Tsadikov, a Herzliya council member for Degel HaTorah, has fought many battles in his life. As a former combatant in 'Shayetet 13', Tsadikov faced Hezbollah fighters in face-to-face combat in the mountains of southern Lebanon. Today, years later, he looks different. His face is adorned with a gray beard and his head is covered by a large yarmulke. But the battles continue to be part of the soundtrack of his life.

"In the past, I fought for the physical wellbeing of the land, and today I fight for its spiritual wellbeing. That's much more important to me," he says.

Why did you decide to fight over this issue?

"The damage they cause is greater than anyone can imagine," he explains. "The reason this program causes such damage stems from the well-known fact that young people in Israel grow up today with almost no information about the Torah and Judaism. The ignorance is glaring. And when knowledge doesn't come from good sources, large parts of the Israeli public are nourished by sources like this program, which serves them as an almost sole glimpse into the glorious figures of Jewish history like Queen Esther and Elijah the Prophet. The contempt in which figures of the Jewish past are presented in such content is therefore powerful and directed against Judaism. The way these great figures of Israel's past are depicted becomes etched in the hearts and minds of these young people, and this scar will be difficult to remove for the rest of their lives."

Tsadikov is closely familiar with the damage such content can cause. A close relative of his began approaching Judaism several years ago, but the messages absorbed at a young age make it difficult for him to completely separate from the filth and impurity - even today, many years after discovering the truth. "He grew up on 'Baba Bubba', which incidentally, is the same actor who currently plays in 'The Jews Are Coming'," Tsadikov shares. "That relative, despite his closeness to religion, still has residual problematic relations towards the righteous of Israel: figures like Baba Sali, and other prominent figures in Judaism. He is working on himself today, and this will, with Hashem's help, pass, but from this significant case, one can understand the extent of influence these shallow programs have on viewers," he says.

Tsadikov has many complaints also against the political and legal establishment in Israel. "If they were dishonoring communities the media tends to protect - the country would be in an uproar," he claims. According to him, "If one of the media's favored groups were attacked, politicians would compete among themselves to release the most severe statements, and the media outlet responsible for this would quickly back down. It's easy to imagine that if the subject of ridicule and scorn were, for example, bereaved families, Holocaust survivors, or distinguished Arabs, the media would shout against the injustice and politicians would denounce and even take active steps against the mocking program until the media outlet had to take down the program with an apology to the offended public. But when there's a program systematically and regularly dishonoring the Jewish people and Jewish values, everyone remains silent. It's inconceivable," he says in pain.

Tsadikov notes the different responses between damage to Jewish values and to Islamic principles, contrary to a past occurrence: "About two years ago, a book was published with its cover depicting the picture of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, with a pig's head next to his own, considered an impure animal also by Muslims," Tsadikov recalls. "That event ended with a severe indictment against the book's author, who was eventually sentenced to two years in prison. And here, much more serious content against Judaism is published, towards which the judges should theoretically be more sensitive, yet no one speaks up," he explains.

Despite that, many media outlets are filled with content that opposes the spirit of Judaism. Why did you choose to fight specifically against this program?

"It's no secret that the corporation has a lot of contempt for the Torah and the great figures of Israel, just like other media outlets that carry content that offends and demeans Judaism," Tsadikov says, adding, "We're not dealing with one specific program but our goal is to eradicate the issue at its root. The 'Jews Are Coming' is a symptom. It's not the disease itself. Therefore, while we are focusing the fight on this particular program, our aim is to expand the fight to additional content in other media."

Tsadikov notes that the fact the broadcasting corporation is funded by taxpayers in Israel contributed to their decision to focus the fight there. "It's an impossible situation where we - the citizens of Israel - fund this disgrace with our taxes. Whether we want to or not, we pay for the corporation's content by paying hundreds of shekels annually as part of the annual vehicle test tax. This fact gives us all the justification to demand that this program not harm us. Is it possible that we pay for something that damages us?" he wonders.

But like everything else in life, the decision to start a fight came after an event referred to by the protest headquarters as "dramatic." It happened when the Ministry of Education uploaded content from 'The Jews Are Coming' on its website. "For us, it was the straw that broke the camel's back," relates the council member from Herzliya.

"The Corporation Is Fighting to Cancel the Rally"

Six years ago, in 2014, thousands went out to protest in what was called the 'Milky Protest'. The demonstrations across the country demanded lower living costs in Israel. "The people of Israel then fought over the price of a simple dessert," says Tsadikov. "For the sake of Heaven, surely we must go out and protest with all our might," he asserts.

During our conversation, Tsadikov energetically reveals that the fight against the broadcasting corporation is not just going to end with the rally planned for next Monday but will continue in the corridors of the courts. "We are planning an extensive move, with the rally being its start," he says. Following the rally, the leaders of the fight intend to file a lawsuit in court requesting that the annual fee for the public broadcasting corporation be halted, or alternatively, to require the corporation to represent the views of all Israeli citizens equally. "We want to obligate the public broadcasting corporation to incorporate Torah values in a way that reflects the religious and traditional side of Israel," says Tsadikov, adding, "We also intend to demand that the corporation employ citizens equitably from all population sectors in the country. The current situation, where a small fraction of the citizens are those working in the corporation, promoting extreme and anti-Jewish agendas, while the majority - the traditional and Judaic-loving public - is left behind, is unacceptable."

Back to the rally itself; which public figures are expected to attend?

"We can't reveal everything now, but we can say that there is broad response from all sectors of Israel to come to the big event, and prominent rabbis from all sectors are expected to attend, including Rabbi Zamir Cohen, Rabbi BaTsri, Rabbi Grossman, Rabbi Ben Porat, Rabbi Yigal Cohen, and others. There will also be rabbis from the national religious Zionism, including Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi Aviner, Rabbi Chaim Lebanon, Rabbi Tzvi Kostiner, and more.

On the other hand, famous personalities and opinion leaders from the general public are also expected to attend the event, such as singers and media people. To our question of who they are, Tsadikov answers that he cannot disclose their names at this stage, fearing they may be pressured not to come to the rally.

What is the value of holding the rally?

"You can direct that question to the public broadcasting corporation, which is already fighting us and seeking to cancel the rally," he says. "We have precise information from the police about pressures exerted by the corporation to prevent the rally from taking place. But they will not succeed. We will arrive there and protest for His sacred name.

"We estimate that if many people attend, it will generate media noise and negatively impact the corporation. The success of the rally could also lead to the creation of a political force that will assist us in combatting problematic content broadcast by the corporation and provide the supportive background necessary to face them better in court."

In conclusion, Tsadikov states: "Most of the people of Israel are healthy-minded: they love Hashem and the traditions of Israel. Due to this small minority at the top of the Israeli media, this shocking content is published. In my estimation," he adds, "this minority leads a planned strategic policy against the traditional public in Israel, intended to harm the future generation of the Jewish people. These individuals know this is their last chance to stop the expanding traditional and religious public in Israel, growing by the grace of Hashem, so they want to influence the young Israelis who will be growing up in the coming decade because they believe this period is the last time they can curb the rise and expansion of the religious-traditional force. In this struggle, we see the conduct of the military system, which shaves soldiers' beards, leading to a highly problematic policy against religion. We also see this in the justice system and, of course, in media outlets.

"This rally is, therefore, a powerful tool in the fight for the future of the entire Jewish people," he concludes.

Despite these things, Tsadikov radiates optimism: "For two thousand years of exile, we kept our heads above water, against those who defamed and dishonored the systems of Hashem. Certainly, we will succeed now as well," he declares: "We will take the first step to fight this program on the upcoming Monday at Beit Haperes 32 in Jerusalem, opposite the public broadcasting corporation building, at 7:00 PM. And Hashem will help us to remove this disgrace from us."

The Protest Against 'The Jews Are Coming' Continues: Elad Tsadikov 'Breaks Silence' - Even on the Knesset Channel