A recording leaked Monday night from a closed activist meeting of the Democrats party in Kiryat Ono captures party chairman Yair Golan launching a shocking tirade against Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community.
Golan, who has sparked controversy with past statements, used harsh and demeaning language to describe an entire sector of Israeli society. “Today they’re 13.5% of the population,” Golan said, referring to the growing Haredi population, before adding: “A community that’s growing rapidly, living like a parasite off the rest of the population—this can’t work.”
He described the ultra-Orthodox as an unbearable burden on the state: “You’re too heavy, we can’t carry you on our backs. We can’t work for you and pay taxes for you.”
Golan then compared his approach to the Haredi community to his views on ‘Palestinians’: “Regarding the Haredim, just as I said regarding the Palestinians—separation or annexation. Regarding the Haredim—segregation or integration.”