Throughout Israel and around the world Jews have been building this week the traditional sukkah hut, honoring the Feast of Tabernacles. But in Tel Aviv there are still some families and individuals who live in huts and tents for several months on end and even up to three years, ever since the 2011 social justice protests. Those people have become almost transparent to the public around them.
Over the past few weeks, it seems as if the protest has been standing again at our doorstep. The campaign over the price of chocolate pudding snacks has stirred up a public debate over the legitimacy of leaving the country — for the sake of life in places where the cost of living is lower. In a special festive interview on the eve of the Jewish Sukkot holiday, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said, ''We have failed in whatever concerns housing prices and cost of living, and we, the government, must deal with that.'' Nevertheless, Ya'alon called on young people not to give up: ''I don't believe that because of this people should leave the country. Those who care [about Israel] must stay here and help change things, lead the change.''