Yuli Edelstein hopes MKs will do some introspection on the High Holy Days and start setting a better example for their voters.

Along with the new Jewish year comes a new Knesset session – beginning October 30 – making Yom Kippur a good time for introspection not only for each individual Jew but for Israel’s parliament as well.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post in his office last week, it was clear that Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein didn’t think 5776 was a year the legislature should be especially proud of and believes there are MKs who should be atoning for their sins.

Some may want to focus on one line in the confessional prayer that reads: “And for the sin which we have committed before You with an utterance of the lips.”

“It keeps me up at night,” Edelstein said, referring to the uncivil and sometimes violent tone the discourse can take in the Knesset.

“The tone in the Knesset influences the public. When we call each other fascists and traitors, that flows outwards, and things can end badly,” he warned.

“If two drivers curse at each other in an intersection, in the end one might pull out a knife.”

The temptation for lawmakers to pander to voters rather than try to set an example is great, Edelstein added. Continue reading 

לעברית, הקליקו כאן