Haaretz
By Yehuda Ben Meir
What is erupting from the hearts of hundreds of thousands of citizens, and what sends them out to the streets, is not economics, but rather morality and values. Social justice is not an economic concept. It is, at base, a normative one.
Due to the large protest movement that has taken shape in Israel recently, the public is being regaled with dozens of hours of discussions in the media and hundreds of articles about the economic aspects of “social justice,” and about the advantages and disadvantages of “socialism” as compared to “capitalism.” However, what is actually at behind all the demonstrations – what is erupting from the hearts of hundreds of thousands of citizens, and what sends them out to the streets – is not economics, but rather morality and values. Social justice is not an economic concept. It is, at base, a normative one.
A just society is not one in which everyone is equal, but rather a society that operates according to a system of values and moral standards which accommodates an individual’s instinctive sense of natural justice. Israel’s public is prepared to endure any economic burden, so long as it is convinced that the government is acting according to principles of justice and moral values.
Categories: Israel, Law and Religion, Middle East