Tears of the deposed ministers - Chapter II

Joy at Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi soared; the delegates were accompanied by their excited family members. Victory image did not end with screws dismantled from internal government, but the disgraceful removal of the beard owners (besides Ben Dahan) and black caps (not knitted) from the coalition benches. For many of us it reminded of dark periods in history, a moment the thought came to wear a yellow star on haredi MKs suits. Eventually they settled with relatively minor protests.

I watched a few of them, and the feeling was overwhelming. Religious Affairs Minister Yaakov Margi, sitting in a chair until almost the last moment. Is it hard to separate from the government seat? – I SMS'd him. No, he digested the facts about a month ago, only the Minister Yisrael Katz sought to replace him as the representative of the government to the inauguration, after which he lost his seat and he was sent to the back benches, somewhere along the Arab MKs.
From now on, you and the Haredim work together - I told MK Nitzan Horowitz of Meretz, just before entering the plenum inauguration gala. "It will not take long," he predicted. The orthodox parties would be pleased if his prophecy comes true, even though officially their recitation "we will not join a shredder government", be assured, as soon as Netanyahu signals - they will join without hesitation.

I met Eli Yishai at the milky Knesset cafeteria. He went straight to the sandwich bar, and instructed her about his favorite flavor, with no aides or members of the entourage that accompanied him everywhere in recent years. Just a minute ago he separated from the guards, and already he is released to his private life, his family and his children. "They are so excited," he told me. "Finally they get an almost full-time dad," I replied. I added that in fact, when it comes to him, he was always there for them. Also his aides knew, by Eli his family comes first, and when necessary – he will move the schedule.

There was also Ariel Atias. Atias, we should mention was never a "regular" MK. Since he entered the Knesset building – he held the title of Minister. No doubt landing in the opposition will not be easy for him. It is hard to imagine him editing pages of rules or queries. But as I know him – he has already learned the Knesset's full regulations on the way to professional parliamentary work.

The greatest pity I felt for Reuven Rivlin, the man parachuted within one day from the Olympus, from his level post as chairman of the Knesset, and laden with luxury offices and clerical assistants, to a simple room of a Likud MK, one of twenty. Again and again I visited his room without windows on the Prime Minister's floor in the Knesset, I came to comfort and encourage. The previous day, on Monday, everything been packed and equipment folded, for the transition.

"At least you have windows," said Rivka Ravitz, Rivlin's devoted office director. She would follow him through fire and water, and become a parliamentary assistant, a role she previously played for the better. While the wage is lower it is a great challenge: in the coming year Rivlin plans to storm the presidency, and G-d willing, with the assistance of dedicated assistants Zevi Dolinsky and Harel Tovy, and because of the secret voting which the Prime Minister has no control of – he is also going to win.

Just before evacuating the room Yaakov Litzman looked inside, who also came to say a good word. "Rabbi Litzman, how does it feel to go to the opposition desert?" I asked him. "On the contrary, I'm very happy," he said with a grin. "From now on, the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of others, they cannot blame us for what will happen," he explained. If he lied or acted - he did so for the better, without leaving a trace.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!