Candidate Blames Lack of Jewish Tradition for Criticism of Nova Festival Dances

A public outcry has erupted over dances performed during holiday prayers at the Nova festival site on Saturday, Simchat Torah, drawing harsh criticism towards the participants. Yitzhak Zaga, a candidate for the 'Zeut' party and number 8 on the joint list of 'Zeut' and Religious Zionism led by Minister Bezalel Smotrich, addressed the controversy in an interview with "Kipa News." Zaga asserted that the intention behind the event was to honor the memory of those killed, stating, "People came to connect." He explained that the dancing stemmed from the same sense of remembrance and connection, suggesting the participants aimed "to elevate their souls" and that the criticism was "very external." Zaga directed his critique towards what he described as a lack of understanding of Jewish tradition, attributing the backlash to this unfamiliarity. "I think it stems a lot from a lack of understanding. A lack of understanding of Jewish tradition, and it's very much related to the issue that Jewish identity today in the country is very, very neglected," he stated. He elaborated that the neglect of Jewish identity in the education system and politics leads people to react and understand incorrectly. Zaga extended this argument to the war in Gaza and Israel's security concepts, suggesting that a strong Jewish national identity is crucial for decisive victory, which he defined as "conquest, expulsion, settlement." He linked this back to the criticism of those celebrating Simchat Torah at the Nova site, lamenting the harsh and terrible language used against them. "Everything comes back to the root point, the starting point, which is Jewish national identity. And this is precisely our message," Zaga concluded.