We, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” from Israel and across the world, must respond to how one member of the Knesset chose to dress for the festive holiday Purim this year. MK Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) had herself photographed in the costume of what one Haaretz commentator has appropriately dubbed a “Death Eater” (of Harry Potter infamy) in the service of the state. The Israeli lawmaker was dressed in an Israel Prison Service jumpsuit, with a noose in one hand and a syringe of poison in the other. Next to her, in a white dress shirt, was her husband, Yehuda, packing an automatic rifle in what very well may have been an homage to the mass murderer Baruch Goldstein and wearing signs reading “expulsion,” “conquest,” and “settlement.”

Leaving aside the dangerous implications of Yehuda’s chosen garb, it behooves L’chaim to unpack the costume choice of the Member of Knesset. Her wardrobe selection was far worse than a fashion faux pas. Her shameless action celebrated lethal symbols, one of which perpetuates a direct Nazi legacy. Like Minister of Justice Ben Gvir’s wearing of a noose-shaped lapel to Knesset hearings, it glorifies killing and sanctifies revenge in a manner that is not befitting of any civilized society.

Such a debauched spectacle normally would not merit a response. Tragically, the level of bloodlust that permeates the present zeitgeist and the very real possibility that this bill may come to fruition necessitate our doing just that. Not to counter such a display would risk further normalizing it.

Celebrating the Nazi legacy of lethal injection

MK Son Har-Melekh intended the........

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