As Israel is shifting to the right and right-wing activists rally in protest of any event perceived as leftist, marginal as it may be, the fundraising event organized in Tel Aviv on the evening of Nov. 30 by the Committee for Humanitarian Aid to the Syrian People — set up to aid the millions of Syrian refugees, first and foremost the children, to get through the cold winter — passed quietly, without public protests or demonstrations.

Reactions on the street to the event ranged from “What a group of delusional people” to “I don't really care what they are doing there.” No one stopped to voice their objections or support. The Israeli public, it turns out, is not really bothered by or interested in the horrible Syrian civil war, which has been raging for the past 3½ years. One of the speakers at the event, Israeli novelist Ronit Matalon, fully aware of the situation, said, “There is no use denying it: We are few.” She was right. The 200-seat auditorium was half empty.

Another speaker, professor Yossi Yonah, whose father was born in Aleppo, told the audience that TV presenter Shai Stern, who was documenting the fundraising evening, had told him: “I cannot understand you. As for me, I couldn't care less about the Syrian people.”

“It's not just indifference; it’s an obstinate lack of concern for the other,” said Yonah. He went on to criticize the State of Israel, which, he said “was sending aid around the world, while acrobatically skipping its neighbors.” However, Yonah ignored the medical treatment provided by Israel in its hospitals to Syrians wounded in the civil war.