With a smug, self-satisfied expression on his face, Ashkelon Mayor Itamar Shimoni took to Channel 2 on Aug. 31 to read a letter he had received from Avital Benshalom, the newly appointed principal of that city’s School of the Arts. In her letter, Benshalom clarifies that she considers herself a Zionist and a patriot and believes military service to be a civic duty.

Shimoni was interviewed about why he opposed Benshalom's appointment: He had been informed by several parents that in 2002, Benshalom had signed a petition in support of soldiers refusing to serve in Judea and Samaria. Parents demanded that Shimoni block the appointment and even threatened a school strike if she became principal. Shimoni, a member of the Likud Party, was quick to support the parents and asked the Ministry of Education to rescind Benshalom’s appointment.

The result was easy to anticipate. There was a media storm, and Benshalom found herself forced to justify herself with all sorts of contortions, right before the school year started Sept. 1. After all, her appointment was in jeopardy. Although she had not committed a crime by signing the petition — she was simply expressing a legitimate political opinion — Benshalom became an “enemy of the people.” In other words, she was deemed a dangerous leftist who must be kept far away from Israeli children.

After reading Benshalom’s letter on television, Shimoni said that he considers the episode closed. He noted that Benshalom had explained her educational approach, writing, among other things, “I have always encouraged my students to become socially active, and that includes serving in the army in a meaningful way.” In other words, she passed Shimoni’s morality test. This was an embarrassing and delusional moment. Here was a mayor, sitting on live TV, conducting some sort of political trial against an esteemed educator simply because she had signed a petition 13 years ago!