I stood and ground my teeth as I watched Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Liberman hold an entire country hostage with only eight Knesset seats to his name, allowing himself to lash out at anyone he didn't like - essentially anyone who's not named Avigdor Liberman.
Starting with crooked Benjamin Netanyahu, moving on to the Blue and White party, and of course, leaving enough time to settle the score with the ultra-Orthodox parties.
The public, which until recently despised him, responded rather positively to his tongue lashings. Now he's one of them.
Liberman, who played his hand at the exact right moment, stood there for long minutes and berated the ultra-Orthodox community.
Citing an interview with United Torah Judaism co-leader Moshe Gafni, in which he was asked how he would handle the budget deficit, Liberman said: "He (Gafni) stated that he would raise taxes but have no cuts to social welfare. Do you understand? Gafni knows his constituency doesn't pay taxes, so he raises our taxes because we're saps. That's genius."
It seems like Liberman forgot how in the past, he was an integral part of this pack of "ultra-Orthodox and delusional messianic believers", but there is no need to remind him.
If there is anything he should be reminded of, it is the political fate of those who sow hate in the hearts of the public.
Secular parties such as Shinui and Meretz have managed to make some substantial political gains on the backs of the ultra-Orthodox, but not for long. Their expiration date comes about very quickly.
The main problem with Liberman's hateful rhetoric is its lasting effect.
After an unbridled politician allows himself to group all the ultra-Orthodox Jews under the umbrella term "neurotics who don't pay taxes," the ultra-Orthodox who work in high-tech, communications or the law system find themselves burdened with the same moniker.
After two hate-filled election cycles, many ultra-Orthodox receive abuse while walking in the park with their kids or use public transportation, just because their appearance brings up associations of the "delusionals" who live at the expense of others.
I have more than once been the target of such abuse, sometimes in front of my own kids, just because I'm ultra-Orthodox.
The fact that I pay taxes was not enough to exempt me from these verbal attacks.
This is incitement in its prime. These abusers are not among Israel's intellectuals, but they do reveal a certain public perception: they're saying what others are thinking.
Something bad is happening. You can disagree with the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle but turning every member of the ultra-Orthodox community into an unemployed, money-sucker who doesn't pay taxes is completely illegitimate.
Many ultra-Orthodox have an active role in society and should not be grouped into categories manufactured by politicians for political gains.
There's a notion that while people have ridden themselves of stereotypes against most minorities, and even though secularism promotes values of tolerance and liberalism, there are those who remain detached from reality and keep reiterating old slogans we should have done away with years ago.
When it comes to Liberman, you can understand where he's coming from. Even if he knows it’s a lie – and he probably does – he is still a politician thirsty for voters and who will do anything to get them with hateful anti-ultra-Orthodox soundbites.
Liberman is ready to become the left's new darling and become friends with people who only a few election cycles ago would have never even considered talking to him – everything in order to form a government without "the ultra-Orthodox and the delusionals".
The problem stems from people who see themselves as enlightened and educated start to quote Liberman just because he is "the leftist messiah riding the conservative donkey." He is far from that.
When politicians and the media spew the banalest slogans against the ultra-Orthodox, most of which are as far from reality as you can get, there is no reason for the public to ignore them.
Israeli society is not at fault for being fed lies, but the truth must be told as well.
Yaakov Plavinsky is a writer for "Mishpacha" magazine