The following is from Aish.com:
How dare you?
How dare you spit on an 8-year-old schoolgirl and terrorize her as she walks to school? I don’t care what she’s wearing; spitting, verbal abuse, and threats of violence cannot be tolerated.
How dare you call yourself a Hareidi, God-fearing Jew? Your despicable actions are diametrically opposed to Judaism. You are a thug and a hooligan whose conduct, in the words of the statement from Agudath Israel of America “is beyond the bounds of decent, moral – Jewish! – behavior.”
How dare you put us in a position where we need to state loud and clear that we condemn your loathsome actions. We do not share the same theology; we resent having any association with you that necessitates our stark denunciation.
How dare you wear the garb of a religious Jew and create a massive Chillul Hashem, a desecration of God’s name, where uninformed Jews and non-Jews around the world mistakenly believe media distortions that you somehow represent religious Jews in Israel. You are like the kippah-clad thief who dines on pork; he cannot call himself a ‘religious’ Jew. You refuse to listen to rabbinic leadership and your actions are causing irreparable harm to the Jewish people.
How dare you – through your reprehensible actions – turn off Jews who are curious to learn about their Jewish heritage.
How dare you reject the Torah’s way of “love your fellow man” and instead erect barriers of hate and intolerance.
Perhaps you should try following the example of a real Torah Jew, the great Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, of blessed memory.
A non-religious Israeli couple was married for 12 years and could not have children. They were distraught and decided to seek counsel from the renowned Rosh Yeshiva. It was a hot summer day and the couple knocked on the door. The woman was wearing her typical summer attire and was not modestly dressed.
Rebbetzin Finkel opened the door and greeted the couple. “How wonderful that you came to meet my husband!” Then she turned to the wife and warmly said, “You know, my husband is a great scholar – he learns all day. When I go in to speak with him, I wear a shawl out of respect. Why don’t you come with me and see if I have one for you, too. I think I even have a perfect piece of jewelry to match. And we’ll go in together to speak to him.”
They entered his study and told the rabbi why they had come. Rabbi Finkel had great difficulty talking due to the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s. He mustered his strength and said to the woman, “You and I have a lot in common. We both know what suffering is.” He began to sob, along with Rebbetzin Finkel. Then the couple started crying.
Rabbi Finkel spoke with the couple for a while, offering words of comfort. He then took their names, and vowed to pray for them.
No yelling, no threats, no spitting. Just love, respect and compassion of one Jew for another.
Maimonides writes (Laws of Character Development, 6:7) that the only way to draw people close is through love. That is how the Almighty relates to us, and that is how He wants us to relate to others.
Abandon your hate and choose the Torah’s path of warmth and understanding.
I dare you.
(Source: Aish.com)
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23 Responses
Thank you Aish. You have brought a little sanity to this unbelievable situation.
Enough already!!!!!!! Stop making a megillah of minor knavery.
I know both adults and schoolgirls in NYC who are frequently spit upon by homeless. It’s unpleasant but not equiavlent to murder nor even to battery.
Arrest the offenders, fine them heavily, give them a few days in jail perhaps — but stop using them (and their 8-year-old victim) as an excuse to incite hatred between hilonim and haredim.
With proper parenting and re-assurance, I am sure Naama can put the incident(s) behind her and grow up happy.
Great letter Aish I don’t know how you could put it any better.
That was one of the most beautiful things I have ever read on this site.
I DONT KNOW WHAT BECAME OF THIS FORUM. IT BACAME A SHOIFER FOR ALL CHAREDI BASHING AS NEVER BEFORE. I ONCED ENJOYED LOGGING IN HERE,BECAUSE IT WAS CLEAN & TORAHDIG SUBJECTS, BUT LATELY IT BACAME A REAL LOSHON HORA AND RECHILUS FORUM EVERYBODY FINDS A PLACE TO ADD A COMMENT NO MATTER IF ITS A LIE OR MAKING FUN OF EVERY TZADIK OR PERSON WHO IS AN ANTI ZIONIST OR ETC.
YOU ALL SHOULD TAKE YOUR TIME OUT TO MAKE A LITTLE SHIUR IN THE HOLY SEFER *VEYOEL MOISHE* FROM THE OLD SATMER REBBE ZATZAL AND YOUR MINDS WILL OPEN UP A LITTLE TO SEE WHTS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD.
This letter should also go to a yevomo when she gets a chalitzh. Since this practice is going on for hundreds of years and considered to be a mitzve please explain why it doesn’t apply there.
Who is he? Did he claim to be a “Hareidi, God-fearing Jew?” as the article says. I can’t find any interviews with him? I can’t find any article about him or his Rebbe or Rav, or whomever he would be alledging told him to attack little girls.
Perhaps the problem is our community hasn’t come up with a way to deal with sociopaths (that’s university-ese for punks and criminals).
So beautiful and true, but like with all the blogs/letters/statements, they are just preaching to the choir! These are being read by the wrong people!
I would like to believe that Baruch Hashem all of the readers of Aish/YWN/HaModia/JewishWeek, etc etc DO NOT spit on people, throw tomatoes/eggs or curse at anyone b/c of their religious beliefs!
These barbarians will only listen to force and jail!
They must certainly do claim to be god-fearing Jews, I’ve seen interviews where they claim that their actions are justified by the Torah. I don’t know what Torah they are learning, but it is most certainly not the Torah Misinai that I was taught.
How dare these people, who have been verbally assaulting Tinokos shel beis Rabban, dare to claim they are being misrepresented? I’ve seen the videos, read the interviews and been ashamed by the coverage. The media hasn’t gotten it wrong. How dare they berate women, whose only “crime” was sitting down on a bus, calling them such words that I will not repeat here, but are of a sort that require mechila berabim.
YMS…
You have a very warped way of looking at things.
It is precisely these spitting, rock-throwing thugs that are the “chareidi-bashers”.
It is THEY who are making chareidim look bad.
It is no different than if a bunch of arabs dressed as chareidim and did disgusting, reprehensible acts and made US look bad by doing so!
These people are menuvalim! The fact that they dress in frocks and upturned hats does not make them “chareidim” any more than the arabs would be!
Oh, and by the way, Rav Yoel ztz”l would NEVER have condoned spitting on little girls, regardless of what they were wearing!
The maaseh of the late Rosh Hayeshiva and his wife, prove yet again, that behind (in this case in front !!) of every great man is a great woman.!!
Those who are so dissatisfied with Israel’s neighborhoods, and refuse to be flexible and allow fellow Jews (even Orthodox Jews) to choose their level of observance, without resorting to violence and desecration of the Torah, ought to find a country to live in and spill their own blood to defend that country.
Gimme a break, to target a Shomer Shabbos cute innocent 8 year old girl….for crying out loud…the perp was mentally ill. He ought to be locked up.
Like Bob Grant would say “Get outa my……you slime…”
All true.
I think this is called yellow journalism. You are quoting anti-frum sites without talking to both sides. Do your own investigating and don’t pick up the news from those who hate us. Talking to my four sons in Israel I hear another story. Question? Where the chayalim who left when a female sang also wrong. The Israeli Media hates all chareidim and will blow anything they can out of proportion.
If in this country we denied the Amish there way of life whom would you support. Think about that
Beautiful article!
#8 – very true. But as you see even on this blog, #5 seems to disagree. So articles like these don’t change their minds, but rather it’s refreshing for us.
#5 – you are implying that the spitter is correct and the Satmar Rov, ZT”l would approve. You are no further from sheker. The heligeh Samtmar Rov would never approve! He may have his shitos concerning Eretz Yisroel and tznius, but not this!
#11 Absolutely!
And finally #2 – This is a very big deal! Because it’s causing a major chilul Hashem to all Chareidim. It’s not like a homeless who spits and who cares. But you are right; these individuals are like the homeless except wearing the wrong garb.
You catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar. These ben kalovim spit with vinegar and are going to have to answer for many peoples avayros.
kudos to YMS
Please note it is also against Judaism to listen to Gossip. How do you REALLY know what happened? Don’t be quick to pass judgment and punishment on anyone; rather, the sages teach us to say, “I don’t know…” (Berachos 4a) “Let your tongue acquire the habit of saying, “I know not…”. For then a person save himself all types of severe and bitter punishments and merit to make complete teshuvah in truth.
#10 sorry but you are the warped one YMS is correct it is all 1 big loshan hora and there is no place on a good sight like YWN for all this. It upsets me every time when I see they have started posting all this polatics and loshan hora. Please go back to the good old days and become a “clean” site again Thank you
What’s his name? Whose his Rebbe? How do you know he’s even frum. Since neither the Israeli Police nor the Hiloni Press (both of whom hate us) haven’t been able to produce any evidence of any Rav telling him to act so, I believe he’s just “off the derekh” kid/young adult out to see how much noice he can make.
Perhaps the gedolim should decide this is a “Hora Shaah” situation, and get some misakim to locate him and perhpas beat him to a pulp (when the police aren’t looking).
Aish started by Reb Noah has always been trailblazers in the world of Yiddishkeit. They are ‘Ohvei Yisroel” and “Mekadash Shem Shamayim” in every way possible.
Yet will they and all of us stand up united against harassment, abuse and violence to others who do not interpret Toras Hashem as we do? If not, we are the silent and quiet majority.
As understood from AISH, one should not hate a fellow jew nor by words neither by action even not in heart regardind his fate and observance of torah and mitzvhos.
so i question your being mekayem what you say, as from your point of view these ultra-chareidi’s are doing the wrong and aren’t going in the torah way, but were is your unconditional-love to the non observant-charedi jew, why all this hatered language??? full of sinnas yisroel, seem to me your acting just like them.
Lets just love each other as we are, and stop commenting on others action, speacially not with such hate as in this article
As someone who was spit on by these supposed chasidim, you are free to direct your ‘they all hate us, its not true’ garbage to me. I was out there to keep these creeps who come regularly (you are all free to watch the numerous videos) dressed in hats, swinging payos and bekeshes to yell at little school girls IN THEIR SCHOOL. Yes they exist, yes they are disgusting and yes, they do the things they are accused of. It is up to us, the real Torah Jews to condemn and remove them,not to blame everyone else other than those who are guilty.