According to members of the steering committee, the date for the “Million Man Atzeres” is final, Sunday afternoon, 1 Rosh Chodesh Adar II 5774, apparently to begin at 16:00.
Members of the steering committee explain the final decision was made on Tuesday night, the eve of 26 Adar I, and while there was indecision regarding the venue, Yerushalayim was selected over Bnei Brak. Organizers report the atzeres tefilla will be held on Yirmiyahu Street, and depending on police and the number of participants, it may spill over towards Herzl Blvd. and the area of the Cords Bridge. Organizers believe this will top the chareidi anti-Supreme Court protest held 15 years ago, which still remains on record as the largest protest in the state’s history.
Organizers feel that due to the fact the event is under the auspices of all the Moetzos Gedolei Yisrael, of Shas, Degel Hatorah and Agudas Yisrael, it is realistic to expect 600,000 participants or more. Organizers explain, as was heard in radio interviews with dati leumi rabbonim on chareidi stations in recent days, if the event is truly billed as an “atzeres tefilla”, then one may expect participation from some of the dati leumi community for many of these rabbonim are opposed to the draft of bnei yeshivos too. Removing the political addresses from the agenda will bring additional participants, they feel. This is the path that was chosen by Maran HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita, who has explained the atzeres is an outcry to HKBH over the Chilul Hashem pertaining to the draft law, without concerns of how this will be received by the media or state officials.
As such, this will be an atzeres tefilla only and there will not be a bimah since there will not be any speeches, just the recitation of Tehillim. There will be a small podium for the person reciting tehillim.
The event is quite costly, with those working to finalize arrangements signaling the price tag will be close to 1 million shekels. The three chareidi parties are splitting the costs equally, which also include paying 120 shekels per hour per policeman assigned to the event. Once can expect that thousands of police personnel will be assigned to the atzeres, which will undoubtedly close down major portions of the city.
The chareidi media will in the coming days announce transportation from areas around the country and other pertinent details.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
They should simply not pay the police a single shekel. If the police don’t want to show up, all the better.
Why do they have to pay for police protection? Is that the way it works in a free democratic country?
I truly, honestly don’t understand what they want.
Are they saying that NO Jews should serve in the army? Is their goal that ALL Jews should stop serving? And then Hashem would just protect us all? Do they believe we should just rely on Hashem to defend us?
Or do they think non-frum Jews should continue to serve in the army in order to protect the frum Jews, so they can keep studying?
Do they think the army is unnecessary? Or maybe they think it’s necessary but that THEY should not have to serve in it?
Does anyone know? They should clarify whether they think non-frum Jews should also quit serving.
rebmoish: Yes, that’s how most states and cities in the U.S. operate. A big march has huge government costs: blocking off roads, directing traffic, setting out trash cans and portable toilets, cleaning up after, providing police protection.
If you want the police to block off the roads, direct traffic, provide protection you have to pay. If you want trash cans, toilets and cleanup services, you have to pay. You can’t just stiff the government. That would be theft.
It’s not a conspiracy against haredim. Pay for your stuff.
And how can we make sure that they’ll let Hareidim of across the country to come – I remember a few years ago, the Rabonim wanted to organize an atzeres, and when the government heard about it, they freacked out, and put police and roadblocks for stopping people from reaching Yerushalayim, and at the end it was a small “uneventful” event.
@iamfenster: You raise some really good points. I too do not understand. If you find the answers, please post.
It’s pretty simple, really.
Chareidim have been in E”Y long before the Zionists began inflicting their damage on the Jewish people, even before the formal declaration of a State.
So if the Zionists want to play country so badly, then the world is obviously not stopping them.
But the Zionists have no right to force the chareidim, who didn’t want that State, to have to give up their learning and religion for the sake of Zionism and its shmad.
HaKatan:
It’s not simple at all. The majority of the haredim (including my relatives) arrived at pretty much the same time as everyone else. And even if they really were first (which they weren’t) so what?
Maybe what you’re saying is that the army should only defend Zionists? After all, the Arabs are not going to bother the haredi community. They have no problems with a million haredi Jews in their land, right? We’re all like peas in a pod! Brothers.
Or maybe you think the Zionists (= roughly 90% of the Jews in Israel) should leave? Leave for where?