A number of males who identified themselves as members of the Vaad Tznius entered the Azrieli Street Jerusalem home of a 70-year-old chareidi woman who they accused of missionary activities, wrapping a scarf around her neck, threatening to kill her if she shouted and then began beating her with gloved fists and rods. She reports that five assailants took part in the beating.
They told her they are aware of how she hosts many non frum and non-Jewish women, and this was the response.
This occurred on Monday night, February 27, 2012 at about 22:15. YWN-ISRAEL spoke with a neighbor in the Knesset Gimmel chareidi area bordering Nachlaot, learning the woman remains hospitalized with fractures in her arms and legs along with internal injuries.
The victim could only say the attackers were wearing “chareidi clothing” and she feared for her life as one held the tightly wrapped scarf around her throat, warning if she cries out she would be killed. They shouted “missionary” at her, seemingly to explain the attack. They tied and gagged her and left. A neighbor who heard the ruckus came by and found her. The neighbors, old guard Yerushalmi community, summoned police and an ambulance.
The victim, a former American was once involved in missionary activities but long ago returned to the correct path, today working with giyur, hosting many in the conversion.
There is a surveillance camera near the attack site and neighbors hope this may assist police in apprehending the thugs responsible. The victim is recuperating in Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. Police are investigating.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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22 Responses
1) this is yet another illustration of the failure to teach jewish values. these are criminals, and “dina di malkhuta dina”.
2) from this, and past incidents of this kind, it seems that these criminals are funded by “donors” in hutz l’aretz. it is not just a jerusalem problem, or an israeli problem, but also for those of us outside eretz yisrael, to find and “educate” those who fund such crimes, or else we are also guilty.
They are NOT Frum,these five gangsters are the EREV RAV and they should be treated as they treated this poor women.
and people wonder why Rav Elyashiv is sick
Chill out people. We don’t know who they really were. Arab terrorists also sometimes dress up as chareidim.
To 4.
A bit farfetched.
How would disguised Arabs know to accuse this woman of being a missionary?
In today’s political climate in that area it is entirely possible that the secular opposition or even the government itself did this to stir up hatred for “Chareidis” and other “ultra-religious” members of the community. It happens all the time in our holy state.
Read Perfidy by Ben Hecht if you can find a copy.
#4 Get real and smell the coffee.
Ignorance and denial has never helped our kehilla.
#4…
You have got to be kidding.
Arabs would have slit her throat.
Not that I am suggesting that these thugs are any better than arabs.
This article has some big problems. You claim this women is frum, but had once been a missionary. You are so sure that she is now no longer a missionary and that she is completely frum that you report it as fact. How do you know that she isn’t a missionary? You agree that she once was, so is it so far-fetched to say that she still is? It is common practice of missionaries to work under cover, passing themselves off as religious Jews. If she trully was a missionary (which is probable) and was working illegally under-cover I have no sympathy for her!
#4 – and maybe this was all self inflicted just to caust a termoile
First of all, I don’t think that #4’s intention was to say this was the work of Arabs, but rather it may be impostors. Chilonim or even Goyim who want her to stop influencing giyurim could be the culprits. Of course, it could be the Vaad Hatznius.
I think we should wait and see how this news develops instead of immediately drawing conclusions.
there are too many people out there who know the ‘truth’ and act upon their own concil. their are idiots who do not listen to reason and take the law into their own hands.
Extremists, of all extreme, are sick and should be treated as criminals. The middle path, as the Rambam says is best, and should be taught louder and clearer.
Too many missing details.
The prime missing detail is the “giyur” organization that she is working for. If it can be ascertained that she truly does now work to help giyur k’halachah, then we indeed have a continuation of a major problem.
#9 – proud orthodox jew…
What information do YOU have to make a statement like it is “probable” that she was still a misssionary “working illegally under-cover”???
There are plenty of known cases of former Jews who worked as missionaries and then were chozair b’teshuva and became totally frum and worked AGAINST the missionaries.
How dare you be choshaid b’keshairim, when you have no basis for it, AND you are thereby ALSO giving justification to these disgusting thugs who take it upon THEMselves to act as police, judge, and executioner?!?
#5,7,8: I’m sorry for being unclear; I wasn’t suggesting these were arabs.
I was suggesting that the same way arabs dress up as chareidim to conceal who they are, these people may have been any other group dressed up as chareidim.
I agree that the missionary focus implies they were jewish, but it does not imply necessarily that it was the eida chareidis. Most secular jews are madder about missionizing than we are.
(Not that I care about maligning the eida chareidis. I have been turned off from them for several years.)
“How dare you be choshaid b’keshairim, when you have no basis for it”
What is YOUR basis for assuming her to be a kesheirah in the first place? Having admitted that she was once a missionary, when and how did she gain a chezkas kashrus?
@AinOhdMilvado Are you for real? Here we have a story about some people who attacked a women and are being called all kinds of names. Being Don Likof Zchus isn’t being thought about and I come to say that we have to be don likof zchus that there was a reason behind the attack, and I’m being called the one who isn’t being don likof zchus! The reason I said probable is because we know she was once a missionary and now she is being attacked for being a missionary by people who we don’t know and must be considered kosher people until proven otherwise.
#4, denial is not only a river in Egypt
Why are the criminals referred to as “frum”, wearing “chareidi clothing,” and as members of the Vaad, while the helpful neighbors are described as an “old guard Yerushalmi community”?
I know this woman personally.
She herself is a convert of several decades. Whoever did this, is absolute shegets, and does not know when to play it safe. In Shamayim they are in big trouble.
She gives classes to women who are converting, in conjunction with the Batei Din they are converting through. She is kasher.
Her converts giyotot are all kasher, beyond doubt.
Trigger happy nitwits. And these people will come to my shul and put their hands out to raise money to marry off their holy offspring! And their holy seed will have it well and secure in this world, while the converts they ignore suffer and oppress for want, and dont have whom to turn to!
Right on PinhasErez! I, too, know this woman personally. She was a teacher of mine. She’s never been anything but lovely and kind to anyone, certainly myself included. And she’s definitely not a missionary!
But EVEN IF she were (and again, she is not!), violence against a defenseless old woman is never excusable! These thugs will have to pay, if not now then in the Beis Din Shel Maalah. Remember the posuk “Hashem shomer es gerim”!
I happen to know of one of the assailants, and I am in no way approving of their attack and agree that they should be punished as seen fit, however there was strong reason to believe that she is still a missionary and as well a local well known pedophile. I am not conforming or denying this, however these boys did what they did based on these facts. Stupid? yes. Completely out of order? Yes. However if they are right, then she hasn’t received half of what she deserves!