Two Arab employees of the Gush Etzion branch of the Shufersal supermarket chain were arrested on Monday for assaulting a Chareidi man, their fellow employee at Shufersal (Supersol).
A video publicized last week showing the Chareidi Shufersal employee being assaulted by his fellow Arab employees went viral and caused widespread outrage on social media in Israel.
The video, taken at the supermarket, shows a Chareidi man standing without his yarmulke, his arms bound to his body with saran wrap, while an Arab repeatedly slaps him in the face while insulting and humiliating him. The Chareidi employee appears to have special needs.
Shufersal responded quickly to the video on Motzei Shabbos, saying that it was unaware of the incident but will immediately file a complaint to the police.
“We are appalled and completely oppose the behavior seen in this video,” a Shufersal spokesperson stated. “We are filing a complaint with the police this evening and we’ll do all we can to make sure that incidents like these will not happen again.”
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On Sunday, the Arab employee shown in the video was summoned by Shufesal administrators for a compulsory hearing prior to being fired. The Arab employee claimed, “It wasn’t on purpose. We’re friends, we’ve been working for five years together. People thought that I did this on purpose. But there’s cameras everywhere. Why would I hit him if there’s cameras? I apologize for what happened.”
The special-needs Chareidi man also filed a police complaint with the help of attorney and Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir. He said that he has been abused for years by his fellow employees and had complained to the managers of the supermarket but no real changes were made.
Police investigators have summoned the managers of the supermarket to question them about the incident.
On Sunday evening, Ron Karmi Buzgalo, a secular Israeli social activist, visited the Charedi employee to encourage him, giving him a guitar as a gift, according to a report on Kikar Shabbat. “I felt a need to come to the house of the Sufersal employee to support him,” wrote Buzgalo on his Facebook page. “I wanted to show him the love that the Jewish people have for him. I heard that he loves music and I brought him a guitar.”
Buzlago told the Charedi man, “I came to tell you a few things. First of all, I came to show you support. I came to bring you a message from the Jewish people that we love you and we’ll always be with you. You seem to have a sensitive soul, and usually a sensitive soul is the soul of an artist. I brought you a guitar so you can express your artistic side.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
Terrible that they employ them. There are some schools and yeshivas which also do. It’s unbelievable.
This is what brings the Jewish people together
When we realize we have a common enemy
Mr. Buzgalo did a very nice thing and his words are heartwarming. This video is horrible, that poor young man. Supersol, Rami Levy & other supermarkets need to get rid of their Arab employees & hire Jews. There are those with no skills and families to support who wouldn’t find honest work demeaning. It makes me sick to see Arabs from Husan, a virulently anti_Israel/antisemitic village in PA-ville working in every position in RL Beitar. These are the same guys who throw stones on the main road and spill oil on the pavement to cause accidents. Does RL provide the oil?
this is stupid publications is clear that they are friends
come on YWN shame on you
This is a horrible case.
Does Israeli law protect its most vulnerable citizens both in work and outside?
Is there a system to ensure that those working alongside – or otherwise involved with – vulnerable people are cleared to do so?
I fear that many YWN watchers will write this off as yet another failing of the “Zionist entity” yet there are soluble problems here which Israel should address.
If the only pressure comes from outside Israel then so be it. This should not be tolerated.
Sorry, but I don’t think this is correct video. He didn’t slap him on the face. The poor fellow’s arms are saran-wrapped to his body but it doesn’t seem as egregious as reported. Are we making a huge thing out of something not so serious? What then will happen if something חלילה serious happens; who would listen? Who will believe it? Is there more to this story that we are being told?
The main thing is to keep employing Arabs so we can have peace.
Disgusting.
Imagine if the reverse happened, the UN would call a special session and our liberal justice seeking fellow Jews would be condemning the Jews.
Why aren’t there demands to boycott all stores that employ Arabs?
OUTRAGEOUS! IRREPARABLE IF IT WAS DONE MORE THAN ONCE AS THEY SAY !!!!!!! IF ANYONE SAW THIS OR SMALLER ABUSES AND WAS QUIET SHE/ HE SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE! ALSO MANAGEMENT WHO HE POINTS HE COMPLAINED TO SHOULD FLY FROM THE JOB AS RESPECT TO THIS POOR NESHAMA. BESIDED THAT HE SHOULD BE MONEY COMPENSATED AND GO FOR THERAPY FOR THE ABUSE
It’s pronounced/spelled Buzaglo. Not Buzgalo or Buzlago, as it appears later in the article. It is a common Mizrahi Jewish last name.
Shmulik13 and Yaaphick I know the family. simple nice and caring ppl. this story is 100% true. The parents are devastated and crushed.
Tragically this Arab perp was inspired by the Israeli police who attacked a defenseless handicapped boy in Meah-Sheorim a few months ago.
bluff