Once again, Israel Police is showing its disregard for kedushas Shabbos in an event that occurred in the Kfar Chabad area.

Three Kfar Chabad youths, ages 10-13, were compelled to travel in a police vehicle on Shabbos. The three were walking in the area of the train tracks when a patrol vehicle stopped and a policeman instructed the three to accompany him to the Rishon L’Tzion police station. Despite explaining it was Shabbos, and despite giving the policeman their information and promising to come immediately after Shabbos, they were forced to travel to the police station for their alleged crime.

According to the officer, the three damaged Israel Railways property, referring to a nearby guard station that sustained damage. An inspection of the guard booth on motzei Shabbos showed they either took a chair from the booth or turned a chair over. There are conflicting reports. There was no other ‘damage’ however.

Only several hours after the three youths were taken into custody did police notify Rav Nachman Reichmann of Kfar Chabad to inform their parents of their whereabouts. Rav Reichmann made the rounds between Mincha-maariv on Shabbos, to the different shuls where the parents daven to inform them.

The parents traveled to the Rishon police station on motzei Shabbos and police released the three youths about three hours after Shabbos. The parents and the community are contemplating filing a formal complaint with the Justice Ministry’s police investigations unit, explaining the policeman broke the law by arresting the juveniles without the knowledge of their parents. They also decried the chilul Shabbos.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)