More and more women in Jerusalem’s Geula neighborhood have been complaining of being sprayed with a bleach mix. The attacks mark an escalation of the religious fanatics’ battle against what they refer to as the ‘promiscuity’ on the Charedi streets and the infiltration of ‘fashion’ that often times does not correspond with the strict dress codes in the community.
For instance, clothes that may seem modest to most people are considered by religious extremists to be ostentatious if they have shiny or colorful elements to them. Similar claims are made against women who wear overly-tight outfits.
A vendor at one of the local clothing stores said she felt something wet dripping on her shirt as she was walking down the street. At first she thought someone poured water over her, but later realized that she had been sprayed with bleach.
“This is Bitul Torah (wasting time that could be spent on Torah study), “she said. “Don’t they have anything else to do but look at women and determine whether they are modest or not? I thought we should perhaps organize a demonstration and declare, ‘we are modest and do not want to be burned,’ but obviously this did not materialize.�?
Until recently the religious zealots focused their battle against the clothing stores: Last week yeshiva students arrived at a women’s clothing store on Amos Street and destroyed thousands of shekels worth of merchandise with bleach. The store was shut down immediately and a men’s clothing store was set up in its place.
About six months ago a store from the same chain was set ablaze in Bnei Brak.
According to the salesperson who was attacked, last week a yeshiva student paid a visit to the store and demanded that she “stop selling immodest clothes�? and even warned her that “stores are going to be set on fire tonight.�?
The woman said she responded by telling the student that she “has no problem with the clothes in the store�? and that the store is “full of security cameras.�? The following morning she learned that a women’s clothing store on Hagai Street, just two streets from where she worked, was set ablaze.
On the evening the store was set on fire a rally was held at Jerusalem’s Sabbath Square during which Rabbi Yaakov Sofer spoke of the “spiritual deterioration of the Geula neighborhood.”
During the past few months the Geula residents’ committee has been engaged in a campaign against plans to build a shopping center in the neighborhood. A booklet published by the committee about a month ago read, “Life in the neighborhood has become intolerable due to the many stores that are opening here. These stores are a spiritual hazard, as they attract different characters that are detrimental to our children’s education.�?
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30 Responses
I failed to mention in the headline that this is the left-winged Israeli Media doing their regular job of Chareidi-Bashing.
Is it now? Im not so sure I buy that. Yes, the media jumps at the oppurtunity to bash the right wing jews. However, is bleach being sprayed? Where stores destroyed? burnt? If the answer is yes, then we should stop blaming the media and start blaming ourselves. This is not judaism, and definitly not frum judaism. This is ridiculous and inexcusable behavior and I hope that the people doing this vandalism pay for it both in this world and in the next.
“this is the left-winged Israeli Media doing their regular job of Chareidi-Bashing.”
Oh, you mean these things didn’t really happen?
Even if the article is somewhat slanted, the fact that things like this go on is a busha and a shanda, and you should not try to mitigate it with references to the left-wing media. These vilde chayos should be controlled.
ok, It’s still wrong, nowhere in Shulchan Aruch does it say to damage other people’s clothing if it’s not tznius.
In my opinion, the media is right on this one.
Sadly, I have to join those saying that the media seems to have gotten it pretty much right in this case. If even half of it is true, it’s a tremendous embarassment to Bnai Torah everywhere.
They’re right that the clothing isn’t modest, but giluy arayos is not a heter for Shfficus Damim or Gezel. One wrong doesn’t justify another.
I failed to mention in the headline that this is the left-winged Israeli Media doing their regular job of Chareidi-Bashing.
I’m glad that you forgot to mention that. I wish you wouldn’t have mentioned that in the comments either. If these actions do occur, in any number, we should be unified in our clear and unambiguous condemnation. Blaming the media for publicizing it is just shooting the messenger.
If most of the people in that neighborhood dress a certain way & respect a certain dress code no matter how stringent than how can people walk around offending those people and destroying nefashos (according to them)? I am not agreeing with chas vshalom any tactics that are keneged halacha or das torah. I am just saying there are 2 sides to this. Especially a store should know what that town does!
While I disagree with spraying bleach or destroying someone else’s property, an awareness to hilchos tznius should be made in a different fashion. (excuse the pun)
I was once at a Hafganah on Rechov Yirmiyahu on Friday night and a bunch of these thugs got ahold of some steel tables from a closed Frum fish store nearby and dragged them into the street to block traffic. These thugs have no respect for anybody elses property. Maybe they are Neturei Karta wannabes!!
Kishke wrote : “These vilde chayos should be controlled.”
Um, these vilde chayos are controlled. Everything they do, every minute of their lives, is controlled by their parents or rabbanim… both of whom either passively or aggressively encourage this sort of behavior.
Guys knock it off. You all know that the women are dressing with relative Tznius meaning comparing themselves to the Goyim and yes tight clothes should not be tolerated. Do you want to know if their means are appropriate? I wouldn’t assume not just because of throwing words like shfichas Domim and gezel around. Gilui Aroyus is pretty extreme on the map. Do you have another option to solve this deteriorating situation. AND DON”T TELL ME THEY”RE ABIDING BY THE letter of the law either.
Oh how about today’s sheitlach. It’s a mazal the women wear rings. Otherwise you’d never know they’re married
Let’s see if they’re successful
The chareidi perps are causing more TZAR to Hashem than to the women who get sprayed, unfortunately. There is no congruence between violent extremism and Halacha.
Have these stories been confirmed? I am in Geulah all the time and I have never seen any stores burned down or any people sprayed with bleach! (Although “sponja” water has dripped down on me from the pipes that stick off people’s porches in Meah Shearim!) If the stories are true it is definitely wrong – and probably the neturei karta doing it! If they are false, then it is another example of charedi bashing.
To “HagoodelHador:
“Um, these vilde chayos are controlled. Everything they do, every minute of their lives, is controlled by their parents or rabbanim… both of whom either passively or aggressively encourage this sort of behavior. ”
Oy Lanu- How right you are.
These perps are not getting vociferously discouraged either by their Yeshivos or their parents.
Like some of the Shabbos agitators on Bar Ilan St of old, these are most probably “shababnikim” egged on by outside agitators from the police and or Shabak who are out to make the entire charedi world look bad. Those are the “ra bonim” who are encouraging this behavior.
I’m not mikabel the story. If you have one or two mishiginas who will burn a store or spray bleach on people, that does not mean that we have to think badly about the “whole exterme Chareidi world”
news like this gets us to think that Meah Shearim is full of a bunch of crazy people. It is not!!!
Those meshuggeners are not even residents of Meah Shearim. I don’t want to speculate on where they are from due to potential LH, but suffice it to say that the shababnikim I refer to above are not at all part of the Meah Shearim scene or culture. They somehow show up wherever and whenever there is a demonstration in order to make things get out of hand , and I have strong reason to believe that they do not act alone.
Alternately, a mentally unbalanced outsider with a grudge against the owner of the clothing store in question could be at fault.
But even the wannabe “Neturei Karta” of Moshe Hirsch and his son do not advocate that type of behemadige behavior, and any of the core Meah Shearim groups would run such behemas out of their midst in seconds.
Even if it is the left-winged Israeli Media who wrote the article, it is terrible that things like that happen in de Toire welt. Do not forget that we are Bne Melachim and we have to behave accordingly wether in Chutz la aretz (where this is more obvious maybe) or in Israel.
Men are not supposed to look at women so how come they see their dresses? I do not understand.
Anyhow someone throwing bleach on a human being is disturbed. Maybe in Israel this can seem just meshuge, but try to imagine this happen in chutz la aretz? Those people would get psychological treatment, and that is really what they need, if not re-education.
Closing up a shop is giving in to them. Better would be to have a good video system and an insurance.
if you want to know if these things are true well my wife went with me on erev succos to buy decorations in geula/mea shearim. she most definitely was not wearing anything inappropriate (at least according to roiv of the frum world) nothing tight or anything just her sweater was pink and had 3/4 sleeves. when we got home we found spots of bleach on the back of her sweater and skirt. (it was def. spriched it does not look like it came off a porch from sponga). so yes these “rumors” r true.
How does one get the job as a tznius inspector?
What kind of training do you get?
Such Tzadikim!They are moser nefesh to look at every womans body to protect the rest of us from seeing pritzus!
These guys must have the most perverted heads possible.
I’m really dismayed. You mention among you that their parents or rabbonim may be promoting this. yet it doesn’t accurr to any of you that they’re Rabbonim might be right, Kanoiyus has it’s place in our society.
Are we the arbitors of absolute right or wrong? Has Dass Torah remarked on these reports? Remember they do have a ruchniousdige issue here too. I find it hard to believe that these protests presented here are motivated by Yiras Hashem as much as the innate sense of right or wrong that any thinking person, including Goyim, have….. but totally insenstive to Tznius issues. Or how they can offend or jeopordize other’s Madregos of Kidusha. No one… NO ONE… is a judge on someone elses yira Shomayim
Especially when we are all aware that some are more protective of their children and their environment why are we not respective of it. They tell us what rules to abide by.
Fanatacism runs on both ends of the spectrum
By the way just to make the point. Anyone out there very bothered by their own cleaning ladies who come into our homes? HUH???. We are totally insensitive to the issue of Tzinius
am haaretz: You are appropriately named.
And this is the wonderful behavior that will bring Mashiach. I’m sure he’s coming, now that he sees all of this wonderful behavior.
Kishke. By golly I really hit home!
Answer the question are you as offended by Tznius issues as you are of hezek?
If pouring bleach is acceptable- do they pour bleach on their children friends, neighbors, wives, Rebbes and talmidim when they have disagreements? Why not?
What a lovely bunch of people. They are role models for the world-They are perfect Toiredik examples of “Or Lagoyim”.
To amhaaretz :
Let’s talk tachlis. It is zero chance that they will terrorize women into dressing as the fanatics see fit, but they WILL accomplish teaching their own children violent behavior by example .
Their objective is not to subdue other women from dressing as they see as properly but rather tahat they should not walk into they’re neiborhood in what they deem inapproptiate. You would not dream of walking into Mecca without a Burka