[PHOTO LINK BELOW] An estimated 30,000 people took part in the mass kabbalas shabbos on Jerusalem’s Bar Ilan Street in response to calls from Gedolei Yisrael Shlita, davening in different minyanim.
Thousands of chassidim left the Gur Beis Medresh to daven kabbalas shabbos on Yirmiyahu Street near the beis medresh, but they were given the order to return to the beis medresh before maariv.
Different minyanim were taking place along the length of Bar Ilan in compliance with the kol korei from the gedolim.
A young child was injured near the end of tefillos near the minyan of GAVAD Rav Tuvia Weiss Shlita when a 10-year-old boy fell about three meters from a rooftop, falling into the crowd. Baruch Hashem, the injuries were described as light.
Among the gedolim seen among the mispalalim were GAVAD Weiss, as well as the Toldos Aaron Rebbe Shlita, Pinsk-Karlin Rebbe Shlita and members of the Eida Badatz Shlita.
Shabbos afternoon however was an entirely different picture, one that began on Shivtei Yisrael Street at about 5:00pm. There was also a protest by secularists at City Hall supporting the mayor against acquiescing to chareidim. About 1,000 people including MKs took part in the event.
One protestor, 20, was seriously injured, transported to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital’s trauma unit. Four policemen were injured as well, all in light condition.
According to police, hundreds of protestors began hurling rocks at security forces on Shivtei Yisrael Street.
At About 8:30pm, after Shabbos, the situation rapidly turned increasingly violent and garbage receptacles were set ablaze, sending black acrid smoke into the area. Eventually, Yassam tactical forces entered the crowd and began making arrests. Some 40 people were taken into custody. Chareidi media reports indicate that police sent agents into the crowd wearing yarmulkes to infiltrate and make arrests. They stated police were ordered to make as many arrests as possible.
Police commander Bruno Stein reports he estimated the real trouble-makers numbered 150-200 protestors, who were working to incite the crowd and attack police.
The young man who was seriously injured with a rock that struck his head. He apparently refused to be transported to a hospital but a short time later began vomiting and was then transported with a serious head injury. His situation deteriorated rapidly during transport and he began seizing en route to the hospital. There are numerous versions of his injury and the events that transpired but this appears to be the reliable one.
Police report that at about 10:00pm the situation was truly violent and they were compelled to move in and make arrests in an attempt to prevent the spread of the violence. Cars with loudspeakers began making the rounds in Meah Shearim after 9:00pm instructing the violent protestors to end their actions as well as telling those in their homes not to leave, but it appears this had little impact on reality with dozens of young activists determined to incite the crowd.
Jerusalem Councilman (Shas) Rav Shmuel Yitzchaki explained his anger, telling the media that he simply does not understand the mayor, who he stated “must go out and learn his constituency” but he failed to understand. As a result, the violence resulted due to the mayor’s inability to correctly read the political map.
“The mayor broke the status quo early into his term and it is obvious he hasn’t a clue as to the realities of the city and Shabbos”, added the councilman. “The battle is not between the secularists and the chareidim, but Israel Police, requesting that the mayor open the Carta parking lot.”
I was on the board of Carta until the company went into receivership. That was followed by the council acting to comply, a council which is primarily non-frum people who seem to be doing a poor job advising the mayor.
“I already announced last week the breaking of the Shabbos status quo and many other issues make it painfully clear that I have no business in the city council coalition. I will advise to Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef that we have nothing to do in this coalition and I believe we should break away”.
In the Bayit Vegan neighborhood, a protest took place on motzei shabbos as well. Rabbonim were out in the streets at one point and instructed the protestors to disperse, which they did.
There is no doubt that the Jerusalem political arena on Sunday morning will be engulfed in the violence that took place over Shabbos and the mayor may be facing a significant political crisis from his chareidi coalition partners.
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(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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12 Responses
Interesting most of the pictures are of litvaks = maybe even Americans –
a bunch of children, it has nothing to do with shaboss and everything to do with immaturity. retards! all their doing is messing up their own neighborhood
I was at the prayer rally on Bar Illan Friday Night.
The rally was peaceful, in spite of a handful few bored youths seeking action. Those people did attack a few reporters who stepped too close to the rally, but reporters in Chareidi areas on Shabbat should know better than flaunting their cameras and recording devices at the faces of Shabbat keepers.
The rally itself numbered at least 40,000 people, though (not all at once; they were organised in small groups, each group holding its own prayers, according to its own melodies, customs etc., and when i was there, many were already leaving, having finished their prayers, while others were just arriving).
Of those estimated 40,000, maybe only 20 engaged in so-called violence, and even they were relatively tame, compared e.g. with the Na`alin and Bile`in protesters.
SHAME on the media like Ynet Haaretz etc. for doing selective coverage withe headlines charaidem riot when only a couple of guys rioted
“significant political crisis ” What crisis? The Mayor and his political allies have an absolute majority without the Charedi parties. How can the Charedim therefore make a crisis? Sadly it is the Charedim who failed to read the map before the elections and are still failing to read it now.
From the thousands that protested peacefully that was beautiful. Only a few people got violent let’s not get carried away. It was a beautiful protest.
#1, where do you see mostly litvaks in the pictures? Most of them are wearing bekeshes, unless litvaks started wearing them lately.
#2 – it isn’t their neighborhood.
I was there yesterday. The people of that neighborhood, the real Yerushalmim, only shout “SHABBOS, SHABBOS, SHABBOS”.
Then the shababnikim (drop-outs, youth beyond the ‘at risk’ stage) come, with the American Litvaks (also drop-outs, mainly) and some ‘hilltop’ Kahanist dro-outs. They are the ones who throw stones and as far as I’m concerned the police should catch them all.
I did however, personally, witness the police forcefully arresting an adult Yerushalmi man; they dragged him along to a police van.
I was also at Bar Ilan last night, it was interesting. I should note however that the person who fell was more like 20 years old, definitely not 10. He was wearing a Yerushalmi (gold) coat and shtreimel (which meant that even if he was TA/TAY/NK, he was at least bar mitzvah). I was less than 3 meters away when he fell, but I got away from there right away, because I was with a neighbor’s 9-year old son, and I didn’t want him to see what happened. In any case, I’m not sure how it proceeded, but I definitely wouldn’t call his injuries “light”. He fell from 2,5 meters and got huge rocks on him; part of the roof fell on top of him, on his head, chest and stomach. May he have a refuoh shleimoh.
Kol Ha Kavod to the Charedi community that always vanguard our holly places and keep remembering to the world that Jerusalem is not to spare or be treated as Disneyland!! What is holly, is holly and remember that HASHEM is watching. The Goyim want-to-be Mayor, is fully responsible for fostering desecration to the most sacred place in Universe. It is embarrassing that titled Jews that does not care about their Jewish duties get elected to guard such holly place. This is not the first incident that proves Jews acting as Hebrew speaking gentiles in the Israeli Government try to please the secular and non Jewish world like we owe them something. We must remember to Mayor Barkat that the secular and non Jews that he try to please today where the ones in history that burned and destroy the same city that he poorly represent. May Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu always show his arm of justice throught the Charedi community and may the enemy of Torah values vanished from our Holly Land.
Those who really care for Shabbos observance do not do things that cause hundreds of police to be Mechallel Shabbos.
Let’s nt forget tht we are talking about our city of yerushalim and inorder to make a statement in this country (for all of u from america who are bashing the violence) there is only one way to do it and unfortunately tht would be with violence its sad but we must show the mayor tht its our town!!!! Re its yerushalim the land of the jews the land tht all our history happened in and along comes a mayor and wants to allow chilul shabbos!!! And to the smart one who said tht we r causeing chillul shabbos bec now the police have to work on shabbos well they work anyways on shabbos so what’s the dif and scndly they were comeing from the anti charedi ralley!! and yes I agree tht a lot of the hafgonas are for no reasons but this one was fully ligit!!
And for those who say its nt the right way well let me tell u something the government hates frum jews and so do the mishtara I personally witnessed a adult fall of a gate and land about 15 ft down and was severely injured and the yassem riot police refused to call mda for some innocent bystander and nebach now he’s in the hospital so to all those ppl bashing u don’t no cause u live 6000 miles away but come live here and than we will see wat u gta to say come into our shoes and than u cud bash till than stick to you’re brooklyn hock!!!
There is way to protest Chilul Shabbos without causing a Chilul Hashem!
Thousands of chassidim left the Gur Beis Medresh to daven kabbalas shabbos on Yirmiyahu Street near the beis medresh
Instead of protesting against a mayor that we didn’t expect any different from him, we should protest against those how prevented a charedi mayor to being re-elected?