Bnei Brak Mayor R’ Yaakov Asher on Tuesday along with his city council released a sharp condemnation of the Independence Day Israeli flag burning on Chazon Ish Street, decrying the actions of the hundreds who participated in the strongest of terms. The mayor stated that many of the participants were not local residents, and their actions are condemned by the chareidi community at large.

The media statement adds that anyone who knows what occurred is well aware that these were the actions of a fringe group that is not in any way representative of the chareidi community at large. They specifically seek out media coverage to justify their existence to supporters abroad.

The mayor added that those who live in the community were witness that stores were closed on Memorial Day night and a memorial was held under the auspices of City Hall and Yad L’Banim for those who fell in the line of duty in the garden above Rav Maimon Street.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)