HaRav Dovid Smeidal, director of Asra Kadisha, was arrested in Beersheva on Tuesday. Rav Smeidal was accompanied by a number of supporters when he arrived at the Karaso construction site in the southern city to protest against the chilul kevarim. Asra Kadisha insists the construction at that site does indeed compromise kevarim in the area.
Police were summoned and they attempted to disperse the protestors, telling Asra Kadisha activists that their protest was illegal. Police then arrested Rav Smeidal, apparently unaware of who he is and his status in the Eida community. It appears police in Beersheva did not realize the arrest is sufficient to spark chareidi violence in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh.
Asra Kadisha officials have informed police that if the rav is not released within a number of hours, they will indeed begin protests in chareidi areas.
The Karaso site in Beersheva is intended to be the new home of the municipal center, which the Asra Kadisha feels cannot move ahead due to the kevarim in the area.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
You know, not commenting on what happened, rather an observation…there can never truly be a religious government in power anywhere,with all the different factions out there for every law that may not be religious enough or may be too religious we will be in a constant state of civil war…i think there should be a separation of religion and state in Israel, and yes i completly understand that its a double edged sword
I must be missing something….why was he arrested???
Israel claims to be a democracy yet it doesn’t allow peaceful protests…some democracy.
To No. 2
Shmeidal was arrested for his involvement in leading illegal demonstrations against the construction of the critically needed new city hall/municipal office center complex in Beershaba. The public works ministry and city leaders had taken great efforts, working with the Ministry of Antiquities to confirm there were no yiddeshe kevorim on the construction site but that was not good enough for Shmeidal and his AK followers who have tried to halt the construction by demonstrating against a court order.
YW fan, he broke the Zionists’ number 1 law, defending the Torah
#5- if #4 is right then the arrest is justified. If the gov’t took great efforts to determine that it’s not Jewish kevarim then he is just making a chillul Hash-m and not defending the Torah at all. His actions could actually cause people to go away from Torah.. just like the other protests of this kind. Do you notice that the Gedolim and other Chareidim are not involved in this?? If this was such an issue, they would be there too.