Beit Shemesh was the scene of violence between Yidden on Tuesday afternoon, this time prompted by a non-frum woman who entered the Rama Shul to post an announcement. The woman entered the Kirya area of the city, the stronghold for those labeled sikrikim, not dressed in keeping with community standards. Reports indicate the woman may have been naïve, but she was simply trying to publicize something and not seeking to antagonize or provoke.
At some point, a number of avreichim approached her and requested that she leave. She refused, and she was asked again. According to reports, at this stage she decided to head out to her vehicle but before she could make it, she and her vehicle was bombarded with rocks. She required medical care for her injuries. A number of windows were smashed and according to some reports, the tires were slashed. Damage to her vehicle is being described as “significant”.
The young lady fled, fearing for her life, summoning police as she was running. The police response was reportedly immediate, and their arrival led to the arrest of at least three avreichim suspected of assaulting the young woman and damaging her vehicle.
Beit Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul condemned the incident, attributing it to “a fringe element”, and he called on police to enforce the law and bring the responsible parties to justice. He added there will be a zero-tolerance policy for such attacks in the city.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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20 Responses
Let these Sikrikim buy an island and then they can control what kind of people are allowed in THEIR world.
Actually the full story of this attempted LYNCH can be seen in the attached video from tonight’s news on Channel 2. This is the kind of behavior we have seen from the Palestinians, not from Jews. What kind of perverse interpretation of the Torah do these psychos adhere to? There is no justification for their actions to this woman.
http://www.mako.co.il/news-channel2/Channel-2-Newscast/Article-a6caa798fbf0531018.htm
these guys are more than a fringe element. there also too many crazies in meah shearim. i was there and saw them. hashem yerachem.
Very very sad!
How much more chillul Hashem can we suffer.
If the woman was tresspassing why didn’t they call the police.
What probably happened was that after this whole situation became so heated (the media is alot to blame) and after many people have gone on Chareidi busses to make ‘statements’, people thought she was another one of those people that just came to make problems. Not to condone in any which way the actions of violence in such a way, just trying to put it into perspective. We also need more details which we definety not get from the secular press.
For all the looney-tune pseudo-chareidim out there who think those guys were right, and to others who are sick of hearing of this kind of chilul HaSh-m, here’s a short awesome to read guide on how to deal with the fact that not everyone is like you.
EVERYONE should do themselves a huge favor and take two minutes to read this…
http://tinyurl.com/7ofs5v6
“Reports indicate the woman may have been naïve, but she was simply trying to publicize something and not seeking to antagonize or provoke” This sentence does not make sense… was this girl naive or was she a prutza on a mission to stir things up?? the two are very different!
Beit Shemesh was the scene of violence between Yidden on Tuesday afternoon, this time prompted by a non-frum woman who entered the Rama Shul to post an announcement.
Blame the victim. Shameful
the woman is quoted as saying that she is observant so i don’t know how accurate is the report in this article that she was a non-frum woman. i did not see any reports (other than her own quote stating otherwise) as to her level of observance so i am not sure where this came from that she is a not-frum woman.
no excuse whatsoever for this terrible chillul hashem.
if you know hebrew it says she lifted her skirt .that means she disgraced the bais medresh
The women is just plain dumb if she though that she can safely make a statement.
Just one moment!!!
This woman entered the Rema shul (the shul that Reb. Moishe Arye Freund zt”l founded) and refused to leave.
Picture the same scenario in Lakewood Yeshiva, in Lubavich, in Bobov……
I have no doubt that those in the above-mentioned Batei Midrashim, upon her stubborn insistence of remaining in the all-male premises, would politely invite her to join them at their shiur.
There is no excuse for violence but how do you support such outright provocation, and then condemn the response?
#11 yoelyfromwilli said…
“if you know hebrew it says she lifted her skirt .that means she disgraced the bais medresh”.
1) I DO know Hebrew and I did NOT hear that said.
2) It would have been quite hard for to “lift her skirt” when in fact she was wearing pants (jeans) and NOT a skirt.
3) From what I did hear her saying she did NOT at all seem like she was trying to provoke anything. ONE individual young lady (NOT a group of left wing trouble makers) only wanted to hang up some flyers.
Sadly, did not realize the kind of people she was going to encounter.
4) There is NO excuse to behave like these thugs did IN ANY CASE, WHATEVER she did. People are writing that she “stubbornly” refused to leave. WHERE are they getting this from? From the wackos who spit on her, stoned her car, and scared her half to death?!?! It clearly is NOT what she says happened. What horrible chilul HaSh-m!!! What is wrong with these people?!?! I’m sure they are very active in kiruv (NOT!!!) What chiloni would look at these creeps and think “Ahhh, what a beautiful way of life, I want to be like them!” THEY are the ones who act like shkutzim!!! DISGUSTING!!!
#14 Have you ever seen any women – even the most modestly dressed – hanging posters in any Orthodox shul here in NY?
If she was frum she would have known not to enter among all the men; and if she was not, then what was she doing in the most ultra-chasidish Bais Medrash if not provoking them?
On the other hand, I not only condemn the violent response because it is so thuggish, but also because this behavior provides so much food for fodder in the media!
There is no excuse to physically attack a women even if she is wearing a miniskirt in the middle of a group of religious men. They can close their eyes or turn away. The mitzvah is not looking; her’s is dressing modestly. The fact that she does not dress modestly does not mean that they can attack her. Her immodest dress does not grant permission for anyone to hit her.
These people are not Torah observant; they dress like it but act like thugs, which they are.
#11, I also know Hebrew and I did not hear that.Moreover, they did not “request” that she leave they cursed her and called her vile names. I suggest giiving them their own town in the Negev and let them fight with the Beduin.
#13 and #15, in Israel it is common to put up notices of items for sale (not necessary tahmishei kedusha) on shul and yeshiva bulletin boards. She is most likely Sephardic (especially as she says that she grew up in Bet Shemesh) and used to the more live-and-let-live attitude in Sephardic shuls, where traditional Jews of varying degrees of observance mingle with National Religious and Chareidi people (with separate sections for prayers of course).
14. AinOhdMilvado:
please go learn hebrew – הרימה את חולצתה ‘hairima et chultzata’ means she lifted her SHIRT not her SKIRT. very possible to do when wearing jeans 🙂
The following description of an encounter with the woman in question, which took place shortly after the incident, was posted on the “Life in Israel” blog, maintained by Rafi Goldmeir of Ramat Beit Shemesh. Rafi is a Frum “American Yeshivish” man, and is honest and balanced in his posts.
“I had a chance encounter, that is as much as any encounter can be marked as chance, with Natalie Mashiach yesterday, shortly after she was nearly lynched in RBS B. I was in Shlomo Sixt car rental agency in RBS A, when in walks a woman escorted by police. She is crying and worked up. She had just been attacked while working in RBS B hanging signs. The police brought her to Shlomo Sixt, while someone else had stayed behind with the car, because the car belonged to Shlomo Sixt and they were working out the procedures for towing, repairing, evidence and whatever else is involved.
“While she was there, she told us, by “us” I mean everyone in the office – me and the clerks who were helping – what had happened. She was emotional and crying.
“I did not write about it yesterday because I was so angry that I could not write about it without painting a broad brush and write things I would later regret. After thinking about it for a long time, and being part of many discussions about what happened, I must say that I did not witness the incident itself. I met her shortly after the incident happened, and I heard part of the story from her, but I still know the details mostly from the media like everyone else.
“Some have said she was there to provoke. I don’t believe it. I spoke with her. She was not dressed provocatively, though she was wearing pants. What was she doing there? Just her presence – she should have known not to go there – well, she told me that she has been hanging up signs all over Bet Shemesh, including in that exact location, for 5 years already! She had absolutely no reason to think that after doing this for so long in that same exact spot that it would suddenly be a problem. You can hear her talk in an interview where she describes how she works with haredim and deals regularly with them and no problem has ever come up before this.
“As well, I find it ridiculous to call her a provocateur. She is a traditional Sefardic woman. She is not a secular atheist who is anti-religious. For the most part, to generalize, the traditional sefardim have more faith than even the most devout religious ashkenazim. This woman, Natalie Mashiach is not, or at least was not, anti-religious.
“While some give lip-service to condemnations of violence, they also, at the same time, offer excuses. She was there provoking. Violence of the two sides. If they really condemned the violence they would not be looking for excuses to explain the behavior. Just condemn the violence.
“This is not a haredi issue, it is not a dati leumi issue, and it is not a secular issue. This is a Bet Shemesh issue. Bet Shemesh, the people of Bet Shemesh, the elected officials of Bet Shemesh and the police of Bet Shemesh all together, has to solve this problem.
“This is also a national problem. While it is happening in Bet Shemesh, it is also happening in Jerusalem. It is also starting to happen in other places, such as Elad and Modiin Ilit, they are fighting in Rehovot about similar issues and it continues to spread.
“Locally, all good people of Bet Shemesh need to put an end to this, and nationally it must be dealt with as well, with support and activism at the highest levels. This is not a gang of teenagers, and that 50 people can stand around and watch 6 hooligans attack a defenseless woman and not try to stop it is unacceptable.
“I have no idea how close or distant Mashiach’s arrival is, but I do know that incidents like what happened yesterday in RBS B show that Mashiach is just not welcome in some places.”
That is the end of the post. I think it speaks for itself.
an Israeli Yid
#18 yael.e –
I do know Hebrew (thanks for your suggestion though, and DO pass it on to the pseudo-chareidim posting here, that support this chilul HaSh-m) and if someone in the video said that, I did NOT hear it.
BUT…
If you saw the interview with her it was VERY clear that this girl was SCARED TO DEATH of these thugs. Even after the event her voice was still trembling. There is NO way I believe for one second that she lifted ANYTHING!!!
She went in there INNOCENTLY to hang some flyers. Her only crime was not realizing the kind of chayas that occupy the place.
As #17 “Avi K” correctly said (above) “She is most likely Sephardic (especially as she says that she grew up in Bet Shemesh) and used to the more live-and-let-live attitude in Sephardic shuls, where traditional Jews of varying degrees of observance mingle…” WITHOUT attacking each other!!!