The attached photos and videos speak for themselves.
Following the Monday night Hafganos on Bar Ilan Street, the area was littered with broken glass, smoldering dumpsters and widespread destruction of city property. It was reminiscent of a war zone.
Street signs were broken, concrete steps to homes smashed, fences to prevent children and pedestrians from walking in the street were destroyed, traffic lights broken to pieces – all in the name of preventing the Jerusalem Municipality from continuing with their plans to expand the Jerusalem Light Rail through the city.
Around 25 people were arrested.
See the destruction in the videos and photos belwo.
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35 Responses
This violence is not excusable. I hope there are enough security cameras around to identify the perpetrators. All of them should be made to pay to compensate for the damage. Those discovered to be perps here should be black listed so that they cannot travel to US to fund raise under the guise of tzedokoh. This behavior is not becoming of any frum Yid. The cause is unrelated to this animalistic behavior.
I am an ardent defender of Eitz and the Eidah HaChareidis, have attended many a hafgana on those very streets (although not the hafganos in question) and do not view the above hafganos derogatorily on the whole. It is my solemn honor to be first in line to condemn the wanton destruction pictured and declare it to be both disgusting and disgraceful.
Hey who could be the first to say Chilul hashem? the race is on
I am a machmir also, a machmir on pikuach nefesh.
I am not a meikil in chillul shabbos
There is nothing else in the Torah that I am a machmir on, but that is beside the point.
I actually find this disgusting, how can you treat the holy land like that? It causes a bigger chillul Hashem then the effect it was supposed to have in the first place. I’m sorry I have to say this but it looks the same or worse than BLM protests a few months ago in the USA, are we really on such a low level that we have to protest like goyim for what i see as a lesser cause? more trouble than needed.
And these people call themselves Jews? Is this how our Torah HaShem teaches us to act? These actions are an ABOMINATION to our HaShem. Nowhere in HIS Scriptures does HE teach us to destroy and bring darkness to HIS PRECIOUS BLESSED NAME. These people are not JEWS they may be Hebrews but they are not Praising G-d … nor are they in Covenant with the G-d of Israel. Everyone of them who participated in this horrific demonstration needs to be exiled out of Israel never to be allowed to return ever again.
Disgusting hefkerus! They should be made to pay for all the damage! What a chilul Hashem! Is that the example they want to show the chilonim?! They are driving people away from Yiddishkeit with this sort of behaviour. Hashem yerachem!
Does anyone know why they are opposed to the Light Rail?
If they care so much about their neighborhood WHY did they destroy it?
Seems like a pretty reasonable and appropriate reaction to creating a public transportation infrastructure. Must be the Zionist’s fault
do you want to know why this behavior is happening? Because in Israel its the only talk that works. Originally, they wanted the train to run through meah shearim, and because there were so many protests, they cancelled plans.
The same goes for the streets being closed to cars on shabbos. Do you know how they accomplished that? only through such protests.
Why write two articles on chareidi hafganas and nothing on the rampant police brutality in Israel?
The mainstream chareidim used to hate the demonstrations, but now they feel for these guys.
the government should leave everything as is. let the animals that destroyed it clean it up.
Such low lives! No other country would tolerate such inappropriate behaviors. This is not Torah! And these are definitely not representatives of Torah!
The frumguy is the first poster to get to the point:
Has anyone stopped to ask why these protesters were against the expansion of the light rail?
Before inventing non-existent halachos like chilul Hashem being equated to anything you don’t like, why not find out the metzius first?
Has the Transportation Ministry considered diverting some of the infrastructure funds and build a wall around Meah Shearim (with barbed wire on top) and not allow anyone to enter or exit. That would assure that these mindless nutcases could preserve their way of life with no external distractions. They could become totally self sustaining with their own utility, water and sewage systems, grow their own food, and bury the many who will be niftar until the few who survive crawl out and relocate to some island in the Pacific called Alte Heimsville.
These wicked scoundrels who have totally violated הלכות נזיקין must be held in prison as pawns, until every piece of damage has been paid for in full, by all these evil troublemakers, and until the proposed Light Rail has been built & is up & running.
Furthermore, during their time in prison, they must not be supplied Mehadrin Kosher food such as Bedatz, but just Rabbanut [if even that much], and must not be allowed to attend Minyanim & Shiurim in prison.
Having these pawns in prison with no possibility of parole, just maybe shall make some of their people think before next time they even just so much as think of protesting.
I agree with TheRock. Perhaps if mothers protested to their wastrel sons and husbands, this mass destruction wouldn’t happen. Let moms and kids climb over all the mess, let them try to cross without traffic lights for a few days.
Unless there are consequences (jail is a joke) it will continue. I also ask the same question as Kelilah – why does a light rail bother them?
What about the vandalism that has been going on for months in front of the Prime Minister’s residence? If the protesters aren’t Chareidi so it’s OK, no chillul Hashem, no call for getting tough with the demonstrators, no condemnation using vicious, often appalling language (in the Comments)?
Is this Torah?
Is this what they learn in Torah and how to do daily interactions?
Zo Toyrah? Zou Sechar? Destruction of Yerushaim?
YOU DONT ROMANS OR THE THE GREEKS.
Just call in the black hats.
They will burn down the city and destroy and loot its systems.
CHILUL HASHEM
The Medina has the right to use face recognition to fine and jail these ANIMALS FOR DESTRUCTION OF YERUSHALIM.
As a conventional American Agudist, I cannot sympathize with such destruction of private and public assets.
However, I do wonder about the reality of bein adam l’chaveiro and the quality of societal life in E.I. if the Arabs did not exist and we Yidden had to focus all of our energy on each other.
A clear example of the Mishna Mi Shein Melamed Es Bno Umnus Melamamdo Listus!
These people are Melastem Es Habriyos Par Excelence!
And now Heshy Tischler is trying to import this “shining example” of exemplary behavior to Boro Park
What am I missing? I do NOT see the private property of the community being destroyed in these clips. I see a government barricade and a few signs that represent gov’t authority damaged upon which members of the community took out their frustrations after their concerns were repeatedly ignored. There is no comparison to BLM. There was no looting, window-smashing of stores, cars lit on fire here shown in any of these clips. I see in these pictures a clear message of, “NO, not here!” What I do see is quite a bit of false and manufactured indignation by many of the posters here. Would I participate in the destruction of ANY property? NO! Do I condone the destruction of traffic signs or barricades? NO!. However, let’s not make this something that it is not…
when will naive americans understand that what doesnt help in usa does help in state of il
Wondering how ordinary poles and Germans acted so irrationally and mob-like during the war ?
These clips offer a peak into the depravity of ppl of all stripes .
Chillul Hashem ?
That ship sailed years ago .
At this point they’re a sociologist’s researching deviant behavior’s dream.
With all they’re given … such ingrates.
May pay for the state to import a few Ayyrab goons to straighten out these cowardly pathetic fake Jews who give us all a bad name if the Israeli police won’t .
W3DCB–this comment is making a valid point.
Where is the massive destruction that you guys are talking about?
It must be a lot of fun to hide behind your computer and call people “animals”.
@W3DCB: Nicely phrased! I condemned above, but I retract what I said.
These local residents who are affected the most, have full rights to request from the Jerusalem municipality to Consult with them before making these kind of major decisions, unfortunately the so called Heimisha delegates are treating the charaidim like a piece of dirt, only the chilonim are treated with dignity. This is the only way the heimisha tzibbur (local residents) have they say.
These local residents who are affected the most, have full rights to request from the Jerusalem municipality to Consult with them before making these kind of major decisions, unfortunately the so called Heimisha delegates are treating the charaidim like a piece of dirt, only the chilonim are treated with dignity. This is the only way the heimisha tzibbur (local residents) have they say. They want to be treated the way we want to be treated and we felt it during the Cov 19, and they feel it all the time. Lets not be hypocrite and misled.
By the way, the gate and signs would’ve been taken down anyway when the light rail is built.
does anyone care to know WHAT caused this? WHY are they demonstrating? [ hint: sanctity, shabbat, tznius]
@american_yerushalmi we’ve heard that excuse way to many times now, “ If they can do it then why can’t we”. The answer is simple l, charedim shouldn’t be behaving like this, all the newspapers know that charedim usually act in a much more civilised manner, so that’s why whenever charedim act like this they jump on them.
Yesterday, I saw a pregnant woman trip over one of the traffic signs that was lying on the sidewalk. She fell really hard. one can only daven that she and the baby are okay.
@147: You write that the “wicked scoundrels” have “totally violated” hilchos nezikin. Please note that many very accepted poskim completely permit limitless stealing from the Israeli government in cases where no chillul Hashem is involved; I am no expert in this area of halacha but I believe that there are several rationales for such rulings, not all of which have to do with the fact that the state is anti-religion (which, let’s be honest, it certainly is). I would assume (although I have not researched this, do not know the sugya and may be very mistaken) that the same heter could, by extension, be applied to damaging (nezikin). Although there may be a case to be made that these hafganos violated the chillul Hashem aspect (and, if true, that would probably be far worse than stealing/damaging), it’s important to be precise and realize that the damage likely did not violate the actual halachos of stealing/damaging (as even if they were completely assur, the issur would be a chillul-Hashem-related issur, not a stealing/damaging-related one).
@147: See my above post of December 11, 2020 8:07 am at 8:07 am. I just want to add that I think it is really inappropriate to refer to thousands of yidden — most of whom with which you have no relationship — as “wicked scoundrels.” [I would not have uploaded this post on its own (because I know this can be a sensitive subject); I just felt it prudent to upload it once I was anyways posting regarding your comment.]