Dear YWN,
As a long-time reader of the website, and a resident in Meah Shearim, I wanted to share the following with you readers after witnessing the most violent Hafganah I have ever seen in Yerushalayim.
The best way to describe the event of last night is simply “insane”. With batons flying and water cannons churning, one wonders how long it will be until the stun guns and rubber bullets come out.
In a scene that was more reminiscent to Tehran then to the holy city of Yerushalayim, protests in the “starving mother” affair – as it has been dubbed – reached violent proportions as police clashed with protesters in the streets of Yerushalayim until the wee hours of the morning.
Armed with water cannons and horses, police made detained dozens over the course of the night – sometimes with the help of locals. Unfazed by the arrests, many continued to protest as the violence escalated.
The end of the night (or rather, beginning of the day) left injuries on both sides and the streets looking like a desolate war zone.
Dozens of traffic lights have been destroyed. Street signs have been cracked off.
What has this come to?
Is this Tehran or Jerusalem?!
–A very angry Meah Shearim resident.
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
20 Responses
What are you doing with the internet in Holy Meah Shearim?
We are showing Tehran how to do it!
The sad truth is that many people have lost all faith in Barakat. He has failed completely at any unity or outreach, and defined himself as a man who will use violence of any kind to get his way.
It is true that over the past few weeks some residents of Meah Shearim have also been violent. They are not official, and they are not the leaders. Barakat should have immediately invited the leaders to his office, or talked indirectly to them, and met them somewhere half way or quarter way. And made the problem littler.
But instead Mr. Tough Guy made the problem bigger. He dug in his heels and declared “Not One Inch!”. His inability to compromise and his harsh style are simply inadequate to the job of leading a large and very diverse population.
Fire Barakat.
if the charedim wouldn’t be rioting in the streets and harming other people’s bodies and property – the police wouldn’t have to be aggressive with them.imagine if something like this started in the US – the police would use the same force to stop it. the rioting needs to stop – it is such a chilul hashem!
i feel with you!!whats going on is a disgrace to charedi public worldwide!!H’ jerachem!!!we should daven this balagan should stop without too much added damage..
This is the ultimate sinas chinam. Fighting agaisnt non frum isralei’s. Ripping out light poles ? Are we against traffic lights ? People who are israeli soldiers are tinuk sh’nishba. We are not.
this is one of those days I am embarassed to be a frum jew
WHERE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD are people prepared to endanger themselves to be beaten harshly for the sake of ONE Jewish woman who is jailed????
The people of Yerusulaim or ruining themselves. THEIR roads are disrupted. THEIR own rubbish is not collected THEY are the ones suffering from the chaos!
NOBODY from the Jewish protesters in yerushlayim is gaining fame ANY political fame, or agenda
The whole blow out is just:
RELEASE that WOMAN (whom they likely never met her and never will !!) to her home
Holy Jews of Yerushlaim!! WHERE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD????? Be proud of yourselves
The headlines of every newspaper across the globe should read:
….ALL BECAUSE OF A SINGLE WOMAN IN JAIL….
What a KIDUSH HASHEM!!!
you are 100 percent right! we witnessed it too it was way out of control, the police/ reshaim were just out to crack chareidi skulls.
besuros tovos!
Mir Guys
sammygol- I hope you are kidding.
Someone should be “mekareiv” these mamzeirim partaking in these hafganos, and open their eyes to this giant chilul Hashem that they, for some reason, have seemed to involve themselves in. Listen to Rav Nosson Tzvi, Shlita and Rav Shternbuch, Shlita- JUST STAY AWAY.
TO #11: I have ALOT to say to you, but i’ll just ask you a question. Please reply,because i really want to hear an answer. Whether or not this woman is guilty, could you please explain to me how her arrest justifies indiscriminate vandalism , attacks with rocks and other objects, destruction and damage to vehicles and buses, the destruction of state social worker offices, traffic signals, garbage dumpsters and much more?!
#10—I am with you my friend. I wore my open sandals without socks today, and some other outer changes, because I do not want to be associated with the Haredi community. I was in Jerusalem yesterday and never in my life did I want to leave Jerusalem. I was nauseous the whole time. The Betar bus I was on had to drive thru a burning dumpster. **BTW…WHY NOT PICKET IN FRONT OF THE JAIL, LIKE A REAL PERSON, PEACEFULLY, DESTROYING ONES OWN NEIGHBORHOOD IS JUST SIMPLY A HILLUL HASHEM, AMONG SO MUCH MORE. ALSO, WHY DON’T WE FIGHT LIKE THIS WITH THE ARABS WHEN MISSILES ARE SHOT AT SDEROT OR REGARDING THE FACT THAT MOST OF AM YISRAEL IS OFF THE DERECH AND NEEDS LOVE AND WISDOM TO MEKAREV THEM TO THE MOST HIGH, BLESSED IS HE, AND OUR TORAH HAKEDOSHAH, PUT THE ENERGY INTO REACHING OUT.**
Thank you for letting me vent here!
So after a nice hiatus good old sammygrol is back to attack frum yidden with typical cheap-shot sharply worded venom.
I’m not here to defend the behavior of the protestors, but at least let us attempt to recoup our Yiddishe sensibilities.
Sammy, theres a proper way to talk about Yidden – even when you vehemently disagree with them. You are guilty of what you accuse them of doing. Your viciously worded attacks are a chilul Hashem no less than their throwing physical stones. Look in the mirror before you hit send and remember its almost Tisha B’Av. Your words are baseless hatred in its purest sense – and the situation is not rectified in any positive way due to your ‘instructive’ criticm – all thats gained is that you Sammy got it off your chest, and showed your award winning and eloquent writing ability – very similar to the your accusation against the protestors.
Sammy, think before you hit back at me or anyone else with your mighty keystrokes.
I am an observant yid FFB and I own property in Mea Sharim.One Charedii tenant that has not paid his rent in over 7 months threatened to burn down my house if I go to court! (FACT)
#14: The answer is that there is no justification for it. There is a time, and a place for almost anything. Not for this. It is embarrassing to watch this – mainly chassidim (who are supposed to be elevated over the minagdim, modeener, whatever) have sunk to such a low level.
To those who want to stand up and proclaim what a Kiddush Hashem it is, go learn some seforim and learn what a kiddush hashem is. Here is some background: The goal is to make people who aren’t as familiar as you look at you and say, “Wow! How well behaved. Look at these people who serve G-d – I wish I could be more like them. So civilized. They are sticking to their guns and protesting the arrest of this woman – IN A NON VIOLENT WAY!” Kiddush Hashem?!? This is a chillul hashem of the highest proportions!!!!
Duvd’l
CHEVRAH ( minyan members of the RaahBaanim. We are talking 3 weeks here. This is siman raah for all Klal Yisroel. Get you acts together. WHy must the worse anti-semities always have to be JEWS.
Hillul HAshem at it’s worse !!!! “MI LAHASEHM ALAI ” !
The Rebbe of Lubavitch poured out his heart for Ahavat Chinum because we, in this dor, are so easily prone to sinas chinum…..
Refuas Hanefesh Refuas HaGuf Mamash
#11-
Apparently I have a little more time than #14, so I’ll say a little more of what, I’m sure, (s)he would like to say.
During the Mendal Beilus case, when the idea you mentioned, that of tens of thousands of Jews caring about the well-being on one, came to public view, do you know why it was a Kiddush Hashem, and why the defense even brought it up? Because everywhere you went in the Frum world there were Tefillin rallies going on, everyone davening for him three times a day, peaceful protests outside relevant buildings demanding his release with not one single release, etc. This is what was happening, and this is why it was a Kiddush Hashem.
What’s happening here, however, unfortunately comes nowhere close. You say they’re tearing up their own streets. Do you know who paid for those streets? Do you know who owns those streets? The government does, not the people who destroy them. And especially if you talk about the private property that’s destroyed. Did they ever ask the elderly that must now walk for fifteen minutes to throw away their garbage because the one next to their house has been burned?
I ask further, did any of the perpetrators of these acts consult with their Rebbeim before they did this? Or did they just assume that it was the right thing to do? And now that Rav Moshe Sternbuch has openly condemned all violence, will it stop? Or will these Bochurim prove that what they’re doing is not l’sheim shamayim, but only for their own excitement?
I personally have been davening for both of these things and would gladly attend any rally that was sanctioned by the Gedolim- as many are. But to assume that Ba’al Tashchis is the way to solve the problem just causes more problems and more chilulei Hashem. And as #14 said, if there is any response, please do let us know. We’re not attacking here, we’re genuinely concerned.
I feel that it is of utmost importance to protest the posts of “sammygol”, who it is difficult to believe is still a currently practicing shomer shabbos. The comments s/he makes is aside from false, utterly disgusting.
It is truly unbelieveable how some will side with those against our mesorah above their own brothers.
Personally,I don’t mind if there are protests. However, they must be conducted in a manner which generates a kiddush hashem. Unfortunately many of the protesters at these haffganot clearly don’t understand the meaning of kiddush hashem. As one can easily see their actions create a chillul hashem and cause many people to become disgusted with the frum population as a whole. Perhaps if the charedim would care to act in manner that is more beffiting of a jew the police would not be so violent.
NUMBER 1 WELL SAID