With Shimon Fuchs Shlita being depicted as a wild man in the mainstream media, facing a criminal indictment of “harassment” for spitting and verbally assaulting a female soldier on a Jerusalem bus, the chareidi tzibur is standing firmly behind the father of 12, sending a clear message that he is not alone.
YWN-ISRAEL reported last week that Fuchs was identified by some eyewitnesses on board a Jerusalem bus, while other witnesses stated he did nothing wrong. Police, including the Jerusalem police chief preferred to believe those who stated Fuchs was guilty. He has already been indicted and released to house arrest.
Rav Fuchs, a N’vei Yaakov resident, is described by those who know him as an “outstanding Torah scholar” as well as a Mo”tz (Moreh Tzedek) in the community. In a showing of widespread support many community residents this Friday night davened outside his home, permitting him to take part in kabolas Shabbos despite his house arrest.
An urgent meeting was held on erev Shabbos in the home of HaRav Tzvi Weber Shlita, leading to the decision for the kabolas Shabbos outside Fuch’s home. After davening, the tzibur began singing “Utzu Eitza” and many went to the rav’s home to wish him a gut Shabbos and give him a chizuk.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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25 Responses
The anti shomer torah u’mitzvos crowd that runs the m’dina will get their mapayla in time.
Soon the Kneset will pass a law Banning the singing of “Utzu Eitza”
If he’s such an outstanding person, then why was he the one who had to tell the soldier to go to the back of the bus? What chutzpah!
Did he deny doing it? Did anyone ask him? The Chareidi tzibur would be foolish to jump to his defense before the facts are known.
The fact that he is a moreh tzedek just makes it worse. If he is guilty this proves that this is not an isolated incident but rather a problem that runs deeply within Chareidi society.
We must learn to respect other yidden even when they chose not to jump aboard the chumrah bandwagon.
Let’s not forget the “chareidi tzibur” also stood firmly by that mother that nearly starved her kid to death. The same “chareidi tzibur” stood by the rioting, mayhem and destruction that ensued.
We can’t judge what happened as we don’t have all the evidence before us. Being melamed zchus based on what I read, the accused, politely, as behoves a ben-toroh requested this woman to move to the back. She refused, called the driver to help her. Who called the cops. Who barged onto the bus and believed that this woman was harrassed.
There seems to be an over eagerness to find a culprit for this discrimination against women.
Seeing that this matter was in the forefront of the media for quite a while, this ‘outstanding person’ should have thought twice before approaching this woman.
Perhaps he should have remembered his Pirkei Ovos. Yossi ben Yochanan, the man from Jerusalem said ..’don’t speak too much with women’…’definately not with strange women.”..” From this the wise men say whoever speaks too much to women will cause himself harm, cause him waste of time from learning Torah and ultimately will go to hell”.
If the Israel have decided that calling a Jew who is acting irreligiously a “Shiksa” (or a “Shaygetz”) is a serious crime, then in theory they can round up anyone who uses the term anywhere for “incitement”.
since when did he spit? please get your facts straight YWN!
The Chabad utzu eitza? Moshiach must be coming
I think that it’s time we (the Chariedim) stop shielding people – and start making them take responsibility for their actions.
Dear kfb;
You asked a question, and “what chutzpah!” is unwarranted.
The answer to your question is that she was not simply sitting down in an empty seat. She had posted on facebook that tomorrow she intends on stirring things up on the bus, so she boarded a mehadrin bus, where seating is segregated, and deliberately sat in a men’s seat.
Most charedim usually turn the other cheek in these situations, but Rabbi Fuchs yelled at her.
When the police came they did not want to arrest anyone, because shouting at someone does not get you arrested, especially when she picked the fight. However, she is an officer in the army and is making a fuss with the bigshots.
Does the story sound any different now?
if he is such an outstanding person he would never have spoken to the woman in the first place!
I’m sure he’s an outstanding Torah scholar, and a fine person. But he did a very un-fine thing. There is simply no excuse for harassing or embarrassing anyone. Whether or not we live in his neighborhood, we all need to be very clear on that. The rift between haredim and the rest of Israeli society is growing and by supporting people who act in this way we only make it worse. With a little bit of ahavat hinam we all have the power to put the “Am” back in “Am Yisrael”.
It’s all really quite sad. We are in golus for 2,000 years because we cannot get along with each other. Acheinu Bais Yisroel, the religious and the religious, the non-religious and the religious and all else amongst us. Unfortunately, it is often our own Rabbanim and Rosh HaYeshivos, who propagate a dislike if not frank hatred for the non-religious and this is then picked up by their talmidim and it is viewed as proper frum behavior. I was once with a well known American born Israeli Rosh HaYeshivah shortly after the Israeli government reduced payments to Kollel Yungerleit and he angrily referred to the government as “worse than Nazis”.
I don’t know if this individual is innocent of the accusations or not. Frankly, neither would surprise me. The atmosphere is poisoned and there needs to be a major emphasis on Ahavas Yisroel. Maybe this could all start on the Mehadrin lines by having the men sit in the back and the women up front. This would prevent men from having to have women walk between them to get to the back of the bus. then perhaps they can also stop demanding mehadrin bus lines on public buses and events as HaRav Eliashiv has stated (as reported by a choshuv Rav and we can safely ignore a grandchild’s denial.
kfb: Why are believing the secular media’s version of this whole thing?? Can’t you see this is the point of this whole article? Apart from that, it is also KABBALAT LASHON HORA, one of the strictest prohibitions in the entire Torah!!
I am part of the “chareidi tzibbur” and I regard this Yid as the one who threw gasoline on an already burning fire. It doesn’t matter if he was polite or diplomatic. His tafkid in the present poisonous climate was to keep his mouth closed and to move on. And I am not alone in this opinion.
#3 kfb – if you weren’t there and there are many claiming that the whole incident is sheker, then don’t be to quick to judge. Otherwise, someday middah k’neged middah may catch up with you and that we wouldn’t want, right?!
I suggest wait this one out.
(P.S. – I assume you live in America, otherwise you’d realize how plausible it is that the who thing is a sham.)
kfb: According to witnesses, he asked (read:not told or demanded) her if she would mind moving somewhere else. The soldier however has wrote on a blog the day before that she was interested in provoking somebody on the bus.
Who do you believe is the culprit is this non-story? Who is the real mechutzaf?
#3:
Because this is Mehadrin bus.
How do YOU know what he said and what the one “eyewitness” had to say
And let me aks you – even if he said something – do you think he shoudl be charged with “sexual harrasment”? (I live in Neve Yaakov and the family is a very queit Aidel family…)
Do yo know how many real “hate threats” were broadcasted on the media of secular people and NO ONE has yet been arrested????
About Rav Fuhcs, even the most seculat lawyers don’t understand what kind of a “case” there is
Anyway, you got the facts wrong!!! And as you don’t live here – how do you have an opinion???
It seems that he was modeh to using bad language. Ain Derech Eretz, Ain torah.
This article does not seem to be accurate.
He was indicted for sexual harassment, for chanting at a female soldier that she is a prutza and a zonah. His lawyer does not deny thst he did this. His lawyer says that the defense will be that this does not amount to sexual harassment, but a lesser offense.
He was not charged with spitting at the soldier and I would appreciate you’re pointing us to where in “the media” this charge was made.
According to his attorney, the facts are not in dispute, irrespective of how many “supporters” he has and how choshuv they are.
The reason women go to the back of the bus is so that when they are bringing along a child in a baby carriage, they do not hold up the entire line in front, but access the bus from the rear entrance.
Can someone, anyone explain to me how people who are ultra makpid on segregation of genders on public buses push and shove women and elders to get onto the bus in the first place. I personally was humiliated by a man on a bus from Bnei Brak to Yerushalayim because he determined that I was sitting in the men’s area – albeit the back of the men’s area which was already bordering on the women and children. After pushing and shoving to get on the bus, this “frum” man insisted that I leave and stand for the ride back to Yerushalayim. It’s time for some consistency, ehrlichkeit and maybe some unadulterated yiras shomayim. Since when does segregation justify embarrassing people. I consider myself in the Chareidi camp, but this type of behavior is inexcusable, period!
It’s a stroke of genius to get the chilonim to become frum: Stone their cars, spit in their faces and curse at them. Bound to be successful.