At about 5:00pm Friday night, less than an hour after Shabbos began, hundreds of chareidim gathered outside the Russian Compound police detention center as their friends spend Shabbos behind bars. Among the hundreds were rabbonim from the Eida Chareidis who held kabolas Shabbos outside the detention facility.
The Eida contingent remained orderly, even after a small group of chilonim arrived, working hard to inflame the atmosphere. The rabbonim however maintained calm and they continued with their tefilos, unwilling to be provoked by their opponents.
Near the end, a frum woman who walked across the street was targeted by the small group, calling her “shiksa” and throwing trash at her. The rabbonim left at that time.
After davening a number of the participants from the Eida group walked to the rear of the facility, closer to where the jails are, calling their friends by name to give them a chizuk. They also shouted “Shilton HaKofrim” (Government Rule of the non-believers) and “Even if you are in prison for a month, you will not break. We are here with you”.
The group, numbering several hundred, returned to Meah Shearim. They were taunted by a number of drivers who stopped and shouted derogatory statements at them as well as tossing trash at them.
Eida rabbonim stressed the tzibur was quiet, orderly and davened and left as was planned.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
5 Responses
I was there it wasn’t quite so orderly. They were screaming שבת at all the cars. It just so happened to be tgat most of the cars were Goyim leaving the adjacent church. There wasn’t a group of Chilonim trying to disrupt. There was a grand total of one youngster with a very loud whistle. The whole thing didn’t feel very Shabbosdig so I left early to pray in a normal place.
You don’t say why they were in jail.
DEAR RABBANAI HEIIDA
Although you mean well with your demonstrations. please be aware that you can adequetly control the bad apples amongst you. Therefor you are better off with no demonstration at all. then a demonstration with a chilul hashem
Instead of leaving when someone started calling a Jew ‘shiksa’, why didnt the rabbeim STOP their followers from making this chilul Hashem? By remaining silent, they granted non-verbal approval.
Dear marbehshalom,
Your lack of chashivus for rabbanim who are fluent in shas and poskim is further underlined by the suggestion that you understand and can remedy the situation better then they. get a grip.