On Sunday, 13 Sivan 5772, YWN-ISRAEL reported a security guard in the Ramat Aviv Mall barred a chareidi male from entering in compliance with a directive he received from “higher ups”.
The original story mentioned the mall’s policy, barring chareidim since management fears their presence is deemed “offensive” to some of the shoppers and those visiting mall eateries.
Mall officials report that the mall is not anti-Semitic or anti-chareidi, adding there is a shul for the convenience of those shoppers wishing to organize minyanim, and the mall is closed on shabbos.
It appears what the mall’s management fears is the ongoing ‘mivtzaim’ of the Chabadnikim, who are busy getting men to put on tefillin. While many store owners reportedly wait for the Chabadnikim to arrive to put on tefillin, some are bothered by the aggressive well-intentioned shluchim and apparently complaints have been filed with mall management – leading to the decision to bar the shluchim.
The man who was barred from entering, Schneur Schneerson, told the daily Yisrael HaYom “I wasn’t insulted. I put tefillin on people daily. A few of my friends who bring me in via a rear door did not like what was going on and decided to make some noise”.
A number of askanim who responded to the story released by Chadrei Chareidim indicated they will organize buses of chareidim to come to the mall, but it is not certain this will be actualized as the mall managers do not seem oppose to chareidim but do prefer to prevent Chabad shluchim from approaching shoppers to put on tefillin.
Mall officials released a statement that anyone and everyone is welcome to come visit, regardless of gender, race, religion, but due to the fact that complaints have been received surrounding the tefillin campaign, Chabadnikim have been asked to refrain from such activities.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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16 Responses
Just wrote this elsewhere, copying it here:
Chabad can be extremely pushy, especially in Ramat Aviv I believe. The management of the mall has no obligation to let missionaries enter the mall and attempt to force ideologies on people. Banning entry to these Chabad people whose only purpose for coming to the mall is “putting on tefillin” is entirely justified.
If the policy were, on the other hand, “all chareidim are banned”, that would be something else entirely and completely shocking.
From the story as I understand it at the moment, however, the management simply wanted to keep this single one out.
I am chareidi myself, and I think Chabad do a very nice thing. However, they shouldn’t force it on people, and if the mall’s management wants them not to be there, then they should simply go somewhere else. Maybe they can stand just outside, near a parking lot, something like that. The mall’s management is completely within its rights to demand that they leave the premises altogether, I believe.
This is not an issue of religion, simply a question of law – what is allowed, and what is not. For a shopping mall to prevent entry by people whose only purpose for coming there is to play missionary is probably entirely legal.
So their problem is not with people who do mitzvos for themselves, but only with those who get others to do them. Sounds exactly like the communists in the USSR. Or like Ochoz Hamelech. Their war is not with charedim but with the Torah; that should not reassure us.
Nice to see that while charedim in the US are actively distancing themselves from Chabad (see Asifa) in E”Y we have shalom!
Also, This isn’t an update… its a correction. There is a huge difference.
The MALL might have a point to discourage overt religious coercion.
I’m appalled at the YWN ‘reporting’ here, calling the Chabadnick “aggressive”. Where is the evidence to this claim? Besides, YWN, I got news for you: you read him wrong. I happen to know Schneur Schneursohn. He’s a confident, but very respectful young man. He’s an incredible yerei shomayim, and wouldn’t offend – but instead spreads Ahavas Yisrael, which is why wherever he’s been, he has a following of people respecting him and visibly growing in day-to-day shmiras mitzvos!
And the Mall’s claim of not acting antiSemitic with excluding him, as they allow frum people in etc. – just doesn’t ‘cut it’. So they’re not offended by (obviously-Jewish-looking) Jews, but they’re ‘only’ offended by… Jewish practices? Sounds antiSemitic to me!
P.S. If you can allow all sorts of Pritzus, apikursus
(continued)
If you can allow all sorts of Public displays of pritzus, apikurses, and all other forms of ‘free speech’ and everything-goes behaviour in this mall – even though many are offended by it and complain etc., then you can, and must, allow the freedom of expression of the storekeepers (etc.) to participate in a public display of your own grandfathers’ Tradition, even though it may offend some of their grandchildren’s ‘sensibilities’.
Yeah that is quite a different story. Trying to keep out people who are running around trying to convince people to do something is quite legitimate. I think most US malls would want to keep out some J witnesses who were running around proslytizing.
I think this just another reminder how the facts need to be found out before something is put on as Emes. We have enough issues with Loshan Hora withough creating more
The story needs another update:
Even Chabad has backed off supporting this fellow, who is a known meshichist and had been asked by Chabad themselves to stop being so aggressive.
Now you see how tourists may feel in Meah Shearim
This policy at the mall is horrendous. Every person getting somebody to put on Tfilin has done a massive mitzvah. And the Chabad chevra do not force anybody to put on Tfilin, they simply encourage it. Encouraging anybody to do a Mitzva is a commendable act, regardless of the situation. Just imagine the schar the Chabad chevra get, sometimes standing in the boiling heat. Now Chabad as opposed to other Charedi groups, do not act in religious coercion. They do alot of acts of chesed to Israeli soldiers, and the general secular public. And they are not even represented in the Kneset. I just think that the mall management is acting as part of the general Israeli public sick of Charedi coercion. Yidishkeit has to be offered in positive ways not negative ways. Once you have negative acts like spitting at women episodes, which happened again today, and acts of demanding special treatment for Charedim, then you get the tinoik shenishbu to rebel.
OMG, how can supposedly believing Jews compare helping people do mitzvos to “missionaries” or “religious coercion”? Are you seriously saying that it’s right for the Torah to be treated equally with other religions ch”v?! And in the King’s very palace?!
By the way, in some US states a mall is a public space where constitutional protections of free speech apply, and in those states excluding R Schneerson would be illegal. I don’t know whether Israel has such a law.
Also by the way, R Schneerson is a huge talmid chochom.
#3. Y_dont_U_research_b4_speaking. Why don’t you research. Before speaking………In the US, Chabad was invited to the Asifa but declined because it was the Rebbe’s opinion to use technology for good and usefull purposes, however Chabad said that a filter is a must. So I don’t know where you are getting ur info, “Y_dont_U_research_b4_speaking” and live up to your name.
#3. Y_dont_U_research_b4_speaking. Why don’t you research ‘yourself’ before speaking………In the US, Chabad was invited to the Asifa but declined because it was the Rebbe’s opinion to use technology for good and usefull purposes, however Chabad said that a filter is a must. So I don’t know where you are getting ur info, “Y_dont_U_research_b4_speaking” and live up to your name. I don’t know why you are promoting annomosity.
Milhouse,
What you’re referring to is true only in California, and isn’t so much about the mall being a public space, as being the result of the California State Constitution recognizing an affirmative right to free speech. I’m aware of nowhere else where that concept applies.
Mosheemes2, it applies in New Jersey too. And some other states.