As the Eida Chareidis tzibur is arming for the battle following the arrest of Asra Kadisha director HaRav Dovid Smeidal by police in Beersheva on Tuesday 20 Kislev 5773, additional information becomes available surrounding the arrest of the rav.
HaMevaser reports the arrest was “brutal”, citing that almost immediately after the rav and his supporters arrived at the Karaso construction site in the city on Tuesday police instructed him to leave the area. The rabbi and his contingent came to protest ongoing construction, which Asra Kadisha insists results in chilul kevarim. “When he refused, he was pushed, knocked to the ground” HaMevaser reports. “Then began the abuse and humiliation” the report adds, as police intentionally sent a policewoman to arrest the rabbi, realizing the significance of such an act. The female officer tried to push Rabbi Smeidal into a waiting police car.
Rav Smeidal did not remain silent but began shouting in protest over the actions of police, adding he is willing to be moser nefesh towards not transgressing the Torah. Then police pounced on him, and at least one policeman used a taser against the rabbi while another placed him in handcuffs. He was then forced into the police car.
Police were then heard instructing the female officer to sit alongside the rabbi in the rear of the vehicle and when one of the avreichim present realized what was taking place, he jumped into the rear seat alongside the rav to prevent the policewoman from sitting alongside him. The avreich was arrested as well, along with a third person, another avreich, who reportedly refused to comply with police instructions to stop decrying what was taking place.
The avreichim who were arrested with the rav report that the rav remained handcuffed for a long period of time once they arrived in the police station and they were not permitted to bring the rabbi a cup of water to drink following the difficult ordeal.
One of the askanim contacted was R’ Meir Porush, who contacted Minister of Public Security Yitzchak Aharonovich, Police Chief Yochanan Danino and the police Southern District Commander. Porush told them the actions of police were a “serious injustice” and they are interpreted by the chareidi tzibur as an effort to squelch any and all protests by that community. Porush decried the arrest of such a person, who heads Asra Kadisha as well as serving as a rosh yeshiva, not to mention the treatment by police during the arrest, adding any attempt to cover up the unacceptable actions of police towards justifying the arrest will not work. Porush demanded Rabbi Smeidal’s immediate release, warning police that their actions have ignited a fire among chareidim around the world.
Not too long after Porush called the senior officials, the southern commander phoned Porush to tell him that he received a direct order from the police chief to order Rabbi Smeidal’s immediate release.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
“Eida Chareidis tzibur is arming for the battle”
That tzibur, like it or not, is incredibly non-violent. They may not recognize the zionist state, but they are not about to “arm” thenselves and resist. While it is conceivable that the “moderate” religious zionists might some day come to blow with the Israeli government (for example, when all settlements in the West Bank are being evacuated), the “Eida Chareidis” tzibur will not take up armed resistance no matter what the provocation.
akuperma – i think the possibility of armed resistance between Jews (known as civil war) or the evacuation of all settlements in the west bank (hundreds of thousands of jews losing their homes) deserves a “chas veshalom” qualifier!
Oh really, so throwing rocks at police is “non-violence” these days? Give me a break, that is incredibly disingenuous.
To akuperma:
I noticed your comments were conspiculously missing in the article on the Shas’ Asifa brawl. I also notice that the usual suspects who have such loshon hara to say about the big bad zionists and the Jews that are “less-religious” than they are seem to have nothing to say about that article.
Is it fair to say that there are bad apples in every bunch and that is a problem facing all of us? Zionists, anti-zionists & apathetic alike. Is it fair to recognize that not everybody “on my side” is good and not everybody “on the other side” is bad?
Funny how the Eidah rails against the Agudah and partaking in bechiros but then turns to Meir Porush for help when they are stuck in a jam.
That the Israeli Government would ultimtely attack Chareidim, physically and violently, was predicted by Rav Avigdor Miller ZT”L many years ago.
The secularists hate the Chareidim, and they would liquidate them entirely, if they thought they could get away with it.
According to Aaron Klein, WABC talk show host and bureau chief of World net Daily in Israel, there is more antireligious hatred in Israel among the secularists than in Europe among the anti-semites.
Pls refrain from stating things about Rav Shmidl which isn’t true. He is a quiet gentle person (what some young thugs do is not a mirror of his deeds) who already the Brisker Rav ztz”l said on him one can fully rely in matters of mekomos kedoshim.
A disgrace that a person of his age and stature was arrested for protesting!