The head of Yad L’Banim Eli Ben-Shem released a statement condemning chareidi youths who “desecrated” a memorial to 73 IDF soldiers and officers who perished over Shar Yashuv in the 1997 midair military helicopter crash. “I cannot believe that there are people capable of such actions” he added.
A number of people who visited the site were displeased to put it mildly to see the chareidi youths playing in the water, which is part of the memorial. Corroborating stores indicate the parents were approached; asking them to instruct the children to leave but the response was “we pay taxes and we can do what we want.”
“We light yahrzeit lights and say Tehillim” one of the parents was quoted as saying, leading to a heated argument with visitors and area residents alike. The story has gone viral in Israel, not painting chareidim in a good light, a story which many believe could have and should have been avoided simply by the parents respecting the sensitivities of the others and instructing the children to leave the pool which is not intended for bathers.
Ben-Shem filed a police complaint against the chareidim for defacing the memorial site. Ministry of Defense officials also condemned the incident, which they described as ‘law-breaking’.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photo: Ido Ben-Porath, Arutz Sheva)
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8 Responses
Common sense would dictate that you don’t let your kids play in any sort of memorial. Then again, no one ever accused chareidim of having any common sense.
I am sure if the children were there with parents it was purely an oversight, not a malicious act of disrespect.
Dear Editor,
Why do you write “desecrated” in quotation marks? Why the attempt to belittle? They desecrated the memorial, plain and simple. And then they went from bad to worse and attempted to justify their brutish behavior. And why write “respecting the sensitivities of the others”? Do you feel that there is no objective reason for them to show respect for the fallen soldiers? Instead of playing down their behavior – you should decry it. Instead of judging in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’ it would be better to judge in terms of right and wrong. In this case the family in question was wrong, plain and simple, and we should say so, plain and simple.
“Ministry of Defense officials also condemned the incident, which they described as ‘law-breaking’”
Was there a sign clearly saying, that swimming is not allowed?
A few incompetent parents does not reflect the Chareidim as a whole. Every community has their “crazies”. Why is this reported as news?
lack of respect for the feelings of others is NOT a virtue. Until the various sides of Israeli society can give the other and different side respect, living in Israel will still be golus.
Look at the picture up close and you will see that the family is clearly Not charedi. Dati – yes. Charedi – no.
I just happened to see the article in the yediot and I see no mention in the headline or blurb about the religious affiliation of the family.
Is this just more sensationalist journalism?
yael.e #6: You are absolutely correct! And many of the Israeli media outlets falsely reported it was Chareidi children in order to stir up anger against Chareidim. Not much unlike the German papers reporting about Jews in the early and mid ’30’s.
I blew up the picture to get a better view. The people are not Chareidi and may not be Dati either. They look more like Chilonim to me.