A group of some 80 Boyaner Chassidim spent Shabbos in Mezibuz in the Ukraine to be near the tziyun of the Bal Shem Tov ZY”A. The Shabbos event was the first leg in their journey to kivrei tzaddikim coinciding with the yahrzeit of Rav Yisrael of Rozin, whose yahrzeit begins on Sunday night the eve of 3 Cheshvan. They will be traveling to his tziyun in Chernovitz.
Unfortunately, their stirring Shabbos was marred by an anti-Semitic event on Friday night when seven thugs from an area pub began to chase a handful of the chassidim making their way to the tziyun for tefilos Shabbos. They shouted “Smelly Jews go back to Israel” and other hateful epithets at them. The attackers caught them and some of them were beaten considerably.
While the event was scary and painful, they decided they would not permit the thugs to ruin the spiritually uplifting Shabbos and they carried on with their planned schedule.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
“Smelly Jews go back to Israel” – i agree with that, i think that ALL yidden (smelly or not 🙂 ), should go to E”Y
I don’t get it. There were 80 Chassidim and 7 thugs and the Chassidim got beaten up? Why didn’t someone yell “Chaptzim”? and that would have been the end of them. This has got to stop and unfortunately the only way they seem to understand is force.
just remember “the holocaust was a lie”
A good ol fashioned chaptzem would have been nice.
The sad part of the story is that the thugs most likely are Yidden themselves, although they don’t know!!!!
Nice to dream about chapsem! Cannot be tried. Think about it! The chassidim can get away with that (MAYBE)in wmsburg of the 1950s-60s, where they can do their dirty work and then retreat behind the safety of their closed doors, plus have the luxury and security of being able to call police if back up is needed should the thugs come back for blood. You wanna try that in Mezhibuzh? Their is no where to go and lock a door and no police to come to protect any Jew who is the victim of a hoodlum who has come back with a few more pals and perhaps a weapon as a result of an unpleasant chapsem.
However, there is always an askan – or a group of askanim, who are in the position to plan ahead for next time and do what it takes, whether that entails pocket-lining or diplomacy, to ensure security for future visits. The mere threat of bad publicity sometimes motivates officials. sometimes it takes something a little more “green.”
#5, what shtusim! Yidden there know they are Yidden. Besides, even if somebody did not, “Eisav sone le’Yaakov…” is not a part of his system.
I went to Uman with a group for Rosh Hashana. The best thing to be done in these situations is to hire one or two security armed guards from Ukraine with you for your whole trip, especially if your with 80 people. It costs a few bucks, but it’s worth every penny.
I think the spending of money chutz l’aretz to visit places of outstanding anti-Semitism should be stopped.
Instead the money should be donated to bring the k’varim of these tzaddikim to eretz Yisroel for their final rest.