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While there is a small number of chareidim affiliated with the Peleg branch and Eida Chareidis who feel attacking soldiers is a necessary step in the battle, the majority does not see eye-to-eye with this controversial hashkafa.
This is particularly true in the community of Yerushalmim, the old Jerusalemites who welcome all Jews with open arms, respectful of all as they lead a life of Avodas HKBH without feeling a need to offend others.
This story is going viral in the chareidi media in Israel, an incident which occurred on a number 19 bus in Yerushalayim on Wednesday, 11 Tammuz. Yerushalmi Rav Shimon Cheshin, a resident of Knesses Gimmel and among the mispallalim at Beis Knesses Broida was seated next to a non-frum solider. The elderly Yerushalmi began speaking with the young soldier at his side, inquiring how he was and what his military service is like. Cheshin had words of praise for him, for his service and commitment. The meeting of the two was documented by journalist Shmulik Avraham, who reported to Chadrei Chareidim, with Shmulik explaining “Yesterday, during the afternoon hours, as is my habit, I was on the bus near Machane Yehuda and I saw R’ Shimon [as he is affectionally known in the kehilla] seated alongside the soldier in uniform, speaking with him”.
In Avraham’s words, “I was compelled to stop and listen in. R’ Shimon was probing to learn about his life in the IDF, sharing some wisdom and giving him some tips. I know this may be a cliché, but it really impacted me, seeing what was taking place”.
He adds that an hour later he saw a WhatsApp about how police dressed as soldiers were operating in Meah Shearim to entrap those who attack soldiers and pondered the contrast of events.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
Beautiful. Time for the moral majority to speak up and show true ahavas Yisroel. Respectful debate is fine. Only in the spirit of Yisroel kidoshim.
There is no contrast and no contradiction!
Generally no one has anything against soldiers. Even against frum soldiers. Everyone is aware that they may have had little choice in joining the army. The only problem is when frum soldiers come in uniform to frum neighborhoods, since then is fear that the youth may seem this as a positive option to follow. The whole problem could be solved in a day if the army would permit all frum soldiers to come home without their uniforms. But the army is intent on persuading frum young men to join the army and therefore insist on frum soldiers displaying their uniforms in our neighborhoods. For that reason some have decided that the only way to combat that is by insulting them.
Beautiful. Sad that this (ahavas chinam) makes news, as this should be the norm.
Mi ki’amcha yisroel?! Thank you YWN for posting this. Enough with the constant barrage of negativity.
The Cheshin mishpacha, going back many generations, are known to be tremendous oihavei yisroel. They would do anything to help or be michazaik a fellow Jew.
I understand the good motivation behind publishing this story in the current climate, but quite frankly, it’s so commonplace as to not be news worthy… Baruch HaShem!
Look how crazy things have gone. 2 years ago no-one would report such an incident that happened all over all the time. I wasn’t in I”Y for past few years but I imagine, like you have Mehadrin buses where women sit in the back, I guess now they have where chloniym or soldiers must sit in the back??
|While there is a small number of chareidim affiliated with the Peleg branch and Eida Chareidis who feel attacking soldiers is a necessary step in the battle, the majority does not see eye-to-eye with this controversial hashkafa.|
As far as I know, these people are not in favor of attacking anyone. They are in favor of resistance and none cooperation in the drafting of Talmidei Yeshiva. Their leaders have never told them to attack anyone and have organized only peaceful civil disobedience. Those who raise their hand against a fellow Jew are not members of any group or faction. They are anarchists and kopherin.
I hope the kids of that tayere eltere yid picked up his beautiful middos.
I’m sure that for every peleg anti IDF attack story in Yerushalayim that the news sites pounce on there are 10 incidents like this one that don’t make headlines.
Thanks to the reporter who brought this story to the public’s attention and to YWN for posting it.
More reports like this one please!
@idachgissa…while those views may or may not be yours , I hope everyone can see how misguided that thought process of making an issue that frum soldiers should not come home in uniform….honestly I couldn’t care either way if they did or didn’t but if one thinks that making them a positive influence on children is such an issue that we teach to them to behave like animals, they are sorely mistaken in that path and I hope people can see how hypocritical that is. id rather my kid be a mentch and in the army then in yeshiva and a beheima.
@idachgissa – I’m sorry to say, but the logic of your argument lacks forethought and clearly should not be considered at all. When someone religious dressed in uniform comes to our community no-one looks and says “Wow, he must be special. I want to be like him!”. Rather they think to themselves, “Nebech. Obviously he couldn’t hack the rigorous schedule of learning Torah all day long”! Whether right or wrong the attitude in the Yeshivish Velt is that someone who’s not in Yeshiva or Kollel is of lesser status then them.
Furthermore, why are you so worried about Hashpa from Chareidi soldiers to the point of violent hatred and desire to hurt, but not so when it comes to pirchachim? Does Peleg hold to also beat up any pirchachim in the neighborhood as well? Or is that different because either your sibling or your best friend’s sibling happens to be one?
If we truly want to see the Geulah we need to start showing love and understanding towards our fellow Jew. That doesn’t mean to accept their views and ways. It means to love them despite their mistakes. For instance, Reform and Conservative Judaism are treif and damaging to Klala Yisrael! However, when meeting up with Reform or Conservative Jews we need to show them love and compassion and understand that their wrong doings are due to their ignorance, not their wickedness.
HaKol Kol Yaakov V’Yadaim Y’dei Eisav!
Softwords:
With all due respect, there is ignorance and then there is WILFULL ignorance and then there is Hatred (and I choose that word advisedly) . Do not kid yourself for a moment: to the vast majority of the non-frum world YOU are the the problem… you are enemy! In their view, you are the ignorant one, steeped in primitive mythology, refusing to climb out of the morass of medievalism and accept the wisdom of modern progressive secularism and nationalist identity politics. in fact, they view YOU as the obstacle to their being fully accepted as full members of the global community and when anything bad happens to Jews it is YOUR fault! Now that does not mean that we should stoop to their level and engage in their hateful behavior, but let’s not candy coat it either.