Anti-Chareidi Tiveria mayor Ron Kobi announced on Sunday that he would visit Mea Shearim and Beit Shemesh as part of his provocative election campaign for his anti-religious party, the Secular Right.
Last week, Kobi tried to visit Bnei Brak but was forced to leave with the accompaniment of police after a crowd of Bnei Brak residents gathered to protest his presence in the city.
Kobi didn’t visit Mea Shearim but he did visit Yerushalayim on Tuesday, according to a B’Chadrei Chareidim report on Wednesday. He toured the Machane Yehuda shuk, confronting Chareidi shoppers as he walked.
Later, he came to the Kosel square, filming himself on Facebook Live as a few yeshivah bochurim joked around with him, asking him why he wasn’t wearing a kippah on a visit to the Kosel. Another group of yeshivah bochurim then approached and protested his presence by serenading him with songs about Shabbos. They also berated him to take off his kippah, which had meanwhile appeared on his head, saying that he should be ashamed to wear a kippah in light of his actions against Shabbos.
As the bochurim continued to chide him, the “Admor of Berdichev,” R’ Aharon Baumel, appeared and warmly hugged Kobi. He then accompanied him to the Kosel itself as the yeshivah bochurim chastised him for associating with him. “Hakadosh Boruch Hu loves him,” R’ Baumel retorted.
The shouts of the yeshiva bochurim continued as Kobi and R’ Baumel reached the Kosel and R’ Baumel began reciting Tehillim with him. “Don’t touch the Kosel,” they yelled at Kobi.
“It’s forbidden to humiliate him,” R’ Baumel said. “Hashem loves all the Jews. Ron Kobi is a tzaddik.” Later, he told the bochurim, “Anyone who called him a rasha is obligated to ask forgiveness from him. There’s no re’shaim in Am Yisrael.”
“He’s a rasha. It’s forbidden to flatter re’shaim,” a protestor responded.
Eventually, the protestors grew louder and more unruly and Kobi was forced to leave the area with the help of the police.
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(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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24 Responses
Those preach Ahavah ought to remember psalm 97:10
per the rav of Brisk ‘Those who claim to be the greatest ohavim,are really the greatest son’im’
Unfortunately there are so many crazy people that think that by flattering reshaim guemurim they will be eventually mekarev them, the guy is laughing at all the chareidim and mocking judaism , and filming them at the koisel in order to have a good laugh with his friends
What is everyone trying to accomplish? They think he’s gonna listen to him? It will just embolden him. ThisvRabbi is the only one who is doing the right thing.
EMBOLDEN, YEA YEA, THEY SAID THAT ABOUT HITLER TOO, JUST PACIFY RIGHT? CHOSSID SHOTA. AND BEFORE ALL THE “YOU COMPARING HIM TO HITLER ” PEOPLE START SQUAWKING LETS REMEMBER THIS 1) GADOL HAMACHTI’O YOSER M’HAHARGO, AND 2) MUTAR L’HISGAROS B’RISHAIM… VKOL MI SHEOMER AINO, MIPNEI SHELIBO NOKFO.
L’MAASEH KOBI IS BETTER THAN HITLER, BECAUSE KOBI CAN DO TESHUVA… BUT DONT GET CARRIED AWAY WITH THAT… YOU DONT HAVE TO CODDLE EVIL, AS IF THERE WILL BE A “TOUCHED BY A STORY MOMENT”…
He is unwell.clearly…
Why is this an item ?
Ugh, this guy (not sure who made him a rabbi) is part of the problem. Misanecha Hashem esneh. Someone who campaigns against Hashem is a meisis umedi’ach. Kobi is a rasha gamur.
The Rebbe is correct. All these FAKE “yeshiva” bachrim and misguided critics only strengthen kobis platform.
Message NOT for the Machshil Rabim Rosha – with no shame on his face – he knows EXACTLY what he is doing, stop with the “tinok shenishbah” leftist spew – that is what they like to apply so they don’t need to CONFRONT those who anger HaShem.
The message is really for the comments – you see a dead man walking, who causes mass scale chilul HaShem, and you see youth, alive with passion for a G-d that you don’t really believe in – otherwise why do you keep taking the side of the Rosha. THAT upsets you greatly and so – lets see once again most comments will be on the side of evil- interesting.
Even goyish men put on a kippa to daven at the Kotel! Kobi is so anti-religious ,he couldn’t even do that, then why bother to go except as a provocation?
Man. I’d love to have this rabbi.
Imagine here my whole life I thought I needed to keep 613 commandments plus, to be considered a good Jew.
Now I find out I can do whatever I want and still be a tzadik
Anyone want to join me for a couple of cheeseburgers on yom kipper right before we board a cruise boat to the Bahamas ”
Please come dressed not according to Jewish law.
Also if anyone knows an “easy mark “that we can swindle out of their life savings so we can finance this trip please email me at rashaisatzadiktzadikisarasha
Thank big rabbi
Let’s start the party!!!
What a fool!
The heilger Berdichever had his title usurped by this clown.
The famous Radio presenter Menachem Tucker (not Toker as per last week’s Ami magazine) has till now always supported and honored the excentric Rabbi Baumel and happily called him “The Berditchiver Rebbe”. Yesterday, after Rav Baumel embraced Kobi, he tweeted that he will no longer refer to him with the title Rebbe.
It is Time for Truth;
I am sure you mean Psalms 139:21-22 as well.
If people would try to be mekarev him instead of mocking him, maybe he would do teshuva
The bochurim who hang around ready to “protest” at a moment’s notice are the real joke. Kobi is admittedly a self-promoter who craves publicity and they provide it to him at no charge. There always seem to be some “bochurim” available to protest, scream “gevalt” and “sheigitz” and generally act like a bunch of hyenas. Do they hold a job? Do they contribute anything to the welfare of the medinah and the parnassah of their families? Or are they trying to affirm their role as the dredges of society. The large percentage of their peers are legitimate learners in yeshivos and kollels, many of whom also find time to work and earn a parnassah and don’t have the time to hang around and demonstrate.
If he is the Admor of bardichev then I am Gengis Khan
If Koby is a zaddik, then I am the Emperor of China. And pigs could fly.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Gadolhadorah, there is always a group of chinese people at the kosel.
Must be chinese people are lazy people that only tour the kosel, huh?
Obviously not.
There are always people by the kosel, and there always bachurim by the kosel. Maybe not late at night etc, but you get what I’m saying.
For all you know these bachurim walked here to daven maariv.
You know, I heard, that sometimes, people even daven at the kosel?
And now, as they are leaving, or arriving, they see this rasha mirusha, and get involved.
Also, people dont need an excuse or a reason to be by the kotel.
I with my little torah knowledge have no right to challenge a great chassidishe rebbe such as the Berditchever Rebbe, but it seems strange to say that there were no reshaim in israel, as there was certainly dasan, aviram and Yoav in the T’nach who were all seemingly reshaim. Furthermore, even if you gold that ron kobi is not a rosho, it seems like an incredible stretch to me to refer to him as a tzaddik considering his policies. But then again, I’m not a talmid chochom so I may be very wrong, and the Berditchever Rebbe probably has a valid view considering the talmid chochom he is.
Dunno whos a bigger Rasha. The rasha himself or the one who emboldens him.
Of course KatanHadorah outdoed herself with her mindless venom. So some Yeshiva bochurim who went to the Kosel to daven and protested against one of the most prominent Reshaim and mechalel Shabbos befarhesya chote umachti es harabim are somehow “the dredges of society” while the rasha is a mere “self promoter”.
This from one who fancies herself a “Gadol”! It just occurred to me that maybe her handle refers to gashmiyus as opposed to ruchniyus!
GodolHdora,
Please stop your comments you make a mockery of yourself – in every forum