“Kristallnacht, a hate crime reminiscent of what the Nazis did to Jews in Europe,” were the harsh words uttered by Shas officials regarding the pogrom by Vishnitz bochrim against the sephardi yeshiva Nachlat Dan in Bnei Brak after seeing the destruction that was caused. Shas leader Minister Aryeh Deri lamented the magnitude of the Chilul Hashem that took place.
Deri ordered party MKs, elected officials on the Bnei Brak level and party activists to do what they can to assist the yeshiva to “renovate and restore so that the Kol Torah and the Olam Hatorah are not damaged”.
Avshalom Ochayon, a known Shas activist who lives in the city, and is close to Deri, had harsh words for what occurred, calling it the “Bnei Brak Kristallnacht. A hate crime that is reminiscent of what the Nazis did to the Jews in Europe. In short, this is what occurred in Yeshivat Nachlat Dan on Ben-Yaakov Street by chassidish bochrim.”
He added, “anyone remaining silent regarding what occurred cannot say ‘our hands did not spill this blood and our eyes did not see’. Ochayon announced there will be a protest rally at 1:00PM at 17 Ben-Yaakov Street.
As reported, according to multiple sources, the Bochrim from [Merkaz] Vishnitz Yeshiva (under the leadership of the Rebbe, Reb Mendel Hager Shlita) have been complaining that Bochrim from Yeshivas Nachlas Dan (a Sephardi Yeshiva) have been harassing them for quite some time. They claim that they have been verbally abused, physically attacked, and sometimes things thrown at them.
On Monday, the Vishnitz Bochrim claim that eggs were thrown at the Vishnitzer Rebbe. It does not appear the eggs hit their intended target, but the act was enough to infuriate them to take matters into their own hands.
Meanwhile, the main Chassidus Vishnitz (under the leadership of HaRav Yisroel Hager Shlita) is distancing itself from the so-called ‘pogrom’ as the Shas party put it, perpetrated by bochrim from Merkaz Vishnitz.
In a Chassidus Vishnitz announcement, it distances itself from the actions of the chassidim from Merkaz Vishnitz, citing this is not the derech taught but it feels compelled to respond since the name Vishnitz is used in reports.
The rival chassidus expresses “shock” over the actions of these persons, which result in the use of the chassidus’ name.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5lkFkbHc3R/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
15 Responses
Rather than “distancing” themselves from the actions of the Rav’s talmidim, and if the Vishnitz had even a minimal degree of PR common sense, they would have organized a group of volunteers and marched over to the yeshiva and offered to clean up and repair the damage. Whoever controls messaging for the Vishnitz is brain dead by allowing the chassidus’ reputation (an by implication the Rebbe’s as well) to be so universally trashed.
This is a disgrace. This is what comes of turning our eyes away from other acts of vandalism carried out by supposedly “religious” youth. When the bochrim see youth in the territories vandalizing buildings, slashing the tires of IDF vehicles and menacing soldiers, see soldiers being attacked in Meah Shaarim, see “price tag attacks” being ignored, how are they going to understand that such things shouldn’t be done?
We should all be ashamed that we have not provided an environment where young people understand what is the Torah way of doing things.
Nevertheless, people from Shas should understand that making comparisons with the Nazis is not permissible. What happened in Europe has no comparison with this. We have used “Nazi” and “Holocaust” for so many comparatively trivial things that we can’t complain when Holocaust deniers even claim it didn’t happen. We must correct ourselves.
However, not only the bochrim should be ashamed, but the rebbeim who didn’t teach them that this is not permissible should also be ashamed. The hanhalah of their yeshivah should make a public apology for the students that they failed to educate.
Let’s go start posting the comments don’t wait until the article is removed from your news report
Its not the first time Vishnitz bochrim ransacked a yeshivah happened this is the third incident in two years. Below is a link to one of the previous pogroms by Vishnitzer bochrim
ttps://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1308474/motzei-shabbos-riot-bnei-brak-vishnitz-bobov-talmidim.html
Its not the first time Vishnitz bochrim ransacked a yeshivah, its the third incident in two years. Below is a link to one of the previous pogroms by Vishnitzer bochrim.
ttps://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1308474/motzei-shabbos-riot-bnei-brak-vishnitz-bobov-talmidim.html.
Its not the first time Vishnitz bochrim ransacked a yeshivah, its the third incident in two years. Below is a link to one of the previous pogroms by Vishnitzer bochrim.
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1308474/motzei-shabbos-riot-bnei-brak-vishnitz-bobov-talmidim.html.
In the incident with the Bobov BB pogrom, Vishnitz quick contacted Bobov and paid them 200,000$ to repair the building so that the story should die. That was in the early days of the cult when they still held out hope of appearing normal. At this point I think that Vishnitz has completely lost it and they dont care what people think about them.
No apology is needed. As always in the Media the aggressor becomes the victim. Imagine the reverse scenario Viznitz bochurim throwing eggs on Rav Ovadia Yosef ztl.
The bullies got a taste of their own medicine. Same with the previous story they were shining laser pointers at the Rebbe. As far as my info goes they were warned, they also threw down water on the boys passing by. So before you comment, know the whole story as there are always two sides. I personally would have handled it differently.
My mother is a Aushwitz survivor How dare you compare? By the way, the Nazis also threw stuff at the jews.
“Shas leader Minister Aryeh Deri lamented the magnitude of the “Chilul Hashem” that took place.”
Was he released from Jail?
I am fairly certain the bochurim who committed this vandalism are not the more elite Vishnitz yungerleit who go to mikvah every morning as many do. Further, its a bit over the top to use the term “pogrom” as an adjective in relation to Vishnitz given that the former Rebbe, R’t Moshe Yehoshua Hager Z’L was born in what today is, Romania since his father and grandfather had fled from the west during World War I because of pogroms by Russian soldiers. The terms “pogrom” and” Krystalnacht” and other Nazi-like comparison have a unique meaning and should never be devalued by these kind of absurd comparisons, whatever you may think about the Vishnitz.
Why did you not post my comment it was the first comment
To Yosself
You asked
“Was he released from jail?”
To the best of my understanding on this issue, it appears to me that during the past 3 years , the Government of Israel assigned about 15 investigators to work from 7 AM till 10 PM every day including Shabbos to desperately try every angle possible to dig as much info as possible to try to catch Deri with something. These investigators are probably getting paid about 25 dollars an hour. Let’s do the math – 15 hrs per day times 365 = 5,475 hrs–$136,875 for 1 investigator for 1 year–3 years =$410,625–times 15 investigators = $6,159,375
The government probably spent at least six million dollars already with this witch hunt.
Stupidity. Not Kristallnacht and not a pogrom. Nobody was hurt, although they could have easily done so. These boys from the Sefardic yeshiva asked for it, and they got it. It has been reported that they have been harassing the Vizhnitz yeshiva for a while- calling names, throwing things, eggs, stones etc. If I were the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, I would not pay. Let them sue each vandal individually, if they can!
I have heard people try to imagine what religious rule by frum people would look like. They get a certain spark when they imagine the force of the state behind upholding the sanctity of shabbos and other mitzvos. Myself on the other hand, I see a society that will ultimately be run by zealots and the images in this article are more what come to mind.
I am not a lover of Shas, but they are correct! This is not the way shomer mitzvas do things. This is NOT the way of the Torah!