Almost 100 Israeli deputy mayors who were attending a conference in Eilat were scheduled for a tour of Petra, Jordan on Tuesday morning. Instead of enjoying the tour, most of the Israelis ended up returning to their hotel in Eilat in disgust after a two-hour delay and a blatant display of discrimination and anti-Semitism.
“At the first inspection, they asked the religious deputy mayors to take off their yarmulkes and put on hats,” Moshik Goldstein, Deputy Mayor of Givatayim told Yisrael Hayom. “When we finished the inspection, they took us all back because they realized that some of the religious members of the group were wearing tzitzios.”
“They took the whole group back for another inspection. The women who were wearing head coverings were taken aside and ordered to remove them.” Although the Jewish women were told that they had to be inspected due to their hair coverings, the Arab women (deputy mayors of Israeli Arab cities) who were wearing hijabs were allowed across the border without any inspection.
Meanwhile, the security guards told the religious men that they had to remove their tzitzis if they wanted to cross the border. Some of the men complied but most refused and decided to return to the hotel.
“After the second inspection, they again found something they didn’t like and asked to return the whole group for a third inspection,” Goldstein continued. “Our guide was told that they called Amman for approval and he has to sign that we’re going to Petra and nowhere else – and that we won’t display any religious symbols. This was the final straw. The atmosphere got very ugly and the hard feelings of the religious members of our group spoiled the atmosphere for us. As a sign of protest, we decided to return to Eilat.” Goldstein added that the first one to decide to abandon the tour and return to the hotel was a secular deputy minister, in commiseration with the humiliation of the religious members of the group.
Goldstein said that other people, such as groups of Ukrainians and South Koreans, were let in without inspection and they only stopped the Jewish group, which made them feel that the inspections were based on anti-Semitism. “It felt abusive, like we were being harassed and prevented from entering.”
“They asked us to remove every article that was symbolic of being Jewish,” one of the deputy mayors told Kikar Hashabat. “It’s a disgrace. There’s no other country in the world which demands this. We’re not ashamed of our Yahadus. We preferred not to enter Jordan.”
“We won’t remove our tzitzis even for a second,” Deputy Mayor of Ramle Maor Ashash added. “Everyone returned to the hotel – even the secular deputy mayors – in shock from the behavior of the Jordanians. We won’t relinquish our Jewish symbols.”
“This incident was reminiscent of dark periods of Jewish history,” said MK Michael Malchieli (Shas), who wrote a letter to Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz demanding that he convene an emergency meeting following the shameful incident.
Deputy Mayor of the Shomron, Davidi Ben-Tzion, wrote on Twitter: “Have you ever wondered what a ‘peace’ agreement looks like? Well, like this: For almost an hour and a half, almost 100 deputy mayors were detained on the Jordanian border crossing. Why? Because they caught one of them with tzitzit, Hashem yishmor. That’s how I like my ‘peace.'”
Among the chareidim present are Yossi Deutsch, Tzvika Cohen, Yisrael Kellerman, Chaim Cohen and Yaakov Meulimi.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri did not waste time contacting members of Israel’s Foreign Ministry and other relevant officials. Deri is now weighing a retaliatory move against workers from Jordan who wish to cross into Israel towards protecting Israeli tourists.
After Deri’s position was publicized, the Jordanians announced they are going to check the border crossing regulations regarding Israelis wearing a kippa and other religious symbols.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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21 Responses
When Arab women enter Israel they should start making them takeoff their head covering
They never had a real peace treaty. They signed a treaty because they realized they’d never beat the Israelis. They still hate them and wish to annihilate every last Jew.
Sad that it takes politicians being affected for anyone to notice and retaliate against the Muslim anti-semitism.
Jordan is Palestine.
The Jordanian security officials determined that it is very dangerous for Jews to walk around in Jordan and instead of mobilizing a huge, expensive security detail to protect the Jews (which is what they should have done) they asked the Jews to hide their religion. Maybe foolish but hardly anti Semitism.
besalel; lets play change the nouns! Change Jews and Jordan to african americans and white neighborhoods, and see how quickly this is 9 weeks of coverage on CNN for racism.
jdf007: I do not disagree with your contention that CNN and other media outlets find racism where it does not actually exist.
it is one of the laws that u cant wear religious articles when entering, its not to be believed that they weren’t aware of this law when entering.
that group shouldve realized who their dealing with and not played stupid games. many people people have tried provoking the jordanians in the past, and it just bounced back and hurt many others, take the closure of ahron hakoheins kever for example. put on a t-shirt, tuck in your tzitzis for 2 minutes, put on a cap, and it wont hurt.
FYI: as per advice from tour guide to petra, the jordanians will not go fishing in your pants to find tzitzis.
Rav Ovadia says if a bochur prefers his wife to wear a wig, he has no יראת שמים and is worse that Doeg HaEdomi, who lost his עולם הבא.
The Baba Sali said that he promises to every Jewish women that wears a wig, that they will never see the light of גן עדן.
See the תרגום יונתן on Yeshayahu 3:16
they should have left and never returned…..period
Any of the groups guests presented US Passport?
If yes then must report to State Dept. and damend actions.
If Jews are allowed in they must be protected JUST AS JORDANIAN are in the state of Israel.
Why go to Eilat = Chutz La’aretz?
> besalel
If Jordan cannot control its own citizens then it is not a sovereign country in the first place.
> daass torah
> “it is one of the laws that u cant wear religious articles when entering”
No such a law. Other web sites report more details, like the observed fact that those wearing Muslim and Christian religious articles were not hampered.
I’ve experienced similar in Ukraine
georgeg: there is much evidence to support the idea that Jordan is not a true sovereign starting with the Heshemites ruling over a population made up of 80% Palestinians, by force.
> frumshmurda718
Do you have a source for Maran Ovadia and the Baba Sali saying that?
Yes. Look up on youtube “Rav Ovadia on Wigs” where he talks about how assur it is for every Jewish women to wear such a thing
>georgeg, if youve never been to jordan before, and get your info from news sites, dont talk
>holier than thou frumshmurda718, when i become sphardi, i will begin listening to my sphardi rabbis. what about what the skulener rebbe said that you wont see the light of olam haba for going on youtube?
@daass torah I am not sephardi either
Rav Elyashiv and Rav Chaim Kanievsky forbid all wigs. Please do not make fun of gedolim and halacha