Police Clash With Charedim in Bnei Brak, Arrest 13

Police once again found themselves embroiled in physical altercations with Charedim in Bnei Brak, this time over the closures of two shuls that Charedim had gathered in en masse on Sunday night. The first incident took place when police raided the Poalei Tzedek Shul on Dessler Street in the city, where hundreds of Charedim gathered for a public tefillah. While 13 people were arrested, the worshipers succeeded at pushing back the police and reopening the Shul to continue their prayers.

Chassidim who celebrated the reopening of the shul shouted and danced, and called the police Nazis, and shouted that they were all reshaim and needed to go back to Germany.

A police spokesperson said that in addition to violating the regulations of the lockdown, which prevent anyone from being inside of a shul, many of the Chassidim were not wearing face masks. Even after giving out tickets to those committing the infractions, The worshippers refused to listen to police instructions, and many who were arrested needed to be taken to the police cruisers by force.”

In one dramatic video, an avreich is seen being surrounded by police officers and city inspectors and was beaten before finally being zip-tied and hauled to the police car.

One Chassid told Ynet news channel “The police are beating us without reason and without provocation. We are following our rabbi’s instructions. The police cannot tell us to go against our rabbis.”

Bnei Brak Mayor castigated the police and said: “It is a shame that the police do not learn from previous mistakes and undertake this enforcement without coordinating it with the municipality, and use brute force and acts of violence against worshippers. I demand clear explanations from the regional commanders, and that all police brutality cease immediately.”