It has been widely reported by YWN, in recent weeks, veritable riots have been taking place on Friday nights in Jerusalem. Rather than involving Shabbos hafganos or anti-Arab movements, shamefully, these events have been nothing more than young people venting excess energies on the neighborhood. These events have centered primarily at the junction of Bari Ilan and Shmuel HaNavi the streets, commonly known as Tzomet Maran.
For the past several weeks, events have spiraled out of control, nearly every Friday night. Matters have gotten so severe that police have been called in to restore order, even utilizing the infamous machtazit, or water cannon.
What has been less reported is the makeup of the youthful rioters. Many of the participants in these weekly rumbles are none other than American yeshiva boys, bored on the long Friday nights. Students from yeshivas in nearby areas such as Maalot Dafna, Shmuel HaNavi and Sanhedria saunter over to the popular corner looking to ‘burn their time’. When the occasional car drives by, these students join the ‘Shabbes!’ screams, occasionally hurling a rock, as well.
Frequently, brawls break out between these American students and disadvantaged Israeli youth. A rude comment often turns into a shoving, or even hitting, melee. Then, the police show up. The Israeli police are not known for de-escalating events; rather when they appear, even more onlookers and observers join the tussle, turning it into a full-fledged balegan.
On Friday night, Parshas Bo, matters went completely out of control, and after a long rowdy night, mass destruction was caused to the intersection.
The American students come from a wide array of nearby yeshivas. Some come to the location intentionally seeking to cause trouble. Others happen by on their way back from seudos in the surrounding areas. Not a few are somewhat intoxicated. The presence of American seminary girls does not enhance the situation, either.
Neighbors are outraged, but helpless to end these occurrences. The unseemly situation is incredibly damaging to these students ruchniyos and gashmiyos. Several American yeshiva boys have been arrested in recent weeks. Some askanim have actually been so fed up with the weekly shenanigans that they have refused to intervene to get the students freed from jail.
Parents with children studying in Yerushalayim yeshivos should ask themselves: Is this what I sent my son to learn in Eretz Yisrael for?
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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24 Responses
“The presence of American seminary girls does not enhance the situation, either.”
😂 I find you guys hilarious 😂
“The presence of American seminary girls does not enhance the situation, either….”
Right. Blame it on the “GIRLS”….Its bad enough they are victimized by the shidduch crisis and their parents are bankrupted by the obscene Seminary tuitions. But now, they are responsible for a breakdown in Israeli society by pushing the innocent bochurim to engage in these hafganot.
It`s time to cut out this sending to Erets Yisroel to Shteig until age 23. Stay in the U.S. Get married & behave yourself.
According to halacha, a boy may not start shidduchim before age 23 (because a boy has a chiyuv to become a lamdan). And since our ehrliche Bais Yaakov girls discourage and dissuade their husbands from wanting to become lamdanim, boys have no choice, according to halacha, but to delay – as late as possible – from marrying these girls.
As such, boys have no choice but to learn in Israel, in order to occupy themselves until they get a hetter that allows them to get married, at age 23.
Get your facts straight… really not that often that there is a fight between the Americans and the “disadvantaged Israeli youth”
Who in the world is YWN to give mussar
I think Israel for yeshiva should be an earned privilege, not a rite of passage.
Yeshivos should develop a Friday Night program in winter. They could spend and hour or two in the home of a member of the hanholoh with hearing a chumash rashi shiur enhanced with some cake, nash and tsholent and a bit of a verbreng.
Any American hoodlum so called BOCHUR, who is caught rioting or vandalizing, the very same day needs to be put on a plane and deported even on Shabbos, after all if this hoodlum can throw stones or break windows on shabbos , he can certainly fly in a plane
It is the achrayus of yeshiva and/or seminary administrators to send students who participate in such unruliness back to the States. The Israelis have enough on their plate with their homegrown shababniks.
Im an American yeshiva bochur and have past by many times after my seuda and what yeshiva world is saying is loshen hara and NOT TRUE! American bocherim are there to simply watch the hafgnos the people throwing rocks are the OTD israely kids!
Ywn viewers should ask themselves: Does ywn post for clicks? Does ywn always post loshen hara? Does ywn post false news? Does anybody still follow ywn?
No, everyone is saying “it’s not my son”. Those who will admit it can be their sons are the ones who don’t feel they have control anymore.
Well I can share a top secret with all YWN viewers. It’s not American Yeshiva Boys involved only in protests and rioting. A number of years ago when the issue of the karta parking lot agreed to open on shabbos, each week there were violent rallies. I realized protesters were getting hurt and even a few serious. I walked into the parking lot Sunday morning and asked them if they would close on shabbos. They said if you bring 800 cars on Friday and leave it till Sunday morning you got a deal. Or give us 12500 dollars each week and will put out a sign that parking lot is full. I went to speak to the protest organizers. You won’t believe what they said. They said we don’t want to close the parking lot shabbos. We have young guys who ate bored on shabbos and need to keep busy. I then realized that much of the protests are just there to allow these young chevra to vent their energies. Not everyone is going to a Shir or tish on shabbos. You have the same thing bein hazmanim. Leadership must come me up with ideas to channel these youngsters energy to positive things. Here are some ideas. Why not have these young energetic boys give out kugel on Friday and shabbos day to non religious Israelis. Why not spread tables on the street bordering non observant Jews and sing with tables full of nosh and invite semi religious neighbors. I can tell you stories of how groups of delinquent kids hanging out all night on the streets can change with one kind word. Some are from broken homes or from big families and fell between the cracks. It’s so easy to be done. Let the Toldas Aharon rebbe and others spread tables throughout Yerushalayim and be mekaruv these broken souls. A warm kugel with a warm song and sweet compliment cab forever stir a teenager right. People follow emotions more than intellect especially today’s youth. I hope YWN posts this. Thank you
Dunno why anyone would believe this. Has this been verified other than anonymous askanim? Has anyone here seen this purported activity? Yes they are always watching the scene but I have never seen any real participation in violence and I have zero reason to believe this report as well
Many years ago I read an interview with a woman who used to be Ornan Yekutieli’s secretary. She reported that every Erev Shabbos two charedim used to come to his office for a short meeting. When she asked what it was about, she was told that it was to coordinate the demonstrations on Bar Ilan.
In those days every Shabbos around when shuls let out, Yekutieli used to organize chilonim to drive their cars up and down to upset the charedim, the charedim would throw rocks, and the reporters were there to report it all. But one week shul ran long, maybe it was Shabbos Rosh Chodesh or something, and when the chilonim showed up there was nobody there to oppose them. They drove up and down for a while and then gave up and went home. From then on, every week the Eidah activists would tell Yekutieli what time his people should come, and they’d both call the TV and newspaper reporters and tell them, so everyone would come on time and they could have a nice violent and newsworthy confrontation, followed by press opportunities for spokesmen of both sides (the frum ones obviously after Shabbos…)
So I agree with those saying it’s all fake, they don’t really care about shabbos, they’re just looking for trouble On both sides.
For many years we had a problem with drunk unruly American yeshiva students every Friday night until we called the police on shabbos and forced a couple to relocate because of the booze parties they had in their homes every Friday night. These boys are now on Bar Ilan on Friday nights causing problems. It was not mentioned if they were sober or not. I would venture to say that I bet they were also intoxicated.
I have spoken with some American fathers visiting about this behavior and usually they shrug their shoulders and blame it on the ability to buy liquor and wine at the age of eighteen in Israel. These kids are paying top dollar for expensive whiskey and finishing off bottles like soda every Friday night.
Dear YWN first overall your facts are wrong i live in Jerusalem and i passed by on Shabbos and there were barely any Americans! And even if they were whats this hate on are people? Who are you to say whatever you think! If you hate your own Jewish community so much try to convert maybe the Arabs are nice and friendly and don’t protest!!!
The problems of “yeshiva” and “seminary” Americans mixing on the streets of Jerusalem is nothing new and has been going on for years.
The first exposure these yeshiva guys get to girls (and vice versa) is on the streets of Jerusalem.
ALL hafganos by ALL sects for ALL causes are “nothing more than young people venting excess energies on the neighborhood”.
SHAMEFULLY the one time when perhaps Torah people should have stood up and protested in recent years was when a little jewish girl was murdered by the UK government in broad daylight by court order. NOT ONE CAR was stopped in ANY jewish community around the world, all of a sudden all sects of all jews in all countries unanimously agreed that dina dimalchusa dina and there is nothing we can do.
Myopinion > American bocherim are there to simply watch the hafgnos
this seems to an only first-hand testimony here, everything else is hearsay. What is involved in watching? Does presence of observers lead to more action (it is not the mouse that steals, but the hole)? Would you go watch a hiloni hillul-shabbat activities as well? And if there are many of you – could you persuade those youngsters from misbehaving – maybe by inviting them to share a meal with you, or just physically removing them from there?
@lakewhut no one cares what you think
10/10 article you guys really contribute to society
As a buchur myself, I am wondering where this information is coming from. I have gone to these event purely for the entertainment. I have yet to see any American bachur start anything. we stay on the sides. do some of us join in with the shouting. but its by far the minority. this headline is misleading and insulting/
Why doesnt YWN write an article called “What Are Your Sons Doing On Thursday Nights In Yerushalayim?” Its a little more of an issue in my opinion.