I write in response to Monday’s incident in Beit Shemesh involving police violence against Charedi protesters, as well as the subsequent investigation. While I unequivocally condemn any form of police brutality, I believe it’s important to understand the context of the event being protested and the community dynamics at play.
The protesters were not rallying against some harmful policy or oppressive regime—they were protesting an event designed to help young Charedi men acquire valuable skills for the workforce. The programs highlighted at the event offered education in areas like programming, bookkeeping, engineering, and healthcare—honest professions that enable individuals to support their families with dignity. These protesters are ideologically opposed to any form of secular studies, even if it means blocking others in their community from gaining skills that lead to upstanding, respectable jobs.
Imagine for a moment that members of the Brooklyn or Lakewood communities harassed others who had jobs. Imagine if they tormented individuals who took it upon themselves to earn an income for their families. You wouldn’t stand for that, would you? And yet, when it happens here, your focus is on how the police responded to these miscreants, but you say nothing about the damage these extremists are causing.
As a local resident, I’ve witnessed firsthand the damage caused by them, who are a small but vocal minority. Many of us in the community, including Charedim such as myself, are deeply frustrated with their disruptive tactics and aggressive behavior. They shout insults, create unnecessary chaos, and degrade anyone who does not align with their narrow viewpoint. Their actions are a source of fear and discomfort for families trying to live in peace, and their behavior reflects poorly on the broader community.
It’s important to note that the majority of Charedim in Beit Shemesh do not support these protests. In fact, many religious men attended the event to better themselves and their families through education, distancing themselves from the protestors and demonstrating their commitment to Torah values like Ahavas Yisrael and peaceful coexistence.
We need to foster dialogue and understanding, not perpetuate sinas chinam. Our community is diverse, with Jews from across the spectrum striving to live together in harmony. The protesters represent a distortion of values that harms us all. I hope they realize that there are many paths to serving Hashem, and that unity, not division, is what will bring Mashiach closer.
Sincerely,
Upset in RBS
The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
29 Responses
They don’t deserve to be flogged no matter what they’re protesting
In recent years, some soldiers of the Israeli Army (IDF / Tzahal) have been physically attacked by radical Chareidim.
I suspect that the radical Chareidim who protested against parnasah studies (programming, bookkeeping, engineering, and healthcare) are the same radical Chareidim who physically attacked soldiers of the Israeli Army (IDF / Tzahal).
The rest of the context and dynamic at play, which you did not mention, is that Zionism is a shmad, and the Zionists’ actions and goal are to shmad the chareidim (and everyone else), to convert them from Zionism to Judaism. Therefore, it’s understandable that some Jews are concerned about those courses, even IF the courses presented there are innocuous and free of Zionist shmad. And if it’s truly only because of “secular studies”, when that is not the case, then there must be a way to contact their Rabbanim to ask them to call off their protest.
There is no context here that remotely justifies the brutality we witnessed!
True, these fake Kanoim who are far from the derech hatorah and don’t add to Kovod shomayim are a serious problem for us yidden. But the brutality was a hateful vicious attack against yidden (not against their krumer kanois).
Nothing can justify this behavior from so called “police”.
I get so disgusted with tzionim. We have to love them while they hate yidden and hashem. And we pretend that we don’t know that…
The moron letter writing author of the above diatribe is a communist and fascist sympathizer who believes that *he* can decide that subjects others can and/or cannot protest.
Let him move back to North Korea, where Mr. Upset in RBS would fit right in with his Dear Leader.
Lemme ask you, imagine your driving down the street in Brooklyn and a group of goyim who are protesting just like these chariedim block the road, and now you’re stuck in mighty traffic for 3 hours, would you want the police to beat the flip outta them? YOU WOULD! This is no diff . I obviuosly dont want a yid to be beaten but if they do it to themselves then what should I say
@sqare root its a busha what u r writing u think it is the same people that r protesting therefore u give the right for these rehoim do tshuva b4 rosh hashunah
You are hundred percent right, but the same force that was used to remove Dan chlutz from the streets of Caesarea should be used against anyone disturbing the public freedom of movement. דין מאה שערים כדין קפלן
The protesters are misguided at best and evil at worst – and they deserve to be beaten. However, the fact that they deserve the beating does not give the police – or anyone else – the right to beat them; the use of excessive force should not be allowed in any protests, whether Chareidim, right-wing, or left-wing.
It’s a bit like (lehavdil) what it says about Nevuchadnetzar destroying the Beis haMikdash – HKB”H had decided that the Jews deserved to have the Mikdash destroyed – but Nevuchadnetzar was still wrong, and and was punished, for destroying it. These protesters deserved what they got – bot the police were wrong for giving it to them.
an Israeli Yid
The Zionism is worse then goyim not only cause of the Gemara that says they hate us more and the wife worse but that they say things about Judaism brazenly to lie like a “personal god a person is not supposed to sacrifice his spiritually for the sake of others even if it is the life of the Jewish people any person that says he that went to the army and destroys his soul to help the innocent is good will never face the heavenly court they won’t want to look at him never is a person allowed to sacrifice his spiritually not shabbat not Torah for any person to justify this is worse then a nazi if your a big talmid chacham how can you eat food after seeing this or sleep knowing that in heaven you took the wicked zionist as protection of your indulgence and to the beth medrash that you smiled with them and said they was Jewish and saving lives of the children of Israel and as light in our history when it will prove to be the darkest period ever that we had to take us and fool with rabbi to destroy the very souls on the holy land if any of them merit to see it again
BS”D
Thank you having the courage to write this letter.
I am always taken by leftists who speak vehemently about acceptance and freedom of speech/ expression but vehemently exclude the opinion of the right as a opinion which should be expressed/ understood. The writer of this article suffers from the same disease. 2/3 of the article is dedicated to showing how unacceptable and repulsive their stand is; but of course the article ends with those praiseworthy uplifting sentiments about how we all need to learn to have dialogue and accept each other’s diversity. Of course we do if they are expressing opinions which are acceptable to me! I do not agree with the stand of the protestors but I am sickened by the facade of one way acceptance- they should learn to understand and accept me – but do not expect me to try to understand their side because they are apparently unacceptable.
these are the same wicked people that pestered Harav Elayashiv and Harav Steinman ZZK”L.
Put aside if the protesters are right or wrong. The police only react to shomer shabbos protesters this way. When it’s the left wing closing down highways in tel Aviv, keeping everyone awake in modin or the handicap closing down the entrance to Jerusalem the police response is very very different!!!
Yu
These protesters are the future tzedakah collectors knocking at our doors.
The letter writer is 100 percent correct.
nothing provokes stronger reaction than threatening someone’s entitlement. but maybe these protesters should be encouraged to study torah more and play politics less. because nowhere does the torah permit such huchems to coerce others to pay for their study, let alone prevent someone from earning a living. not even moshe rabbeinu.
As noted in original news story thread, it would have been helpful if the 11 second video of these alleged “beatings” would also have shown the context in terms of the prior behavior of the protestors, whether they had physically assaulted the police officers seeking their removal etc. While the short video would suggest excessive force, it is necessary to have some context before reaching a definitive conclusion.b
@ujm
Seriously? I am going to assume that your comment is a joke
YWN writes
“The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.”
I don’t think it’s true
You clearly have no idea what goes on here in New York City. These Hamas rioters punch cops in the face and nothing happens to them. The corrupt disgraced Eddie Caban, allowed all mayhem to take place all across our sanctuary City with no repercussions. And if God forbid some little Karen terrorist is arrested, democrat Alvin Bragg immediately releases them. Only harmless Frum Yidden that don’t come to a complete stop by a stop sign or can’t get an inspection sticker because of the service engine light, get harassed and threatened by our beloved NYPD.
the fact in itself that anyone including the self hating commentors here (if they are even Jewish) can condone/wish etc harm upon religious Jews just based on the fact they represent or speak out a religious belief that pops the bubble/busts the myth [of nazionism] just proves the point they make.
But, let’s take the mailbags silly and immaturely baseless letter to bits:
1) He/She describes him/herself as “part” of the community, but signs their name as RBS, which stands for “RAMAT” Bet Shemesh, not the Kiryah, bet, daled heh.
But hey, those “evil” protesters protesting “harmless” parnasah “courses” have somehow been confused with the teens etc from the writers actual community, the druggy, mechalel shabbes, illicit relationship, generally off the derech etc etc teens that have totally destroyed a whole neighbourhood, but no, them you have gotta love to no end, accept and condone all evil they might do, but hate those that are actually sitting and learning, whether in Yeshiva or Kollel, and are moser nefesh to come out and fight the Satan and his evil shluchim ym”sh.
Because obviously, when it comes to those that are off the derech etc, you need to love them, accept them etc (sometimes rooted in a twisted truth and sometimes straight made up junk), but those “evil” torah learners, no them you need to hate and wish evil upon ch”v.
Just ’cause they pop/bust the bubble of the avoda zara of so many commentors here…..
But lets get the facts straight; even if these courageous young men were the evil do’ers, the “innocent” courses wasn’t so innocent at all, and either the writer is a little clueless, or they are simply happy with shmad, and hate frum people and that is why they hate chareidim so much, because these program are not just simple courses, they are as described by the evil zionists Yemach Shemam VeShem Zichram to help frum people leave the torah ch”v.
The funding for these courses are split between the zionist state fund for “modernisation of the religious community” and the mandel institute, which was started by a reformer in the USA to help make irreligious the religious, after he found he didn’t have much to do with his money and was scared the religious would take over the reform community, and so set out on an endeavour with the zionists to help shmad frum people ch”v.
And they realised that so long as they come directly attacking the religious they’ll fight, and so they decided to dress themselves up in sheepskin, in “caring” for the Chareidim, in “helping” them, “training”, “parnasah” and other sweet & innocent sounding, enticing topics, that get the attention of frum people, who on the most part struggle with parnasah more than the average boy girl and doggy “family”.
It is the same people who advocate chareidim having smaller families ch”v, cloaking their evil intentions in innocently sounding descriptions like health, emotion etc etc.
This is what they came out to protest, not “innocent” job courses.
But those who truly possess a “narrow viewpoint”, in being faithful communists, inasmuch that so long someone disagrees with them than they are , crazy, evil wrong etc….
And then the most ignorantly pathetic statement of “Imagine for a moment that members of the Brooklyn or Lakewood communities harassed others who had jobs.”
Well, the Chareidim in Eretz Yisrael had very good jobs, and were doing very well in them, but in doing so well the nazionists, much like the mitzrim got scared they will “take over”, and so under the guise of “caring” they attempted to hit two birds with one stone:
1) To curb the success of the Chareidim by making it illegal to do most jobs unless having been somewhat trained in the relevant job (even if the person is a proffesional), and
2) Gaining control over a very important aspect of frum life ch”v, and that is the parnasah.
So to the writer I say, no we don’t need to “imagine” we see it already in Eretz Yisrael, were the hegelical nazionists are busy trying to shmad, and much like the nazis, even when they are going through some of the most difficult times they have ever gone through, getting bashings from all sides, beyond being able to cover up (and make up stories), they are more concerned with the Chareidim.
So don’t quote yourself as “part” of the community, but actually sign yoursaelf as part of the diametric opposite type of community, the one that hates religious, the mor the worse, but loves druggies, offies, crime etc etc…
@AADGJKKL,
True, because if the views don’t (at least) “necessarily” represent those of YWN, then there would be no need to review content, as reviewing is checking something over to see if you agree with it and consider it ok…
When you’re dealing with a rational human being you sit & talk.
When you’re dealing with an irrational, braying, stubborn donkey who thinks the whole world consists of the few feet around them you use the stick.
FYI, these mobs are part of the Donkeys.
The true path is to beat them long enough & hard enough until they beg to sit & talk like humans.
As my Rebbe ztl always said about these Kanoyim, “Break a few bones & they learn to talk real quick.”
Kuvult, your rebbe advocated breaking people’s bones?
“Zionism is a shmad”
Zionism had been central to Judaism for over three thousand years.
@Kuvult
I just wonder who your rebbe was, maybe h****r?