One avreich in the Ashdod Gur community has come up with a unique response to the increasing threats from delinquent youths in the area on shabbos – prompting him to sell teargas.
According to a report appearing in the weekly Belz-affiliated BaKehilla newspaper, the city’s Rav of the Gur Kehillah, HaGaon HaRav S.D. Gross, has approved carrying teargas on shabbos for self-defense purposes, only to be used for “pikuach nefesh”. According to the avreich, the product he is selling has also been approved by Israel Police.
Sale of the teargas will take place on this coming Friday, January 15, 2010, to those who participate in a short demonstration and explanation as to the proper and safe use of the product, as per the conditions set forth by Rav Gross. The instruction will include the logistical use as well as hilchos shabbos.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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11 Responses
The picture brings up an interesting point. If there’s a possibility that the tear-gas can get into the shabavnik’s (or any other Jewish target’s) mouth, there will need to be a hechser kashrus on the product. If the gas has unapproved ingredients there might be an ענין of לפני עיור, (besides the obvious problem of actually making the person an עיור). And if the tear-gas is used between, say Gur and Chabad, you might be talking about a mehadrin hechser.
oh – and the delinquent youths – what will they be carrying? Be careful when fighting those misguided souls who have hatred in their blood. You will just antagonize them further.
I have a better solution. A bowl of cholent will be much more productive than the alternative. These are sweet neshomos that are seeking some love and acceptance. When will people wake up and realize this?
oy lanu miyom hadin oy lanu miyom hochacha!!! leachar meah v’esrim when we stand before the bes din shel maalah what will we answer when asked why we were so lacking in bein adam l’chaveiro??? they are our brothers…all jews are our brothers religios irreligious…conservative, reform, progressive, anti religious…they are all our brothers. when will we realize this? this is a bizayon of the highest order CS GAS?!? IS THIS WHAT ITS COME TO??? ARE WE TRYING TO MAKE A CIVIL WAR IN ISRALE??? FOR HEAVENS SAKE!!! our enemies are converging around us…we have iran…syria…turkey…jordan…lebanon…DO WE NOT HAVE ENOUGH ENEMIES WITHOUT FIGHTING EACH OTHER??? HASHEM YERACHEM!
#3 and 4 — What you are saying is very nice and sweet and hal’vai that approach would work – and maybe SOMETIMES it does, – BUT…
when someone is about to bash your head in with a stone (as happened last week) teargas works better than chulent.
# 5 – The cholent should be offered way before they want to throw a stone at you. Meet them during the week (one-on-one) and shmooze with them, laugh with them. They are hurting inside way more than you can imagine.
ACaryingYid, I have the idea you never met any of these delinquents.
#7 – I have! Although, they are not the kind of boys that I want my son to associate with, however, Rosh B’rosh is definitely not the right approach – because someone will eventually fall; and even if one of klal yisroel falls, it affects us all. Just so everyone knows, this section of Ashdod has its share of issues. Just like many chareidi cities in Eretz Hakodesh, there are many issues of segregation between chasidim and “others.” Unfortunately, you can see it most in the young chasidish kinderlach because they show it with tmimut.
There was a young chasidish boy (11 years old) playing with my son one afternoon. We had a guest in our house who was from Edot Hamizrach that same afternoon. As he was about to leave, he asked the boy if he can give him a name to doven for refuah sheilema in his classroom. I was flabbergasted when this sweet boy said “it depends what kind of name.” This kind of response can only come from either the home, rabbonim or a combination of both. This is a level of sinas chinam that is detrimental to our future, R’L. It pains me to even talk about this. OY! There is so much to improve.
A caring Yid – how right you are. My husband works with these boys, all they want is acceptance and a kind word. It’s scarey to see how quickly the toughest turn into little children when they know that somebody genuinely cares about if/what they ate for breakfast/lunch/dinner and if/where they have a place to put down their head at night.
Dear # 7
I’m actually involved with these neshomos on a regular basis. I’m not saying that you should have them at your house, before getting to know them a bit. Begin with befriending one boy, and you will see how the can become butter.
Wanting to understand the back stories and assist these misguided people is very noble and kind. It’s that kind of behavior that inspires me and makes me think there is hope yet.
However, I live in America. I do not know what it is like to have to worry that one of my own people might come up and violently attack me for no reason. I don’t know that feeling, but I imagine it’s pretty horrifying and I can understand why the regular people dealing with this would want to feel protected.