[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
According to Yahadut Hatorah’s Rav Yisrael Eichler, “Beit Shemesh is a classic example of Israeli anti-Semitism and they don’t want chareidim living here, not in the heaven or the earth”.
Eichler continues with a story, when he was in the United States about 18 months ago, meeting a Jew from Long Island who questions “What did you do to my daughter in Beit Shemesh?”
Eichler explains the dad continues that he raised his children in the US to love Israel, and she arrived in Beit Shemesh and became anti-Semitic”.
Eichler speaks of the media as being responsible for the hate campaign against chareidim, and that person who he does not know, the chareidi who drove around and spat at people as the media reported the ugly incidents.
He was referring to the protests against chareidim this year in Beit Shemesh following incidents in which people were spat upon and assaulted by chareidim.
“From Kiryat Shmona, Tiveria and Tzfas, all the local leaders down to the clerks are planning cities just to keep the chareidim out.”
He tells of chareidim who tried to purchase land in Hadera, and they saw the master plan, which called for 20-story buildings and private homes. The chareidim asked if the plan could be changed to accommodate apartments that would be suitable for chareidim. “The architect told them ‘we have been working on this plan for years to make certain you don’t come to our area’.
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(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
MK Eichler is not taken seriously at all in most sectors.
Without acknowledging that there is an issue in Bet Shemesh between Torah Jews he is looked upon as a joker. There is a issue that needs to be worked out and can if those in charge stop living a life of denial. Just like a group of Frum Young Soldiers being pelted with stones on their way to visit a Rebbe in Meah Shearim, take responsibility and FIX THE PROBLEM. Throwing the dirt under a carpet is not a benefit to anyone, particularly the voters of Yahadut Hatorah.
“The architect told them ‘we have been working on this plan for years to make certain you (Charedim) don’t come to our area’”.
Reb Eichler is this any different from the new areas planned for Bet Shemesh that is for Charedim ONLY?. Stop pointing fingers and look within.
Eichler clearly hasn’t considered the fact that perhaps the person who “became anti-Semitic” (which is likely a term Eichler uses to describe anyone who disagrees with him) did so BECAUSE of how *some* of the Charedim in Beit Shemesh act toward their fellow people (a fact that even the YWN writers felt was important enough to throw in–kudos for that).
This is absurd. Members of a heretical cult were paid to stir up trouble and succeeded to a limited extent. There was definitely a certain amount of hostility towards the Chareidi public. However most none-Chareidi people in Beit Shemesh have some sort of personal connection to a Chareidi person. So it was eventually known that this is all the work of trouble makers. Beit Shemesh is a small town and people are not afraid to talk to each other. They ask questions and they hear answers. Something worth imitating in other places.
Aryeh Zelasko
Beit Shemesh
4. cut off the money supply to the so called ‘Heretical Cult’ and let’s see what will happen.
bklynmom —
Yes, it’s very different.
Charedim need neighborhoods where they can live together with botei medrash, and mikvo’os, and without chilul Shabbos and even without immodest dress. Reb Eichler is talking about cases where Charedim are unwanted in entire cities. “our area” means the entire city and maybe also nearby areas.