Mea Sharim, Israel – Axe-wielding ultra-Orthodox Jews went on a rampage overnight in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Mea Sharim, wounding a Palestinian taxi driver, destroying his vehicle and setting dumpsters on fire, police and witnesses said on Wednesday.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Police “pulled out from the neighbourhood following violent riots in recent days,” said spokesman Shmulik Ben Rubi.
Several dozen young Haredis attacked the Palestinian driver and destroyed his vehicle with axes around 2am, after being blocked in by garbage cans on one of the roads near Shabbat Square. Police said the man was lightly wounded.
“It was a lynching attempt,” a witness who identified himself as a Haredi told radio, expressing outrage over the violence which he said he saw from his Mea Sharim apartment.
“The taxi driver could have been killed if he hadn’t fled as an ambulance arrived.”
Rubi said police opened an investigation even though the driver had not filed a claim so far. Police believe that the overnight riot was in protest of the arrest of several haredim over the weekend, following their demonstrations against the opening of the city’s Karta parking lot on Shabbat.
He said police could not intervene in time as access roads to Mea Sharim were barricaded by Haredis following earlier rioting.
Maariv newspaper quoted a senior police officer as saying he expected “that these demonstrations will continue for a long time, with the same level of violence that we have experienced recently.”
Police have begun taking a firmer stance against the rioters, and in recent days have used stun grenades and tear gas against demonstrators. Several police officers and haredim were injured in the past weeks’ riots, as well as civilian passersby.
Ad Mosay?
Do we need to make peace treatys like the arabs do?
We are achim bnei achim,stop all the violence from both sides.The chillul hashem is huge.STOP!
They need to find a long term solution to all the mistrust and hate. It’s time to have community reprisentation on ALL police forces. Chareidi police officers, right wing settler police, religious zionists police, Arab police, Russian police , etc. each in their respective neighborhoods. Somthing that is so basic and selfunderstood everywhere in the world is so radical in EY.
Isn’t it about time that we start treating these “Chareidim” the same way we would treat Reform Judaism?
Rabbanim have to step forward and stop this. Too many Yidden are going to be hurt if this continues.
It is time for the community in Israel to come out and say STOP !!!
These riots hurt their neighbors and businesses more than anyone else.
Where is the leadership ? Where are the Rabbeim ? Why haven’t they put a stop to the violence ? Why are they not self-policing the violent protesters ?
If A Rav makes a new Chumrah, his whole Kehilla listens carefully, so why are the Rabbeim not speaking out against this selfish violence ?
STOP calling the police names. They are Jews the same as you and me. You do not like the job they are doing, then find the proper avenue to protest !!!!
Why is anyone surprised? These animals learned that they can get away with rioting, burning, attacking women in the streets and using deadly weapons against the police. They get away with terrorism, and the police treat them with kid gloves. So of course they continue and it gets worse. The government needs to treat them like it treats any other terrorists – with stiff prison sentences and no negotiations.
And no, the idiot who threw himself under a police car doesn’t count. If you try to commit suicide you are the one who did the crime, not the driver.
It’s time to kick some members of the community out of Eretz Yisroel. No one says you have to like or support the Medina, but if you opt to live there, then follow the rules. The Israeli Government needs to come down hard on the Neturah Karta, right-wing Mea Sharim wackos, and more, treating them like the enemies of the State that they are. You don’t like it here? Then get out! Simple!
Now its arabs?? I think we need a wall between meah sharim and the rest of the civalized world.
why aren’t the robonum speaking up and condemning this nonsense.
Some Israel will build a wall around Mea Sharim to protect the innocent
Where are the Rabbunim to stop this massive chillul hashem!!!
I’m confused. Why would they attack a palestinian cab driver, particularly when it’s not shabbat. I though these people hate the state of israel and would love to see the government fall and disappear and have things go back to the olden days when the arabs ruled Israel, at least until moshiach.
Didn’t a frum guy just get stabbed AND KILLED in Meah shearim by a palestinian? That’s probably why nothing to do with the parking lot issue
We must begin an economic boycot of Meah Shearim; no shnorers ,not for themselves nor for their mosdos,not for poverty nor health issues. Til they AND their leadership, from the Gavad down, behave like our brothers we should not treat them as brothers. Money is the only thing that might turn them around, certainly halachah is not understood by them as we do.
AH, b’h! finally the Aaronners and the Zalman Leib bunch have found a unifying cause….such achdus, what a pleasure to observe.
This is a very scary new development. Using axes really escalates things. How can they expect the police to not start using their guns to protect themselves when the “protesters” start using axes.
BTW – What are these men doing with axes anyhow? It’s not like they chop wood or cut trees for a living.
disgusting. This morning i had to explain to a gentile coworker of mine that not all Jews are radical and that, in general, we are a peaceful group. This is the biggest chilul hashem and all the protesters are going to get us all in trouble with the world.
video of riot from a day or two ago
it looks like a cab hit the guy and not a police car and he did not throw himself in front of the car
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_me/2009-09-01/009359505859.html
In spite of the fact that these protesters are entirely off their rocker, it truly amazes me as to just how these guys aren’t giving up. This parking lot issue is already dragging on for a while, yet these guys just keep going. Now there’s a protest scheduled for NYC…. Amazing…. Regardless though, even if they do end up getting their way (which I HIGHLY doubt), no one can honestly say that the ends justify the means in this case. The Chilul Hashem is so massive, that words simply cannot express.
Good let them fight the Arabs.
I wonder where they got the axes from? I wonder what they need them for to begin with? I wonder if it was Meah Sheorim inhabitants or people form outside with an agenda?
Inquiring minds want to know!
The blame must be placed on the Ger Rebbe for working to elect a non religous Mayor. In the past a charedi mayor was able to placade both the secular and religous communities. However, due to politics Rabbi Litzman and the Gerrer Rebbe forfeited their opportunity for peace and well being for this violent circus.
Jews acting like Arabs. What a chillul hashem. Simply pathetic. Why dont these charedim go back to their yeshivas and learn for the good of klal yisrael and live of the generous welfare that the state gives them. If they want to kill arabs let them join the army!!
I too am offended by the comparison to so-called “reform”. While the reform have rejected nearly everything that makes us Yidden, at least they don’t do THIS.
It is religious fundamentalism. It is no different than Islamic fundamentalism or xian fundamentalism. Attacking a cab driver in E”Y merely because he is a Muslim is no different than beating up an African American cab driver in Mississippi merely because he is African American.
This small group of ANIMALS who dress like us and weave themselves into our communities are NOT “chareidim”. They are wolves in sheeps clothing preying on other people. Whether it is committing arson, beating up women in the street or hurling rocks at innocent people, it is all a disgusting display that has no place in a Torah world.
I can only hope they find these dogs and lock them up in cages for life where they belong. Anyone who could hunt down another human being and attack him is a rodef and deserves no protection. We MUST start to speak out against this. Rabbonim must stop these riots.
My wife and I have sent letters to 6 different yeshivos that we normally support. We have told them that until there is a public statement regarding this violence, and an enforceable ZERO tolerance policy in place, we will not be sending any more money. I would suggest that those of you of rational mind do the same thing.
We have voices too and we can push changes without committing arson or beating up cab drivers.
Years ago, the Chazon Ish had Shlomo Lorinz write that throwing rocks at Shabos desecrators was a yadayim yedei Eisav. They didn’t listen to him, and now we see the unfortunate result.
For once let the Palastinians know what it feels like to be randomly attacked. Let them know they are not welcomed here if they can’t act civilized. All our civilized meathods havn’t worked, it’s time we fight fire with fire. I just thought it would come from the religious Zionist as they get the brunt of the violence on a daily basis in the settlements.
This has to stop! I can’t take it anymore.
The chareidim are always right. They need not serve in the army, need not work, need not pay taxes, need not heed laws, they are entitled to live off the public dole and donations from abroad, even if they are not capable of learning all day, they still have no obligation to work, it is only chareidim who are arrested for child abuse, it is only chareidim who are arrested for violence, they are the only ones sitting in Israeli jails, doctro only mismanage the care of chareidim, they are holier than everyone else, they are immnue from criticism. Period.
Its time for the police to withdraw and turn the matter over to the IDF security forces. They should clear out this dreche from meah shearim once and for all. Its as much a threat to the security of EY as Hamas. Once they can determine who are the violent ones, the others could be released to live in peace while the crazies are imprisoned or expelled from EY>
Huh? Have i missed something here. Who says that no rabbis are involved? There are some(toldot aron?) that are actively involved in stirring up this violence.
I read about people complaining about a small number of thugs terrorizing people in Meah Shearim and Beit Shemesh. What are these complainers? Sheep? They need a rabbi to lead them?
They should all grow a backbone and do the job themselves. In such small communities all the thugs will be known. Shun them. Put them in herem. Whatever but just do something. Don’t wait for the ‘rabbis’
They were not charedim
I only meant that in “right-wing” yeshivas (black hat/white shirt/black jacket) the concept of Reform Judaism and their practices are strongly condemned and viewed as an abomination to true Judaism. College and secular studies are denounced. All too often we are taught to look up to these “Chareidim” who have nothing to do with the “secular” world and who “learn” all day. How is it that almost all Rabbis will speak and yell against Reform practices but never against these “Chareidim?”
I never meant to insinuate that Reform Jews riot or act like animals – Reform Jews are very civil albeit misguided.
In a way, they are scaring “everyone” in Meah Shearim and in Jerusalem: which may produce no arabs making trouble there, no forced-poison-vaccine-inocculations (containing experimental population control substances), and police behaving kindly in the future. This is not a joke. Just google for more info (in US and Israel).
They were Shobabniks (teenage israeli bums) not yerushalmis, yerushalmis dont attack arabs and they dont use weapons.
Animals in chassidishe clothing……they are far from Ultra ORthodox Jews behaving like this. They should be locked up, and the keys thrown away.
Did you see the videos of previous demonstrations? I bet if the police would spray all the demonstrator’s $5000 shtreimlach with red paint, the demontrators would have better things to do with their time.
I would refrain from commenting on a story whose source is YNET/AFP until i had heard it from a reliable source. The AFP story shows chareidim lawfully standing behind a barrier speaking or lets even say arguing with a policeman with no threat of violence whatsoever. The photo by the way is a file photo and has nothing to do with the incident in the story. As we await the results of the investigation of a terrorist attack on a gay night club, brushed under the rug after days of attacks on the chareidi population without a single indication that they were responsible, we once again witness an attack on the chareidim, sponsored by your favorite anti chareidi news service and the MO observant as long as it doesn’t interfere with there lifestyles add their voices “animals”; “chillul Hashem”; “lock them up”; “nutjobs”, etc. What a wonderful display of ahavas yisroel. These chareidim would probably never use the same terms to describe there detractors who seem to love the anti-religious, mechallel shabbos, pork eating, Israeli police and think that they, these police men are bring the geulah ever closer.
How dare you write ultra- orthodox did this. I live right there and saw the whole thing. First of all- it was non frum { or newly frum} teenagers. Second of all – there was a police standing right there and totally ignored the whole thing
Have you actually seen the videos of the riots? This riot wasn’t instigated by meah shearim chareidim, nor anyone in chasidish garb. It was troublemakers that came from outside the area.
And for those who say the chareidim are silent on this issue – there has been a tremendous outrage at the voilence that has ensued in the chareidi press and from rabbonim around the world. To assume nothing is being done is a fallacy.
I’m all for the protests – but the violence has to stop. Those troublemakers who come from the outside and the police who use disproportionate force have to be curbed asap.
I was there and it was bored shobabniks (Sefardic Youths Far Astray). Yerushalmy men who saw thaey were attacking every arab who came by went up the road to warn all arabs not to go down the road, till they realised sombody was warning the arabs and they started to attack the Yerushalmies.