Jerusalem – This morning (Wednesday) MK Chaim Amsellem (Shas) delivered a speech before the Knesset decrying the police’s rough treatment of the Gavad of the Eidoh Charedis, Rav Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss.
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“Today I do not want to indulge in polemics on the legitimacy of the demonstrations for the sake of Shabbat, their necessity or their efficacy or harm,” he began, “but rather on this podium I would like to quote the words of the Gemara, Masechet Shabbat 119b…‘Said R’ Yehuda in the name of Rav: There is no remedy for the blow that strikes anyone who debases talmidei chochomim.’” Amsellem went on to remonstrate against the harm done to kovod haTorah.
In response Minister of Internal Security Yitzchak Aharonovitz said the police issued a permit for the demonstration held outside Intel on Shabbos Parshas Chayei Soroh, but this Shabbos no request was filed, “therefore the police had to deploy in a different manner. Forces were placed inside the plant and additional forces remained near Har Hotzvim [Industrial Park]. When the charedi protestors began to bang on the doors of the plant and cause the fence surrounding the plant to sway back and forth, the police force was compelled to charge the protestors and repel them from the plant gates and away from the fences. After reinforcements arrived the protestors were pressed back into the charedi neighborhoods, restoring the public order. During the event there were no injuries and three people were arrested for civil unrest.
“It should be noted,” continued the Minister, “that during the event the police did not note the presence of the Gavad of the Eidah Charedit, HaRav Tuvia Weiss. Furthermore, despite claims to the contrary, the police did not make use of any means to disperse the crowd, rather the protestors were moved away from the site as the police advanced toward them, without the use of force or violence.
“After the event, graffiti against HaRav Tuvia Weiss and the Eidah Charedit was found in the area of Har Hotzvim. These writings were documented by the police and an investigation was opened in an effort to apprehend suspects. I am unaware of Shem Hashem having been written on the road.”
what a chutzpa for that minister to cry wolf in the kennest…these demonstrations are a chilul hashem, unmannered ect. not fitting for as respectable torah yid. rabbi shouldnt have been there. if he chooses to then he is subject to ressistance from the police. that goes for all a demonstration can be violent. thats why respectable people dont attend.
THanks for standing up for what’s right. In any democratic country the police would stand trial for pushing such a HOLY figure as GRAND RABBI WEISS. Shame on Israel for discriminating against your religous Jewish minority and oppressing them immensely.
He doesn’t do enough to renounce the violence. In fact many eidaniks believe that VIOLENCE IS THE ONLY LANGUAGE that the people they are protesting against will understand and that violence works and its the only way to accomplish what you want. So if you breed violence it makes its rounds back to you. As they say what goes around comes around.
Are you joking? The Gavad calls his thugs to the streets, inestimable damage is done to property and to HaKb”h’s good name, rocks are regularly thrown endangering life and limb, and one dares raise a voice in defense of the instigator of all this?
let the rebbes and demonstrators spend shabbos in their batei midrashim
you play with fire expect to get burned
in response to #1 i wonder how you felt when the police were hitting the people of gush kattif? did you feel the same way? the police who are for the most part anti charadi get a kick out of beating someone with kippas. makes no differance if its blak white or leather. just to remind u we are all yiddin. hitler yemach shemom made no difrechiation when it came to it. we must learn to work things out through education. jew hitting a jew is never the answer
the police had no right to push anyone who attended this non violent demonstration, all who came to scream out loud the word “Shabbos” I was actually there from beginning to end, I witnessed the police arriving like hooligans, viciously pushing and shoving the innocent protesters who came to speak (scream) out for Kovod Somayim, as they where instructed by the Badatz Gedolim Shlita.
The fighting only started once the police started acting ling wild animals who ran out of their cages, till their arrival it was nice and peaceful.
For interest sake Intel has not received a permit to be open on Saturday.
BTW there is no law in Israel (YET) that prohibits saying or screaming the word SHABBOS KODESH yet.
It pains me how spiritually insensitive some of my fellow Jews are. HOW, HOW can someone lift their hand to another Jew, much less a Jew of such stature. Where is the fear of Hashem? May Hashem bring them to teshuva quickly.
The observant community has its work cut out for them. When our fellow Jews are so ignorant it means that we have to work much harder and faster to draw them close to Hashem.
Maybe its time to reconsider who is considered a “gadol” when such individual creates such a chilul hashem by participating and/or promoting riots and protests which lead to injuries, property damage and violence against the police. The Eidah continue to try to cloak their behavior as somehow legitimate in the name of shabbos observance. In reality, they are making yidden worldwide look like a bunch of mindless arev rav who lack tolerance and midos. Whatever lamdus this Weiess may have, the behavior of his followers is a chilul hashem and must be put down. If he gets in the way, he does so intentionally.
Interesting Rambam in beginning of Hilchos Ishus: If one sees somebody being boel an aramis, he can be a kannai and attack the sinner. Nevertheless, if the sinner kills the kannai in self-defense, the sinner is patur, since a kannai has a din rodef.
So one can choose to be a kannai, but the targets have every halachic justification to strike back at the kannaim, since the kannaim act of their own accord, and not under the authority of any court or beis din. People may protect themselves against these violent individuals.
Maybe it is better to avoid all violence once and for all, and to do kiruv with warmth and friendship. You will be mekarev many more that way.
there is no place in the world where thousands of people protest and their voice is not heard,the only place your voice is ignored is in jeruselam when the shomri torah needs something,they claim(the israeli govrment) that israel is theirs because they are jews and a jew cant be only someone that keeps shabbos!!
Intel is not jewish owned and therefore are allowed to be open Shabbos. It is the free choice on any individual,jewish or not, whether to work on Shabbos and nobody should interfere.
If HaRav Weiss and the Eodoh are genuiniely concerned about jews keeping Shabbos let them do what Belz and Lubavitch do. Gently teach and encourage people to learn Torah and become yirei Hashem and Shomrei Torah u’Mitzvos.
The Eidoh does nothing for jews at all. Even their hechsher is primarily run for money. There is not one single Eidah institution in the world.
I wish to add my voice in protest for kovod hatora, and touching an old man, who is a talmid chochom and godol hador.
The haredi community must be respected much more, anyway. They are not a violent entity.
When the demonstration is on shabos, the (druze) police may ONLY use force against the chillul shabbos of the demonstrators, IF that is being done. Then the haredi rabbis will respect that. And if there is NO chillul shabbos, then there cannot be much harm done anyway.
the Ga’avad was CERTAINLY not being m’challel shabos!