Mea Sha’arim, Israel – Orthodox Jews Wear Holocaust Garb to Protest ‘Exclusion of Charedim

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    Hundres of  Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men took part in a demonstration this evening in the ultra orthodox neighborhood of  Me'ah She'arim in the city of Jerusalem as part of a rally Against media attack against the ultra-Orthodox public. December 31, 2011. Photo by Uri Lenz/FLASH90Mea Sha’arim, Israel – Approximately 1,500 ultra-Orthodox men gathered at Kikar Shabbat in the haredi neighborhood of Geula in Jerusalem on Saturday night, in a bad-tempered protest against what demonstrators called the secular community’s “oppression” and “incitement” against them.

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    Dozens of men wore yellow Stars of David on their jackets with the word ‘Jude’ in the center, and banners bearing slogans such as ‘Zionists are not Jews,’ and ‘Zionism is racism’ were paraded at the rally. ‘Orthodox Jews demand the presence of international forces to protect them,’ read another sign.

    Public attention focused on the ultra-Orthodox community last week following a documentary broadcast by Channel 2 highlighting abuse directed at national-religious schoolgirls in Bet Shemesh by haredi extremists, which caused national outrage.

    At Saturday night’s demonstration, young children were brought up onto a stage erected in front of the square wearing black and white striped clothes and bearing the yellow Stars of David on their lapels.

    “What’s happening is exactly like what happened in Germany,” said one man wearing a yellow star, who gave his name only as Moishe. “It started with incitement and continued to different types of oppression. Is it insulting that we wear these stars? Absolutely, and it hurts people to see this, but this is how we feel at the moment, we feel we are being prevented from observing the Torah in the manner in which we wish.”

    The protest was also called in support of Shmuel Weisfish, an activist in the violent ultra-Orthodox group known as the Sikrikim, who was convicted of assault and other offenses and will begin a two-year prison sentence on Sunday.

    Directives were issued from the stage for protesters not to speak with the press and at one stage a swarm of men gathered round a camera crew in an attempt to force them to wear the yellow stars. The crew subsequently retreated to the safety of a police cordon.

    Uniformed police at the demonstration were also followed and harassed by angry crowds who shouted at the officers calling them “Nazis.”

    “It’s like how it started with the Nazis – very slowly, said American yeshiva student Salomon Hoberman defending the use of the yellow stars. “They’re separating us from the Jewish people because we’re following the way of the Torah. They hate us because we’re going the Jewish way. And there’s only one Jewish way.”

    Said a haredi woman, who refused to give her name, “We didn’t come to demonstrate, we came to show our power, and that our power is forever.”

    The sentiment expressed by several of the protesters speaking to The Jerusalem Post bore a central theme of perceived religious coercion against the ultra-Orthodox community.

    “How can this country be called a democracy when they are trying to force us to adopt their culture and their standards?” asked Shimon Levy, a young Jerusalem haredi man. “We were here before the state [was established] and yet there are people telling us what we may and may not do in our own neighborhoods.”

    “The hatred and incitement being directed at us because we do not want to take on the ethical standards of the seculars is simply intolerable,” he continued.

    Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post


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    39 Comments
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    The_Beadle
    The_Beadle
    12 years ago

    sick and deranged

    shredready
    shredready
    12 years ago

    I am stunned this is beyond words what they did even for them

    this is very sick something needs to be done but not sure what the solution is

    Sam23
    Sam23
    12 years ago

    Sick

    Sam23
    Sam23
    12 years ago

    Sick people.

    Member
    12 years ago

    This is just making their case look worse and worse. In effect, they are calling upon the memory of 6 million jews to support their own right to run a state of impropriety and ruffian culture.

    bubii
    bubii
    12 years ago

    sure they are always the victims in their mind,but what about the victims that are assaulted by fanatical hassidim according to them they dont exist its always they are the hurt party and of course they dont have much else to do in life no work and full of time on their hands what a bunch of children.immature infantile behaviour they exhibit.

    12 years ago

    First they go to Iran for a Holocaust deniers convention, now they dress like this. Dos is Nisht Yiddeshkeit!

    12 years ago

    Sick!! It is akin to holocaust denial.

    12 years ago

    I would say this is could even be worse than the Holocaust. The Holocaust was not not about religion, just against the jewish nation in general. But this propaganda is all against the fsum part of the jewish nation. It’s really sad.

    chamdas
    chamdas
    12 years ago

    Nazis? Really? Did they forget that the satmar rabbi was rescued by the zionists from the nazis?

    They’re protesting how dare does the police not allow them to spit and harm little girls…

    12 years ago

    Nebech, one of the ugliest photos ever shown on VIN. Between the smiling meshugana and the confused kinder in the cage, it shows just how low these people have sunk.

    kczoo
    kczoo
    12 years ago

    While there are many anti-semites in the world some people simply are disgusted when frum people look down on others that are not frum enough or jewish. I do not think that the protest in itself is so bad but the woman speak in a manner of contempt for others. Also, the torah talks about a Yissocher Z’vulan relationship that is voluntary. I think alot of Israelis are upset about many people learning full time on other people’s dime. Learning is great but it requires sacrifice, not mooching off others. Many people are not anti-semites or against all frum people, just those taking there hard earned money.

    12 years ago

    I will no longer contribute anything to these people.

    12 years ago

    I’m chareidi. I live in yerushalayim.
    I used to support reb ahrelech, there’s even a brick in their building with my name on it.
    I believed that there was a temimus to them that clal yisrael
    needed, even if I personally lived a more moderate lifestyle.
    No more!
    I’m disgusted. And if the movement was built on temimus it wouldn’t produce the horrific things that it does.
    No working, no learning, just laidygai’ing.
    If everyone stops giving to anyone in the striped bekeshes, then maybe their so-called gedolim will do something.
    They may not take $ from the medina, but they sure keep schnorring from the rest of us.
    And Hoberman; you’re a tipesh. I learned with your father in yeshiva; I hope he recovers from the boosha of having a son like you.

    YJay1
    YJay1
    12 years ago

    Shame, Shame, Shame!

    Is this the way to use the Holocaust? It’s beyond me how anyone with even a half a brain could come up with such an outrageous and childish idea.

    In essence they are right, the Secular media is using the Sikrikm as a tool to incite the Israeli public against all Orthodox Jews, BUT – A) These are exactly the people who brought upon all of us all this shame, they’ve come out to defend a Sikrik, and THEY complain? They should be last ones complaining. B) To compare this to the Holocaust is an outright disgrace to all the Kedoshim who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis Y”S.

    Please stop the Chillul Hashem! Enough is enough!

    FBF37
    FBF37
    12 years ago

    There is much to say…
    For starters these people have no clue what happened in WW 2. They don’t educate themselves.
    They seem to have the issues turned around. They are the bad people spitting and harassing people. They are making it sound like they are the victim. Instead of looking within and correcting the issues they do this which is despicable.
    Can we once and for all Agudah and Hamodia admit it’s not just a few loonies!! Here we have 1500 loonies and who knows how many more agree with these people. I was reading the Hamodia in the USA over the weekend and they said it’s just a few people. True it’s just 30 doing the DIRTY work of the many others who agree with them. Why can’t anyone at Hamodia and Agudah chap this!?
    This demonstration is straight out of the playbook of the Palestinians. Parading children as if there are in the holocaust (where did they even get these costumes!??). Also to never admit they are wrong and they are right and everyone else is wrong!
    Like the muslim world where they teach hate against jewish people the loonies in Israel teach hate against “Zionism”etc… Once you teach hate then you have the issues like we are having. Stop the hate and some of the

    chosen-nation
    chosen-nation
    12 years ago

    If my grandparents would see this…….What a chillul hashem

    Totallyinsane
    Totallyinsane
    12 years ago

    Look at the irony here–“shimon Levy, a young Jerusalem haredi man. “We were here before the state [was established] and yet there are people telling us what we may and may not do in our own neighborhoods.”

    The problem is that the haredi people think the entire Israel and sadly Williamsburg as-well is their neighborhood. Its the Haraedim who tell people of different beliefs how to dress and which side of the block they can be on. They have the audacity to tell women to sit on the back of the bus. They hold mass protests and bully seculars. The light trash bins on fire in their own neighborhoods and litter the streets with trash. They call the police and soldiers Nazis and then demand welfare from the state. Most Haredim contribute absolutely nothing to the state. Then they have the Gaul to dress their children like holocaust victims and make a comparison between the Nazis and the israel public. Jewish Taliban is all it is and the rabbis are to blame. Judaism has been ruined and retarded customs now passed of as halacha. Wake up before wearing a burka is the chasidish norm!!!

    Totallyinsane
    Totallyinsane
    12 years ago

    sick

    villyamsburger
    villyamsburger
    12 years ago

    Playing the victim card, Disguisting.
    They should all be drafted into work

    mischazek
    mischazek
    12 years ago

    I was there and I can’t even begin to tell you the shock and disgust I feel about the cynical misuse of the churban and its effects on the minds of young impressionable children. I am so appalled; I lost many relatives in the Shoah, as I’m sure many of you have as wel. Do these people have any idea what life was like in the Warsaw Ghetto, where people had to wear these stars on pain of death????!!!!!

    I didn’t see starving men,and boys begging for a crust of bread on kikar shabbos tonight, rather i saw nice looking yungeleit with beich still full of chulent and kugel, doing what they please.

    The Zionists are persecuting you? is that why the haredim are spreading and building new neighborhoods and yeshivos at a rate never seen before!!
    This is a joking matter.
    Rabbosai, we need to wake up, our rabbonim need to wake up and condemn and repudiate these reshoim now!!!! , or else we are all doomed.

    12 years ago

    This מלחמות going on in Israel over 100 year read through history where most יראי השם were united against ציונות. Later more more yiden Lider were getting closer to zionizim now they even hate those erliceh yiden who still trying to hold on and this will go on till moshiach

    rebchuna
    rebchuna
    12 years ago

    many more than 1500, the lying secular media

    menachemwh
    menachemwh
    12 years ago

    This is what happends when you are so isolated from the world. This isnt by accident. this is an indictment of this hashkafa.

    CampRunamok
    CampRunamok
    12 years ago

    “VaYishman Yeshurun VaYiv’at!”

    People who do not work or earn a living, mooch off the welfare state and then schnorr in Chu”L for the “extras” have grown fat, spoiled and entitled. Here we see grown adults lashing out like jilted adolescents because they cannot get their way.

    Cut off the taxpayer funds to these apes and dogs. Let them earn their daily bread and you will see attitudes change real fast!

    12 years ago

    Out of the 1500 or so protesters 1490 have no Idea why they are there, and have no clue what they are protesting against, they’re all a bunch of goats being led by self serving interest leaders in the name of frumkeit. In as much as Al Sharpton (rabble rouser) in NY . Chartered buses and paid guys a buck to get on the bus to a protest. they had no idea what it even meant…
    Not believing in the medinah does not give anyone the right to carry a Palestinian murderer’s flag, or hugging Ahmadinajad etc. you have right to protest, denounce the government, not to participate in elections, or not use their money lol, but to support the enemy and murderers of all yidden just to prove their point, is only for one of two reasons or maybe both. a) The leaders get money under the table from those governments who then use this to show the world how they love yidden it’s the zionist they oppose. b) they are plain fanatic sickos. either way they should not be the ones setting standards for ultra orthodox jewery….

    CommonSense
    CommonSense
    12 years ago

    Well if they were truly living according to the Helilige Shita of Satmar and Neturei Karta they should bow their heads and accept upon themselves the brutal oppression of Galus, instead of fighting back..which is the zionist approach to galus…