Mea She’arim – Police arrested three haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men Saturday who tried to prevent civilian traffic on Rehov Hanevi’im in Jerusalem’s Mea She’arim neighborhood. Over 100 haredim were demonstrating against the desecration of Shabbat and shouted “Shabbes” at passersby.
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Around 20 people, including residents of the nearby Musrara neighborhood and secular activists, gathered on the street near the haredim for a counter protest to ensure that the traffic was not disturbed.
Similar haredi protests take place most weeks at the same place.
The issue of haredim protesting against the desecration of Shabbat is common in Jerusalem and demonstrations have been known to become violent.
Last summer, close to a thousand haredi men held a demonstration against the desecration of Shabbat, marking 100 weekends since the Karta parking lot in the capital began to open on the Jewish day of rest.
Police repeatedly stopped the participants from blocking the intersection of Strauss and Hanevi’im, on the southern border of the haredi area in central Jerusalem.
The area resonated with yells of “Shabbes” aimed at security personnel, photographers and cars driving by, as well as at a handful of secular counter-demonstrators on the other side of the street.
Police pushing back the front line of protesters nearing Rehov Hanevi’im were subject to the occasional cry of “Nazis,” or reminded of the verse that “those who desecrate [Shabbat] shall die,” but retained their cool and avoided giving the demonstrators the desired pretext to up the level of violence, that was largely limited to pushing.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
very sad.. how we cant get along one another!
Why is this such big news? There are so many important things going on. Boy does someone here have an anti-charedi agenda.
Obviously understand where they are coming from its worse protesting then trying to show the beauty of shabbos
Its disgusting to see one of the demonstrators in the photo above wearing what looks like striped prison camp pajamas. This cheapens the memory of the kadoshim from the Shoah..
Is isreal a jewish state? So why they not folowing the torah laws? Why can’t in a jewish neigberhood be close the street? Let the seculers & the goyim go live in india
I am frum.
The top photo shows a young man, probably in good health. Many frum Chasidish people in Israel do not work. This is what is ripping Israel apart. The pure hatred and energy in the man is what other Israelis see and wonder why can’t people like this go to the army, why can’t they work.
these yidden are making a gigantic chilul hashem, FAR BIGGER than the yidden driving there on shabbos. at least the ones driving arent making world headlines and photos being escorted by police. I hope they get life sentences for destroying the jewish image. its not our job to be the bes din, you can protest peacefully and make your statement heard, but you cant get violent or block streets. are these even real chareidim? my family in Israel would never dream of doing this.
Acting like hooligans on Shabbos is NOT going to sway anyone from driving on Shabos.
Why do they even think they own those streets? Maybe they should not be permitted to walk into the secular parts of Jerusalem.
Interesting that in protesting Chilul Shabbos these “Chareidim” caused Jewish policeman to be Mechalel Shabbos. The drivers that they are protesting are mostly Tinokei Shenishba. The Chareidim, on the other hand, are totally Meized and will hopefully receive the full wrath of Divine punishment due them… with a an extra measure for the Massive Chilul Hashem they continue to cause.
Shabbes !!! Shabbes !!!
Thuggery and hooliganism is no way to teach Torah. What is this new way that excites our youth today. This is not Torah and any rabbi who condones this should be reprimanded.
I don’t agree with their protest or their method. I prefer kiruv and friendliness…
BUT… they have a point – a Jewish state should not sanction chillul shabbos. All of you going on about rights, freedoms, not letting charediim into secular neighbourhoods, have obviously not studied the Torah. Furthermore the Tanach is full of accounts of what happens when we disobey G-d’s laws in Eretz Yisroel and it ain’t pretty. Any frum shomer shabbos Jew should see this. Next we’ll be saying it’s ok to have gay marriage in Israel. Have we really become so Westernized that “live and let live” and “anything goes”? This is NOT the Torah way!
All power to our chareidi brothers. I’m a yid from Flatbush and I salute our chareidi activist who stand up for shabbos. They are our elite front troops fighting for Torah ideals. You think that the streets that were closed over the last sixty years on shabbos happened by themselves,your in dellusion. Only through rallies did streets get closed off. We need more activist chareidim to close every street in israel. Kol hakovod to our heros. No shabbos no peace.
AlterG, what does observation have to do with being a Jewish state? Jewish is a nationality, not a commentary on how observant someone is.
My neighbor who eats treif is just as Jewish as I am, but he’s not observant.
In a time when intermarriage has killed our numbers, we can’t exclude those who still are Jews.
how are the arrested carted off?- in cars?