Jerusalem – Tensions ran high on Tuesday in the town of Shear Yashuv when angry local residents confronted a group of Haredi tourists who stripped down and went swimming in a memorial fountain dedicated to 73 soldiers killed in a 1997 helicopter crash in the area.
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ISRAEL HAYOM (http://bit.ly/1cp2Ep3) reports that an eyewitness said that, when confronted, the Haredis acknowledged that they, in fact, knew the fountain was part of a memorial, but would say only that, “memorials constitute idolatry.”
“The haredim knew very well that the site was a memorial,” said the witness. “Some tourists passed by and reminded them that they were swimming at a memorial site for soldiers, and [the haredim] responded that they were aware and undisturbed by that.”
At one point, the witness said, local residents and non-haredi tourists began asking the haredis to leave if they could not respect the victims of the memorial, to which the haerids replied, “When an Indian person wants to mark a memorial he lights a candle and prays Psalms. Memorials constitute idolatry.”
Israel’s Defense Ministry issued a statement condemning the haredi’s actions immediately upon learning of the incident, calling the event a “desecration of the memorial.”
The written statement read, “We expect all of Israel’s citizens to respect memorial sites and the memory of the fallen, and stress that the desecration of a memorial constitutes a violation of the law.”
Derech eretz kodmah l’Torah !!!!!
Indians pray Psalms?
Must have been a typo…
If this story is accurate, the Chareidim were wrong for not respecting people’s sensitivities (and the law).
Having said that, truth be told, IMHO there is nothing immoral about wading in a memorial pool.
First of all … it’s not holy.
Secondly, I would imagine that the deceased soldiers (Neshomos’) would be pleased with the Chessed of Jewish children cooling off and enjoying themselves. THAT would actually be a merit for the souls of the deceased!
But I doubt that the secular mindset could grasp this concept…
And they demand respect from the rest of society?
Epes, they sure don’t look ‘haredim’!
The woman don’t look very chareidi.
Men and women bathing together?
Although their faces are blocked, to me it looks like they are a teenagers rather than adults. Still doesn’t make it right, l but I can forgive stupid childish behavior more that stupid adult behavior. It would be interesting to know in which yeshiva they developed this warped sense of right and wrong.
Oy vay!! This is terrible. Why oh why??? What have we come to?
Lol, if you wane remember people after 120 go light a candle & learn a misnha, a swimming pool? What a joke
These are low life prost uncultured people raised by prost uncultured ignorant parents
If the memorial is idolatry as they claim ,then they are forbidden from deriving pleasure from it. Aside from being morons, they are hypocrites too!
From the pictures it looks like it’s just a bunch of kids. Kids do stupid things an are not aware oftentimes of their obviously inappropriate actions. There is no justification for doing what they did, but it should be taken in the correct context. On the other hand, it just goes to show you what a perverted upbringing and mindset they must be comming from to not have the basic human dignity to respect a memorial.
The people in question cant be very ‘Chareidi’ if there are girls walking around when they are dressed or undressed as they are – tznius applies to men too
They sure don’t look like hareidim
Quick news summary: today chareidim attacked a bus, attacked a frum soldier who wanted to daven and desecrated a memorial to dead Jewish soldiers. Such nachs!!
I want to hear all these comments when the Zionist government dearth graves.
touching graves is way way worst then bathing in a memorial.
This picture is both hurtful and painful to see. The reason Haredim are disrespected is because they fail to coexist. This is just another shining example.
Classic cult mentality. Many cults around the world use similar brainwashing techniques on their members to divide them from general society. Here we see a group that is justifying disrespect and desecration of a memorial because it is not dedicated to the members of their sect. Had the memorial been dedicated to 73 rabbis, no one would dare swim in it out of kavod.
This story is false! these are NO chareidim. Simply another classic hate story from the israeli liberal media.
What’s this stink about? Do any of you posters believe for a minute these are charedim in the pool? They are dati-im l’umm. Benets people.
A charedi doesn’t swim like this in public. Yet swimming mixed?
Get some more hankerchiefs… the ultra orthodox are against memorials but they still name all of their streets after rabbis. How sexy.
Speaking from the perspective of American law, there is no obvious reason why these people are not identified by name. If the reporter and editor told us who these people are, we would be able to know what sect they belong to.
This was just wrong. They should have apologized if this was a misunderstanding. What a chillul hashem.
This is not Charedi children for crying out loud. Take a look at the picture first and then comment. Oh, by the way, when the government digs up graves to build train tracks, let me see all these so called respected journalists covering it in this light.
In all fairness these people do not look remotely ‘haredi’, unless there are some ‘haredim’ we’ve never heard of who go mixed swimming with shirtless boys and girls in swimsuits together in one pool.
the next time they need protection from the army, they should go swimming again and maybe that will help them be safe.
Haredim don’t strip down in public, this article is wrong
Only a boor would swim in a public fountain. The fact that this is a memorial to soldiers killed in a helicopter crash compounds the sin. As for digging up graves, if there is a public need relocating forgotten ancient remains may be permitted. There is no comparison whatsoever.