New York – Orthodox Jewish organizations in America are condemning attacks by religious extremists on Israeli soldiers and police officers.
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In recent months there has been an increase in violent attacks against religious Jews in Israel who join the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police.
The leaders of the Orthodox Union, Rabbinical Council of America and National Council of Young Israel have issued official statements condemning such attacks. The statements were issued at the request of New York Orthodox activist David Nyer, the activist said in a news release sent to JTA.
Moishe Bane, president of the Orthodox Union, said in a statement that “violence by one Jew against another, whether physical or otherwise, is an assault on the Torah values that have been passed down through our mesorah (tradition), from generation to generation. Any such attack by Jews against soldiers of the IDF, to whom every Jew owes immeasurable respect and gratitude, is an attack against each and every member of the Jewish community, and provokes shame and regret in us all.”
RCA executive vice president, Rabbi Mark Dratch, said: “These attacks against both Israeli soldiers and police are violations of Jewish law and show a gross lack of appreciation and respect for those who defend all the citizens of the State of Israel. These attacks further divide and alienate segments of the Jewish community from each other and from Torah.”
A religious IDF soldier and his family in the haredi Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood were pelted with stones and had to be evacuated by police, in an incident that occurred last week. In February, an Orthodox soldier was attacked after stopping to pray at a synagogue in a Jerusalem neighborhood. In January, an IDF soldier was taken to the hospital after being hit with stones while driving through the haredi Orthodox-dominated Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Rabbi Avi Shafran, spokesman for the Agudath Israel of America, told Nyer that “such unwarranted violence and abuse against any fellow Jew is beyond outrageous. Assault of Jewish brethren, especially those who have dedicated themselves to the protection of Klal Yisrael in Eretz Yisroel such as IDF soldiers and Israeli police, is indefensible, ugly and wrong.”
He added that bystanders are obligated to intervene to help the person under attack.
And where is Adudath Israel of America?
Now is the time that we should point out and denounce all the Rabonim and Gedolim who do not speak out against all these protesters and fighting by the extremists. Shouldn’t our Gedolim show some backbone and courage?
Seems sort of strange that “Don’t beat up the policemen” is a position that a Jew would argue against.
May Hashem devolve the zionist state with the speedy arrival of Moshiach. Amen
Too little, too late.
Instead, STOP FUNDING THE SCHNORRERS WHO KNOCK ON YOUR DOORS! Where do you think your US money goes? To pay these losers so they can spend their days harassing us and our soldiers.
Put pressure on the Satmar Rebbes (both of them) who give millions to their institutions to have little boys in cheder dress up and do EXACTLY what Palestinian kids do in their schools…. curse out the IDF & Jews. Because from where I’m sitting, there is absolutely no difference between the two: they both attack Jewish soldiers.
To #4 - Don’t even open the doors to the schnorrers who know on the doors;also, why can’t Shuls ban these schnorrers once and for all?
Maybe if there would be a video fromm the sperre in Ghetto Lodz, Jewish children , women and men transported from Lodz to treblinka these demonstrators would be siting and learn. After the war we said better a Yid oon a boord vi a boord un a yid
noticibly absent the Aguda, of course its not like this is a chance for them to be on the side of child molesters and rapists so they are AWOL.
and then these people complain and protest when perhaps midah kineged midah bachurim are drafted
Violence should never be tolerated,period.
Having said,”haredi” soldiers should not stroll the streets of Mea Shearim for the sole purpose to incite haredi Jews.
True torah observant Jews follow the teachings of all REAL gedolim prior the Holocaust who said that a Jewish state before the coming of Moshicah is not allowed. It is against the will of the almighty.
Seeing an IDF soldier with a Yarmulka and tzizis makes our blood boil.Vlamalshinim Al Thi Sikva
Ani ma’amin, Be’emuna shelema. Bevias hamashiach ani ma’amin
shouldn’t these professional schnorrers (who somehow gather up the funds for several yearly trips to the States ), closet molesters and sonei yisroel be learning instead of protesting??! aren’t these so called chareidim concerned about bitul torah??!
as punishment for their protests and/or abuse of the IDF, they should be ordered to scrub the soldiers’ toilets, shine their shoes and iron their uniforms.
shame on them!
Avi Shafran is indeed a spokesman for the Agudah.
However, not everything he says is in the Agudah’s name, nor is it necessarily the stance of the Agudah. The Agudah has a long history of allowing affiliated people to make statements that make them look good in certain quarters, while maintaining deniability in others.
Why don’t they write the whole story!
Brakes my heart.
There is no excuse for such disgusting behavior. I guess they do not care much about making a Chilul Hashem.
ugly to see HAREDIM behaving like this. let the violent ones move to east jerusalem..
The cops and soldiers should retaliate against those chareidim with violence; they would soon get the message.