Jerusalem – Hundreds of haredim rioted in Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim neighborhood Monday night, blocking roads, setting garbage bins on fire, and hurling stones at police forces.
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The protesters chanted “Nazis” at police and later headed to the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway, blocked it, and shattered the windows of a police cruiser.
The reason for the latest angry outburst is the arrest of neighborhood resident Fischel Greenfeld, suspected of organizing violent haredi protests about two years ago. The demonstrations at the time were directed at an electronics chain that sold goods “banned” by rabbis to the Orthodox public, including MP4 players.
Greenfeld has been abroad ever since the protests and was detained upon landing in Israel last week. His remand has been extended.
Three protestors were detained during Monday night’s riots, including a 17-year-old American who was nabbed in possession of stones in his pocket.
Eyewitnesses told Ynet that one police officer sustained light wounds after a stone hit his head.
In the wake of the growing violence on the haredi street in recent days, and as preparations get underway for Jerusalem Day – to be marked Wednesday – the riots drew senior police officers to the scene. The police presence on the streets included mounted officers and special riot police, as well as a truck that sprayed water at the protesters.
Charedeim need to ban warm weather. Causes too much trouble
B”h we have people with guts to stand up to these thugs who want to take our holy kids & lead them astray with MP4 players kol hakavoed keep it up
these people need jobs
am i the only one who is doubting this ynet article? it sounds much more like three teenagers being teenagers than a charedi riot. i’m not saying it’s okay for the teenagers to behave this way, just questioning the motives of the article.
And throwing stones at other Jews and injuring them is what Hashem wants too see! no kidding the Israeli government is getting more and more anti charedi.
cant wait till they start rioting at stores selling make up for woman.
My Android phone surfs the internet and plays MP4’s great. I highly recommend it to everybody! I even showed my Rabbi it (who is Chassidishe), and he is thinking about getting one too!
Mp4 players are very very evil. Rachmana litzlan I know of a boy from a very fine family from a very fine home that nebach downloaded from the internet pictures that made him go off the derech rachmana litzlan.
What I say is that if it really disturbs you that they sell mp4’s then go buy them all with cash, don’t steal when someone paid for it with his own money that was worked hard for it
What a wonderful Kidush Hashem there should also be a Charedi demonstration in front of the apple Store on 5th ave, that would be a bigger Kidush Hashem.
Never thought I would say this but i think its time to remove ALL garbage bins in that area.
These troublemakers are all either Shababnikim or Shabaknikim or both. Most charedim either ignore them or look down upon them.
The branja (clique), the corrupt secular leadership, is driven crazy by the rise of charedim in the public arena, including Rav Grossman and Rav Lau, and the social service tzedokos. And now there is the Nachal Charedi, and charedim are entering the workforce. That means that the secular stereotype of the ugly charedi is more ridiculous than it ever was.
The branja rightly fears (ken yirbu) a real wave of tshuva (which is happening), and they rile up these marginal extremists davka to start trouble and make all of us look bad. Hema karu venafalu vaanachnu komnu venisoidod!
I think I finally get it…..Jews will be a light upon the nations by setting the whole place on FIRE….way to get the world to take you seriously!!!!
Its appalling that these people teach their kids that their only line of defense to the secular world is violence.
I think that these people truly want their children (and themselves) to lead a Holy Jewish life but they themselves have fallen victim to the lures of perverted material (possibly from the internet or other sources) in the privacy of their bedroom. Then they try to teach their kids to be erlich which is impossible when you don’t practice what you preach, so they resort to expressing themselves with violent action hoping this will keep their kids away from the things that Torah Jews so greatly oppose.
They should really try another approach.
The Charedi leaders, whether thy are right or wrong, have the right to ask their followers to refrain from using the internet. When we were kids in Yeshiva, many Rabbeim told us not to watch TV. Some encouraged us not to. They awarded prizes to the boys who avoided TV, or reduced their dependence upon it. However, we were never allowed and certainly not encouraged to burn down stores that sold TVs. It is forbidden to destroy someone’s property. End of story. I have the right to sell any legal product that I want to sell. In certain neighborhoods, I will not do well. You don’t sell lobster in Boro Park, you don’t open a seforim store in Bed Stuy. If I were stupid enough to sell seforim in Bed Stuy, the locals would still be forbidden to torch my store.
The bottom line is, that most people my age (late ’50’s), don’t even know what an MP4 does. Apparently, some Charedim STUDY this nonsense, and make a big fuss about it. They will not be able, to indefinitely, block the outside world out. Rioting will only cause hatred. When the Rabbeim will learn to make their subject as interesting and relevant as the internet, many problems will go away.
Imagine the chillul Hashem. THOUSANDS of Jews came to Yerushalayim today from everywhere in Israel and the world for Yom Yerushalayim. These nutjobs did everything in their power to confirm the evil caricatures that many categorize as “charedi”. They destroyed property and held up congested traffic. What gadol Hador authorized this? Where is the outcry from our leaders? Silent because these thugs will not hesitate to hurt anyone. They do not operate from daas Torah. They do not care about kedusha, they release their yetzer hora by trying anything to get attention. The ones that love Hashem’s Torah you will never hear about because they are busy learning Torah and performing mitzvos night and day. It used to be known that one never would fear a fellow Jew anywhere, but these guys are crazy. They incite violence! How can anyone feel that this is normal and right? There is peaceful protest and there are leaders who know how to get things done without burning property. Shame on all of you US citizens who give these guys financial support! Should I give tzedaka to pay a thug to burn down the garbage can on your street and hold up traffic so that you can’t leave your home in NY?