Jerusalem – The municipality on Sunday evening cut off services to a number of ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, after hundreds of protesters clashed with police during demonstrations against the state’s decision to relocate ancient remains buried at the site of a planned emergency room in Ashkelon.
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Due to “a long list of violent incidents, including attacks on municipal workers and the vandalism of city facilities at the hands of the Haredi protesters, the city has decided to remove employees from these neighborhoods and immediately halt all activities until the violence and lack of concern for human life and property ends,” said the municipality.
Around 350 people participated in the protest in Sabbath Square, an ultra-Orthodox area of the capital. Some of the demonstrators lit trash cans on fire, forcing the area to be closed to traffic.
“They are arresting righteous Yeshiva students for protesting the desecration of graves,” said Rabbi Yitzhak Tuvia Weiss, the leader of the Haredi group that organized the protest. “It is they [the police] who should be arrested.”
At least 30 ultra-Orthodox demonstrators were arrested late Saturday and Sunday during protests at the site, where human remains believed to be thousands of years old are set to be removed to make room for the new Barzilai Medical Center ward.
The controversial plan has sparked outrage among Israel’sultra-Orthodox community, as it views the removal of buried remains as sacrilege.
The Israel Antiquities Authority on Sunday said preliminary findings from the excavation at the site of the planned emergency room reveal that the ancient remains buried there are not in fact Jewish, but from the Byzantine era.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Sunday said that the government’s decision to construct the bombproof emergency room at Barzilai Medical Center is in the public’s best interest, despite opposition from the ultra-Orthodox community.
“After the Second Lebanon War, we made a decision to erect a new emergency room next to Barzilai Medical Center,” said Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. “There is an important ultra-Orthodox public that is offended by this. We reached a decision to implement [the plan] and the general public’s interest is the deciding factor.”
Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush on Sunday visited the medical center to register his opposition to the project, calling the excavations an “embarrassment and a disgrace”.
“It was possible to find alternatives to digging up graves that may be Jewish,” Porush said. “It would have been preferable to have found a compromise.”
Netanyahu had refused permission for a preliminary check to ascertain that the graves were not Jewish, Porush said. In response to Porush’s comments, the head of the Ashkelon municipal council, Benny Vaknin, said: “The real shame is with the people who delayed construction of the bombproof emergency room, while during Operation Cast Lead people could have died…That is the biggest disgrace.”
Of course not mentioned by the media was that this past shabbos a bochur was stabbed in bnei brak by a secular gang.Or that a bochur was beaten so badly on shabbos in kiryat hayovel that he wound up in the hospital this shabbosOf couse the police arrested no one.This going on for years already well before the recent tumult’s..
Collective punishment, where is the world?
If this were to happen to the Arabs the world would be in uproar. For a democracy to act this way against a particular community is unheard of.
I hope that every frum person overseas should call for an immediate boycott against israel, and divest and investments.
Their actions lately are tantamount to a civil war. The chareidim need to regroup, and with achdus put an end to the abuse at the hands of the chilonim.
Netanyahu had refused permission for a preliminary check to ascertain that the graves were not Jewish,
So how do they know that they are not jewish?
Plain outright rishes that showes that the government had zero intrest in co operating
Netanyahu had refused permission for a preliminary check to ascertain that the graves were not Jewish, Porush said. In response to Porush’s comments, the head of the Ashkelon municipal council, Benny Vaknin, said: “The real shame is with the people who delayed construction of the bombproof emergency room, while during Operation Cast Lead people could have died
Sorry, but that is no answer to what Porush said.
Why has not let anyone identify these remains?
there cant be any good will come out of it. and shame to yakov litzman that he is still in the goverment only because he should receve his weekly pay check no wonder we have to make hafgones to try to stop these brutel zionists emagine eretz yisroel would look if not the eida hachrides there wouldnt be any kvorim left there wouldnt bw any sighn that its shabbos in yerushalim thanks to them we at least stand where we are today
Good! A group of people who contributes nothing to a government and demands that the government follows their will doesn’t deserve to get the government’s services.
It was on CBS news (880) what a massive chilull hashem on the states end.
what took them so long,should have been done years ago,criminal gangsters should not be treated with kid gloves,but with an iron fist
Kol hakovod to Netanyahu and the municipal authorities for finally saying enough is enough with this rioting and vandalism every time these Chareidi lunatics like Weiss and other zealots disagree with some decision by the government. Maybe after a few weeks with no garbage colleection and no repairs to water and sewer systems, some more responsible heads among the Chareidim will put a stop to this craziness. Its sad but necessary that all the chareidi families will suffer for the actions of a few.
They said the bones were NOT Jewish; the govt. is responsible for protecting its citizens, and it seems this hosp. extension is sorely needed (and needs to be bomb proof); it is unruly and atrocious to burn trash bins, spit at policemen, and call them the “n” word. Personally, I don’t view their behavior as being a Kiddush HaShem, but far from ahdus. Nothing in life is 100% they way you want it to be.
Open lettet to Israel-
Israel beware. There can be no state of Israel without strict adherence to the Torah and it’s commandments. The army does not protect the state of Israel. The frum yidden protect the state of Israel. Be careful how you treat the righteous. Our G-d will protect them above all others. You are not Israelis, you are Jews. Your state of Israel was bought with the blood of the righteous that died for their religion, for their love of Hashem, not for being Israelis. Listen when the Charedi Rabbanim issue their psaks. Respect and honor their words. Without the presence of Hashem there is no state of Israel, there is just Palestine.
I don’t understand. Are they protesting in Ashkelon, or in Jerusalem?
Let’s say this time when the Israelis are unearthing ancient bones they are non Jewish– This situation comes up at least once a year, why is there never an uproar from the more modern orthodox population? Does this NOT bother you/ them? Why is it always left for the ultra charedim to do the dirty work? If the polish or German authorities decide to unearth a cemetery , does it NOT bother you.Then Why is that the JEWISH STATE is able to do such scandalous acts with no repercussion from the general population , except from some mea shearim frumsters? Where are ALL frum Jews?
I disagree with all of you….
What these people do is so destructive to the very fabric of the society that they must be removed so that the problem doesn’t become worse. You can’t have a Holy City in which people are afraid to come for fear of getting attacked! Do they not believe that Hashem runs the world and if these people are doing the wrong thing that he will deal with them accordingly? They are only doing bad for the name of Hashem, for the Jewish nation and for themselves.
The reason the Romans came to destroy the temple was, as the Roman historian Sulpicious Severus says, because of the Christians who were making trouble.
Christianity is a religion built upon this type of disruptive fanaticism, as you see Der Yoisel came into the Bais HaMikdash during Yom Tov and started screaming and throwing people out for doing things that truly were immoral, but the Chachamim did not approve of this behavior, since this is not the way of Hashem.
These Charedi kinoi’im are doing the same ill conceived and destructive things that got the Bais HaMikdash destroyed, they need to be stopped.
Seems like they take joy in digging kevurim, this is what they always do r”l
This is not necessarily collective punishment. I think this is appropriate toward Arabs or any other group that threatens the welfare of municipal employees.
Will they also keep out the meter maids?
as long as israel do this to chareidi
they leider get back the same from pres.Abama
finally Israel is dealing with these lunatic, instead of codling them like spoiled children
Good teach them to behave
it amazes me how the charaidim always act like primitive people. why cant they act like mentchshen…
The chareidim are against the state of Israel. So why should the state of Israel supply them with municipalities? Let them generate their own electricity. Let them set up their own water piping and their own sewerage.. their own hospitals… their own airport… their own airline…. oh i forgot, that would mean they would actually have to work and contribute to society other than just learning and davening…. ok scratch that.
And then we wonder why the secular hate us.
When will we have true leaders yirei shomyaim who will wake up and smell the coffee?
If you haven’t noticed, the large percentage of VIN readers is actually happy to see this long overdue action. Same reaction on most of the other orthodox websites and shows a common realization that these rioters are not representative of the frum community either in the U.S. or EY.
Act like animals get treated like them. Makes perfect sense.
of course the Rebbunim are silent and refuse to admonish these individuals who are promoting this chaos. there is no leadership in the chraide tzibur only more chumrahs.
Until now the argument I always heard from the chareidim (as to why they don’t work, go to the army, or otherwise contribute to society) was that their ‘learning’ was somehow a shmirah for all the chilonim, etc.
Well, its now clear that that’s all a bunch of bull. All the chareidim care about is rioting, burning trash dumpsters, etc. These nuts deserve whatever they get and more, if only for the chillul hashem they have caused.
they should do the same to any arab village from where rocks, shots or any violence comes from.
An adam gadol once said that the reason he doesn’t become an MK in the Knesset is because he would have to tear kriyah on a daily basis because of the terrible blasphemy he would here there R”L. I think that unfortunately the same can be said about the comments posted on a daily basis on VIN whenever an article pertains to Chareidim or a psak issued by Gedolim Shlit”a.
They tried this same strategy against hamas in Gaza. Didn’t work there and won’t work here. On the contrary. The parasites will now have who to blame for their miserable plight.
The fact is that in the last few weeks, Livni and the mayor of Tel Aviv came out to bash all chareidim and incite the masses to hysteria as the Labor Party did for 30-40 years calling them “parasites and leeches”. Barak is the next one to start. Just listen to the secular radio host who was just fined 50,000 shekels for his incitement to attack hareidim; This municipal
decision is similar to kristillnacht by the Germans. To cut the services for thousands because of a few rebel rousers (who deserve severe punishment if breaking the law of the land only)
is masei SODOM. !! Anyone who can condone the massive punishment of thousands of innocents over 30 protesters in Ashkelon or 300 in Jerusalem is an Amolek. Would u condone shutting all services to a town of a few ARAB stone throwers . This is rishes against the religious community who are mostly innocent. The “afraid comments’ are purely fictitious. Iblame Litzman and the gERRER AND bELZER rEBBES AND utj WHO DO NOT MASS 200,000 YIDDIN TO PROTEST THIS VINDICTIVE ACT ON INNOCENTS. tHEY WILL PAY MORE THAN ANYONE FOR THEIR SILENCE! tHEY SHOULD CUT OFF THEIR BEARDS. i ALSO the protestors should be indicted for law violations.
Recently Gideon Levy a far leftist writer wrote an article in Haaretz that shocked me: He beautifully said the the “secular jews have become racists against Hareidim.”. When any Chareidim move into a secular neighborhood , they organize the community to try and do everything to discourage them fro equally buying a home in the neighborhood. They fight their attempts to build a house of prayer but never do that against Arabs. Hareidim don’t discriminate against secular and are perfectly willing to have their own private bus lines. Egged doesn’t want to lose the business so they tend to accommodate the chareidim.
In every community there are extremists and those that break the law should pay regardless of their religious view The fear and hatred by the secular against the Chareidim is much more vicious and intense then the oppoaite. Simply put, the government’s policies have instilled this attitude for decades. When religious did not serve a lot in the army- The seculars said ” our children are dying for you!” Now that 40% are religious are officers and in the army the seculars scream “too many religious are in the army.”!! Where are the seculars kids? in Bali and India on vacati.
I cannot imagine a single comment above (on either side) ever been made by Reb Aryeh Levine, by the Chofetz Chaim, by the Ba’al Shem Tov, by Reb Levi Barditchev, by Rav Moshe, Rav Yaakov or any other true leader of klal yisroel and ohaiv yisroel.
Oy lanu….
Kol Hakov to Bibi for clamping down on these violent behaymas.
I agree with an earlier comment thaty achdus is paramount and includes all Jews and even to humanity at large whenever possible. The way of influencing our fellow jews is through peace and beauty. These violent protests are not the way of yiddishkeit.
everyone calm down isreal is run like colorwar whoever screams the loudest wins both in the knesset and demonstrators as well as the men in black its all a game they are all nut jobs
Its o.k. we can all survive, at this time Monday morning 7:00 A M all the garbage cans in Geula are burning, no need for services. have a nice day !!!
These extremists are on the Shabak payroll to do just what they are doing – rile up fellow marginals to make problems that affect the whole community. Time for someone to throw all of these lowlifes out of Yerushalayim and put them in nidui.
As a soldier in the IDF, I cannot let comment 64 fly. Ish Emes? Are you serious? The religious soldiers in the army are NOT chareidi, the officers are NOT chareidi. Chareidim as a general rule still don’t go to the army. Please don’t take the National Zionist camps credit for yourself.
Let’s put it like this, peaceful protesting yes but doing damage no