Mea She’arim – Bookstore Selling Zionist Books Hit by Extremist

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    Mea She’arim – A bookstore in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea She’arim, which has been struggling with violence from a mafia-style “Purity Committee” that objects to their English and Zionist books, was attacked once again early on Wednesday morning.

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    Marlene Samuels, the manager of Or Hachaim/Manny’s Bookstore, found the outer windows of the shop smashed for the fifth time since the store’s opening in March 2010, and the second time in less than a week.

    Radicals from the fringe anti-Zionist Sikrikim group have also glued its locks shut, thrown tar and fish oil at it and dumped bags of human excrement inside the store.

    Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said the police had received a complaint and opened an investigation.

    He added that the police are using intelligence gathered from a wide range of sources to try to stop the violence against the store.

    The harassment of the bookstore stems from the bookstore’s refusal to accept demands made by the Sikrikim, a group of 60-100 extremists in Mea She’arim which demands all businesses observe specific “modesty standards.”

    At Or Hachaim, the Sikrikim’s demands include putting up a sign asking customers to dress modestly and removing all English-language and Zionist books. Two weeks ago, owners of the store met with Sikrikim representatives to try to stop the violence, but no solution was found.

    “Their list is too long, they want every English book out, they want the store, that’s the bottom line,” said Samuels.


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    48 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    12 years ago

    How can these people call themselves anti-Zionist? Anyone who simply wants to live there thinking the Zionists have no power over them is himself a Zionist. These people simply want some action to pretend they are so holy. How holy can you be living there and benefiting from the Zionists? Give ME a break!!!

    Phineas
    Phineas
    12 years ago

    Manny used to come to my Yeshiva to sell seforim. He is a mild-mannered man and a good person. This harassment is disgusting.

    eigner
    eigner
    12 years ago

    Chilul hashem.
    Is this how they prepare for the Yoim Hadin?

    Secular
    Secular
    12 years ago

    Cut their government subsidies

    DaTruVoice
    DaTruVoice
    12 years ago

    We are so better than the Arab world! Yasher koach!

    12 years ago

    Why do so many of us wish for for a painful end to the lives of this small fringe group of chareidim whose almost daily commit such chillul hashem. Its even more painful that the police cannot figure out who are the most directly involved and swiftly punish them.

    HaNavon
    HaNavon
    12 years ago

    When Hashem told Yirmiahu HaNavi to give tochachah to our holy nation, he said “hinei lo yodati dabeir, ki naar anochi”, “behold, I don’t know how to speak, because I’m only a youth”.
    Rashi says that Yirmiahu said “Moshe only gave tochachah close to his death, after he had done nissim for the nation, and became chashuv in their eyes, he brought them out of Egypt, he split the sea, he brought the mann, he gave them the Torah…
    only then could he give rebuke! I’m just a beginner! I should give rebuke?!”
    Oy, borei olam…..
    All I can say is, at least it wasn’t worse. The Arabs kill, the Christians kill…but the holy Jews, even when we make mistakes, it’s glue, tar and fish oil!
    mi k’amcha yisroel, goy echad b’aretz!

    Shlomtzy
    Shlomtzy
    12 years ago

    Since when is gneivah and gzeilah allowed? What a chilul Hashem in Elul.

    Darek
    Darek
    12 years ago

    The storeowners met the sikrikim or whatever they call themselves that means they know who is behind these attacks,

    Make another meeting with the and warn them with a hammer..

    ModernLakewoodGuy
    ModernLakewoodGuy
    12 years ago

    Lets get one thing clean. These terrorists may have tzitzis and payos, they might spend 5 hours picking out the perfectly shaped esrog, they make shukel back and forth in shul until they give themselves a concussion, but they are NOT religious jews. God does not want them, and there is no place for them in heaven when they leave this world.

    destro613
    destro613
    12 years ago

    The voices from all the rabbonim and roshei yeshiva in the area condemning these heinous acts is deafening.

    nphatti
    nphatti
    12 years ago

    Manny, don’t give in to these hoolians. There is no shem shamayim in their actions. You are competition to the hole in the wall bookshops in Meo Shearim.
    Its only gelt. Al shloishu devurim hu’oylom oimeid – al hakesef, v’al hakesef , v’al hakesef .

    ZAIDY678
    ZAIDY678
    12 years ago

    video camera’s

    volfie
    volfie
    12 years ago

    whats the stores’ address ? when i’m in Yerushalayim i want to there and buy seforim and show support !

    12 years ago

    Right on fellow Erev Rav. Actually you are missing a better action. Sign on to The Post or even into our fellow erev rav the new york times. why do you come here like flies to tumah? well, you the sitra achra is always at the fringe of kedusha, like our fellow arabs. that’s why you love to come here and spew your hatred, as you did in the midbar.

    12 years ago

    Wow, I remember Manny coming to Yeshiva to sell seforim back in the day. I hope they catch these thugs and lock them up. We must stand against extremism in Judaism. Enough already.

    12 years ago

    I think that the owners of Z Berman Books are partners with Ohr Hachaim in Israel.

    It’s about time the Rabonim do something about this!

    Why doesn’t someone approach Rabbi Weiss from the Eida when he comes to America and ask him how he let’s this go on???

    Why doesn’t he come out with a Psak that this is pure GENAIVA!!!

    Isn’t he the Gava”d of Yerushalaim???

    Shlomtzy
    Shlomtzy
    12 years ago

    I am trying very hard to follow in the footsteps of Bruriah and Rebbe Meir: when he was harassed by people in his town, his wife reminded him that we daven for sin to be abolished from the world and not the sinners. We wish ill-will on the actions not on the people. I find myself wishing for these m’chaleli shamayim to be hurt but mamish the midda of gvurah is stronger: we wish that they do teshuva quickly, pay for the damages, apologize publicly and spend just 1 week in a yeshiva that appreciates what we have in Eretz Yisroel.

    12 years ago

    These behaymas are NOT Jewish. They are Taliban.

    Babishka
    Member
    Babishka
    12 years ago

    Keep a baseball bat behind the counter.

    Kevod Shomayim
    Kevod Shomayim
    12 years ago

    Wow!
    What a Kidush Hashem when you see yidden go all the way to keep the kedusha within klal yisroel.
    the mitzvah of kidush/chilul hashem is in the Torah after it warns about im’modesty and the Torah say that if you you will get rid of it then Venikdashti besoch beney yisroel.
    And about genaiveh! they are working with the permission of bais din which has the halachic rights to do so because Hefker bais din Hefker which is the same heter Rabbies have used to be metaher mamzairim and Matir Agunas.
    So let’s give our thumbs up for those people who are realy mekayem the mitzvah of Kidush Hashem occording to halacha.

    12 years ago

    We on VIN should order all our Judaica from them and get people everywhere to join us in ordering online and supporting them and showing a message

    Materetsky
    Materetsky
    12 years ago

    How disgusting. I’m sure Manny’s would agree to things like putting up a sign asking people to dress tznius–not that they need to because the huge mea sharim tznius sign is very close on a wall near the entrance of Manny’s–, but English books? These are nto secular books, they are just English books.
    What about baalei tshuva–they can’t daven or learn any halachas without the book being translated–
    And human excretement? What? Where do you get the idea to do that even???

    oiber-chacham
    oiber-chacham
    12 years ago

    it is high time the police take of their gloves,and treat these criminaly insane, ignorant savages like the gangsters that they are

    PMOinFL
    PMOinFL
    12 years ago

    Dearest Manny,

    Please let us know how we can order items from your store online.

    Also, you can resolve this problem with these animals by following simple instructions.

    1. Buy yourself a semi-automatic rifle
    2. Post a sign in the front of your store that ANY acts of violence will be assumed to be terrorist-related and perpetrators will be shot in the face.
    3. Start secretly staying all night in your store.
    4. When they come again, shoot them in the face.

    If a Palestinian group of thugs were doing this we would call them terrorists. So, why not call these dogs what they are. I bet if one were to look back, they would find these animals may not even be Jewish. If they want to act like terrorists, they should be willing to die in the streets like terrorists.

    The chillul H” they create is inexcusable and must no longer be tolerated by anyone.

    DRE53
    DRE53
    12 years ago

    Just wondering where all of you who make sure to be dan lekaf zechus all those kofrim who don’t keep anything of the torah, nevertheless, you call them Tinuk Shenishbo and say they can’t be blamed for what they are since they were brought up this way. But when it comes to a frum yid doing something wrong, although they were raised that way, you suggest that they be treated harshly.
    Why shouldn’t we show them love and be them Mekarev just like the other “Tinok shenishbos”?

    12 years ago

    As Shlomo Hmelech said “….a time of peace a time of war… ‘ .Anyone who acts like Essuv needs to be dealt with the only way that Essuv understand.A JEW who HATS ANOTHER JEW because he is different than you are is NOT a jew.

    Miguel
    Miguel
    12 years ago

    The haredi system in Israel is at a breaking point. Unless someone is a talmud chacham and has the ‘zitsfleisch’ to sit and learn all day, they are in serious trouble. They can’t get a job because they didn’t serve in the military, the stigma attached to working chas v’shalom, and because they have no marketable skills. So they roam around all day, living off tzedaka and government checks from their non-existing kollel, looking for action and trouble. In most cases, they find it. Either they become kanoyim, or they go the other way. It’s an unsustainable system and something gotta give. Soon.

    lakewooder
    lakewooder
    12 years ago

    Maybe Manny’s did it himself to drum up sales in his store.
    Seriously, the best idea is to approach Rabbi Weiss himself and pressure him to sign a clear letter against these actions. Although very few people actually commit these deeds, there are many who are ipso facto pleased that they were done. If the Edah Charedis were to announce that this is wrong, although people will understand that this was only due to pressure, the language on the street might change.

    12 years ago

    Sikrikim = SICK REIKIM!

    Its time for Chareidi society to take out the trash who are destroying Judaism.

    Phineas
    Phineas
    12 years ago

    Everyone who can should patronize Manny’s store. The police should also post a guard at night or at least conduct patrols.

    my2sense
    my2sense
    12 years ago

    To all the holy excrement kanoim fighting those holy wars with their excrement produced expressly lsheim mitzva in the name of god. try worrying strictly about your own spirituality. I know… it’s not as fun.
    Alternatively, take off your yarmulkas and other assorted zionist funded heiliger malbishim so I don’t have to be ashamed to wear mine.

    The_Truth
    Noble Member
    The_Truth
    12 years ago

    Manny’s Bookstore has been around in Measharim for over 10 years as I remember buying seforim there for many years when I am in Israel.
    There is also a large Feldheim store now near there which seems to have “come to an agreement” (cut a deal?) with the Sikrikim.

    The_Truth
    Noble Member
    The_Truth
    12 years ago

    The Sikrikim are the most extremist splinter sect associated with anti-Zionist haredim. They are estimated to be no larger than 60-100 people, but their influence and thug tactics reverberate throughout the neighborhood.

    The name “Sikrikim” comes from the Latin “Sicarii,” a term applied, in the decades immediately preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, to an extremist splinter group of the Zealots who tried to expel the Romans and their partisans from Judea using concealed daggers.

    NoMan
    NoMan
    12 years ago

    It’s interesting that the name Sikrikim is used for them. This is the name given to the groups of Jewish thugs who terrorized Yerushalyim during the Roman siege. They also presented themselves as frum and members were connected with the best families, with Gedolei Yisroel. Chaza”l were not too pleased with them. Did this modern incarnation of the group choose this name for themselves or was it imposed on them by their opponents? Anyone know?