Jerusalem – An Orthodox Jewish assailant stabbed and wounded six participants in the annual Gay Pride march in Jerusalem on Thursday, police said.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned “as a most serious incident” what was the worst attack in years on the event in Jerusalem, a city where the religious population is more prominent than in other parts of Israel.
Marchers numbering about 5,000 and waving banners were heading down an avenue when an ultra-Orthodox man jumped into the crowd and plunged a knife into some of them, witnesses said.
Police arrested the suspected perpetrator and were questioning him, police spokesman Assi Aharoni said.
The man had recently been released from prison after serving a sentence for stabbing several people at a gay pride parade in 2005, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.
Samri said the attacker, Yishai Schlissel, was arrested.
Police and medics said the assailant had wounded six people. Two were taken to hospital in serious condition.
“I saw an ultra-Orthodox youth stabbing everyone in his way,” said Shai Aviyor, a witness interviewed on Israel’s Channel 2 television.
“We heard people screaming, everyone ran for cover, and there were bloodied people on the ground,” Aviyor said.
The march, which attracts thousands of participants, has long been a focus of tension between Israel’s predominantly secular majority and the ultra-Orthodox Jewish minority, who object to public displays of homosexuality.
While the event takes place annually in the more gay friendly business hub of Tel Aviv without incident, in Jerusalem, where the religious population is more prominent, violence has erupted in the past.
The march is held in the largely Jewish side of the divided city. Palestinians predominate in occupied East Jerusalem.
Oded Fried, the head of a leading gay rights group, said the attack would not deter the movement.
“Our struggle for equality only intensifies in the face of such events,” he said.
Netanyahu said in a statement: “This is a most serious incident. We will prosecute those responsible to the full extent of the law. Freedom of individual choice is a basic value in Israel.”
Anti-gay activists from the far-right Jewish group Lehava were protesting at the parade.
Lehava released a statement ahead of the pride parade, stating that it would not allow the event “to pass quietly.”
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לא תרצח!!!!
What is happening to us?
Isn’t “You shall not murder” still one of the top 10 of Judaism?
Didn’t we just read somewhere that we shall appoint judges – and only judges – to sit in judgment?
Have we forgotten that the same mindset that gave us the yellow star also created the pink triangle?
This is Just more proof that the end of Israel will not be an attack from the outside but disintegration from within. If our outside enemies really want to see the end of Israel and the Jewish people all they have to do is leave us alone to destroy ourselves by attacking each other. It’s not so much “love your neigbour as yourself” as “Disapprove of your neighbour who is not like yourself and attack him or her” – Vayikra 19:18 and Rabbi Akiva (“Zeh Klal Gadol Batorah”) be damned.
Every Rebbe worth the title should be calling out the goons from amongst their followers with explicit instructions to cease and desist this kind of behaviour.How many will?
If he was a member of the Neturi Karta?
I agree with number 3. He said it all correctly.
Kudos to Pinchas ben Eluzer ben Aharon Hacohen
Righteous indignation it’s called, isn’t it?
Calling this violent piece of filth an Orthodox Jew is in insulting to every Jew. He is an animal who dresses like us and nothing more. There is no yiddishe neshomah inside that bag of flesh. He is a blood-thirsty beast who cares nothing for H” or man. I cannot believe he was ever allowed out of prison after his last attempt at mass murder. Stick him a box forever.
Obviously a very deranged man, why he was not in prison or an asylum is beyond me. The fact that he is “Orthodox” is really not relevant.
Chas VeShalom this incident should dampen anyone’s opposition to these abominable people who publicly flaunt their sinfulness and encourage others to take pride in rebelling against HKB”H.
Chas VeShalom this incident should dampen anyone’s opposition to this parade and any other like it anywhere in the world.
קנאים פוגעים בהם
לא נחתם גזר דין המבול עד שכתבו שטר כתובה לזכר
ההלכה אוסרת ומתייחסת לנישואים חד-מיניים “כמעשה ארץ מצרים אשר ישבתם בה לא תעשו”, דהיינו שהמצרים היו עושים שאיש נושא איש ואישה נושאת אישה. במסכת חולין (צב ב) מובא שאף בני נח נצטוו על כך “שאין כותבין כתובה לזכרים”. יחס שלילי נוסף לנישואים חד-מיניים מובא בויקרא רבה (כג ט): “רב הונא בשם רבי יוסי אמר: דור המבול לא נמחו מן העולם אלא על ידי שכתבו גומסיות (שטרות נישואין) לזכר ולנקבה”, דהיינו שדור המבול נענש משום שסידרו נישואין בין שני זכרים ובין שתי נקבות.
What are we Arabs?
The aveira of Toeiva is equal in severity to the aveira of murder. BOTH are Yehareig v’al Ya’avor.
They forgot to say a mental Orthodox Jew
This guy is obviously deranged (just look at the picture). But there is no excuse for hosting this parade in Jerusalem except to intentionally provoke such incidents and the sentiments that fuel them.
So one meshuggene does this and all chareidim will be tarred the same way?
Not only that it was the same person from 2013 who was just released from jail.
And I see that no one seems bothered by the actuall parade which is terrible. And goes through chareidi areas to specifically try to aggravate them.
Nor has anyone noted that almost all the emergency personnel attending to the injured are chareidim.
While I condem any kind of violence, what are they doing this is Jerusalem – a PREDOMINANTLY Orthodox city, it’s just going to rile up the extremists.
But why are they doing it in west jerusalem? If they so free loving, march in east jerusalem. What do you think happens in Gaza to openly gay people? They executed them in cold blood. No one is preventing them being gay if that’s what they want, to transgress the Torah, but parading it in public is asking for trouble. There is free choice and then there is parading your lifestyle. How would anyone like it if there was a heterosexual parade promoting underage, illicit and non marriage relationships? Or pedophilea, all in the name of ‘free speech’ ?
Shame on them for doing this. Shame on us for allowing it to happen.
He is nebech a pyc job, He should be lock away in the funny farm till he dies
The marchers are engaged in a capital offense.
better to save the knife for a pere odom.
The man had recently been released from prison after serving a sentence for stabbing several people at a gay pride parade in 2005, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.
Sounds like hes gonna get locked up and they will throw away the ” Schlissel”
I’m shocked at how gullible and self righteous some of the posters here are. Do you really think you have to lecture about how what this maniac did was wrong? Do you really think any sane person here agrees with what he did, or applauds it? Only a self hating, frum-hating ignoramus would use this shameful act to paint all religious Jews as violent low lives, to be scolded. Get a life and get help for your hate.
He stabbed people at the same parade10 years ago and just got out of prison. Law enforcement should have been monitoring his whereabouts during this event.
קנאים פוגעין בו
Pinchas was rewarded with Kehuna and a parsha in his name – for a similar situation. I wouldn’t do it myself – but can’t condemn it either.
There’s plenty of outrage over the stabbing. Where’s the outrage over the public display of PRIDE in violating one of the most severe aveiros of the Torah? In Yerushalyim, people have a PARADE to show off how they are PROUD to commit an aveira which is yehareig v’al ya’avor. Why are the commentators here not upset about THAT?
NOTE: maybe this will be published even though my other comment was not?
Why is he any worse than Pinchas who killed Zimri when the punishment for mishkav zachar is death?
I think the gays should parade in East Jerusalem
Anyone here that supports this guy or in any way or form “understands” this man, should be ashamed of himself and should never make fun of the Taliban, Isis or any other radical Islam group!
why did no one shoot him on the spot?
if it was an arab he would of been riddled with bullets
Oshe ma’aseh k’zimri ubikesh schar k’pinchas!
If people scream and shout that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, then it is the capital for all Israelis not just Chareidim.
Why are so many people up in arms over this parade? Who cares? These are Jewish lives! And even if you believe that what they stand for is wrong, even if what they do in their bedrooms is the most abhorrent of acts, it does not matter. The point of this parade is not to celebrate forbidden sexual contact, but to celebrate their right as human beings to live free from fear and discrimination.
I don’t love the fact that they march through Jerusalem either. But I do know that my heart swells with ahavas Yisroel when you see yidden show love to every human being even when their beliefs are counter to ours. Even when everything we know says “that person is doing something wrong” we still show them the love of H” and His Torah. That is what separates us from ISIS and Hamas and Fatah.
I believe that every protest and every act of violence pushes more and more Jews away from H”. Not one of these people will be deterred in any way by the hate-filled speeches, protests and violence. In fact, we know the opposite is true.
If you want to reach out to people on a spiritual level it is done with a smile, a pure heart, and an outstretched hand.
I agree 100% with #25 ; if that psycho was an Arab, he would have been toast by now, and would have been shot dead! The Israeli police are going to have to stop handling these Hareidi psychos with kid gloves. Once they allow Hareidis to bully and pit at and assault women on public buses, and on EL, to beat up members of the IDF, to throw stones at cars and pedestrians with impunity, it is only a matter of time, before these violent extremists will kill someone. Israel is a country of laws; while I don’t condone the gay lifestyle, the fact of the matter is that the Israeli government, gave the parade organizers the legal right to march. When Yitzchak Rabin was killed, Netanyahu stated that we must fight with ballots, and not bullets. Yet, there are some on this board who condone what that animal did, and have implied that it was the fault of the victims for provoking the extremists. Their ridiculous argument is tantamount for blaming the victim of a rape, for dressing immodestly. The honor for the most disgusting posting, belongs to “Schvigger”, #5 , who stated “Kudos” and gave that psycho’s name. Hey, “Schvigger”, I’m glad that you were not my Schvigger.
I don’t get it. If we allow Jews to profane the Shabbos, why can’t we allow gays to march? Both, we are told, deserve the death sentence.
Enlighten me please
The Palestinians would never allow such a parade. So who do you think G-d would then prefer to give the territory to?
His behavior was unacceptable and he was lucky he was not shot. Its too bad he wasn’t. He was just released for a similar incident which he spent 10 years in prison. If he gets released again, he will once again recommit a similar offense. He is a terrorist. He could have killed many people.
Chillul Hashem
You have to be a real צדיק וקדוש
to do that.
Halacah is Kanaim Poigin Bo Lochain Emor Hinneni Nosein Lo Es Brisi Sholom
It it unbelievable seeing these pictures of frumma yidden coming to save these evil marchers against Hashem.
While he appears to be a deranged murderer he may also be a Tzadik we’ll know after 120. Either way this is what you get for marching in Jerusalem and I am worried about the terrorism coming.
He is a terrorist attacking Jews, and the police need to tear down his family’s house like that of any terrorist. It’s the only way to deal with terrorists!
These homos provoked his actions by having their parade in Yerushalayim. Let them have their event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia or in Moscow. Russia. They should all be thrown out of Ir Hakodesh.
This story is on the front page of every main stream media news outlet .. But when an Arab stabs people in Israel no one cares… Just sayin…
I don’t know what he considered himself, but with a first name of Yishai it is clear he is not the product of Charedi upbringing.
Based on the picture he is a real loony. He should have put in a mental institute instead of prison.
How is Hareidi’s behavior any different from a radical Muslim, who feels it is his duty to murder an infidel?
The cloth of his Torah Dream is a black head for a broken hate. Change in Israel is not going to come by the knife, ax or broken arrow. Jews must daven and give Charity. Only then will Hashem and the Divine Providence put an end to the treif hate events and public displays of adornment for public outrage and hate.
Many of you are very confused. The sin of male homosexuality is more severe than shabbos violators. Homosexuality applies to jews as well as non Jews. If someone puts a gun to your head and says violate shabbos or get shot, you may violate shabbos. If someone puts a gun to you and says do a homo act , you must give up your life. Parading in the holy city in a gay parade is a rebellion against G-d in the highest form. Is it any wonder that nukes are being built with the intent to destroy eretz yisroel. By allowing gay parades in jerusalem you are fueling the machine of ISIS. They are all pointing to jerusalem and saying if this is how Jews treat the holy city they don’t deserve it.
It’s very sad. While they shouldn’t have the parade in Jerusalem, they shouldn’t be attacked either. – Maybe it was meant to be. Still, it’s very tragic. May redemption come soon.
#3 Seems to have said it correctly. This is horrible news to wake up to.
Why would a man who would not carry a gun to defend his fellow Jews pick up a knife to kill them?
The homos have no right to provoke violence in Yerushalayim. Let them have their parade in Moscow, Russia or Riyadh, Saudi Arabia or any other arab country. They come to Yerushalayim because today’s Jews are confused with political correctness. The homos don’t belong in Ir Hakodesh. Send them away, now.
We have no right to stab, wound or maim anyone and the perpetrator, even though he had noble intentions is a mental case and must be treated as such. On the other hand, the homos are sick, sick individuals who need medical and psychological help. We must stop encouraging this choice of personal perversion.