Jerusalem – A 15-year-old Jerusalem girl was arrested on suspicion that she lit a fire next to the Holy Ark of a synagogue in the city on the evening of Lag B’Omer. The girl claims that she wanted to take revenge for ultra-Orthodox harassment.
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The girl, a high school student, was arrested by police Tuesday morning, and brought before the court which extended her arrest until 11 pm Tuesday.
During questioning, she said she wanted to get back at the Haredim in the area in which she lives who harass her. She said she simply bought a lighter, and entered the “Mosdot Hatam Sofer” synagogue on Panim Meirot Street whose door was open. She then set the cantor’s platform and the screen in front of the Holy Ark on fire, and ran away.
Police continue to investigate the incident, but do not think there is any connection between this case and the two other arson cases in the city’s synagogues – Torat Moshe, on Shmuel Hanavi Street, and Or Hahayim in the Bukharian quarter, where three Torah scrolls were burned.
she has learned by the examples all around her…poor kid
We have to ask what’s happening to this generation. When you listen to the news in Israel it sound like your listening to the news in the Dinkins days in NY. Murder, shootings, rape, robbery…. What’s happening?????
Wow she must have really been tortured but that still dose not gives her the right to light a Sefer torah on fire.
She should be checked out for Para mania Disorder.
She wanted to get back at
them? WHO WOULD DO SUCH AN EVIL THING !!!!!, no matter what happened to you it’s not the torah’s fault, its people’s fault if you have a problem take it up with the people but dont go burnuing sefer torah’s
My heart goes out for this troubled teen! She must be very hurt inside. I hope they give her the proper help that she so desperately needs. I’m sure that the heilige Chasam Sofer will forgive her. Amen
Totzeret Israel
If grown people can steal 5 Torah’s from a Shtieble in BP, what do you expect from a 15 yo girl who was traumatized by religious zealots?
Oh so now it’s our foult, so typical blame the charedim, but sorry your messt up life and drugd up brain is your own dooing, stop blaming the world for your issues, we can’t help you unless you help yourself.
Hopefully the overzealous “Tznius Squads” will learn a lesson from this.
What has this generation come to that a Jewish Child would light a shul on fire. Forgive me for saying this, but we have to look in the mirror and say what we could have possibly done to hurt this child that she felt a rage of destruction against her own people. Was she called a (Shaigetz) Goy. Did people in the community say hello to her or smile to her in the street. We know in our history when our Ahavas Yisroel is at its lowest terrible things happen. Don’t forget we are now counting Sefira.
She must’ve been tortured… like how?
Headline should read: Chiloni girl sets fire to Shul
She is being harassed by Charedis. It is most likely her against a bunch of sick Charedi men. Poor girl, she shouldn’t go to jail, she should receive support, mentally and emotionally. Send the sick Sharedis that harass her to jail.
No excuses. This was criminal and she needs to be sent to jail
I guess she learned from the Chareidim – when they don’t like something, they also start lighting fires and burning other’s property. Way to go – you’re teaching a great lesson.
she could be verbally and mentally harassed . sadly she resorted to this.
she needs to go for extensive therapy
Nice to see that a freie juvenile arsonist gets more benefit of the doubt then her victims, with _NO_ other evidence being available. Just goes to show what kind of people comment here …
Please don’t get me wrong I myself have been through the system and know what hurt and pain feels like but I would never light a shule on fire
This is taking it to the next level.
And to # 10 you missed the point !!
Wow,amazing seeing comments defendeng such a ugly crime.If she was chareidi and being harrassed by the secular,everyone would be saying that doesn’t excuse violence.That’s what all the anti chareidi posters here were saying about all the chareidi protests.No matter how worthy the cause,violence should not be tolerated.
what goes around comes around. if u harrass enough people some of them will strike back. If this dosnt stop the next thing we may be hearing is that some chareidei guy got shot for throwing bleach on the wrong persons untznius girlfreind in geulah
Imagine if a chareidi girl bein harassed by secular people(which happens),and urned down a local youth club.The posters here would be raging,no excuses!!no pity!lock her up.She did the crime,do the time.A secular person does it?pity for the “poor girl” flows.What a bunch of hypcroites.
She said she simply bought a lighter, and entered the “Mosdot Hatam Sofer” synagogue on Panim Meirot Street whose door was open. She then set the cantor’s platform and the screen in front of the Holy Ark on fire, and ran away.
They make it seem like it was not premeditated. I doubt that a peroches or amud would burn by placing a lighter next to them. No lighter fluid, kerosene, etc? I would doubt the claim and look elsewhere for the guilty party.
Sorry sir you are employing a double standard, all of a sudden in this story, you cry chesbon hanefesh.What about all the other news stories.Your bias is obvious.
Do you not think it foreseeable that a small proportion of secular women (or their menfolk) who are insulted or physically assaulted either in the street or on a bus will react violently to that attack. The reason they attack a shul is not because they are too scared to attack a person. It is because they know that such an attack is particular upsetting to those they blame for bringing about this situation. That is why it is foolish to try to segregate buses. Such segregation (which feminists will never accept) can only be enforced through harassment and violence which in return beget more violence. The suffragettes in the UK had no hesitation in burning down churches a century ago and they even blew up part of the Prime Minister’s house! Do you not think that today’s feminists in Israel are any less militant then those in the UK a century ago?
Everyone that is non-charedi should defend this girl as much as the charedim defend the criminal Rubashkin!
Given the availability of automatic weaponry in Israel, the Charedim should be thankful that they weren’t massacred. If I were in the girl’s position, I know I would have considered it.
These Charedim are Reshaim Gemurim. Absolutely no question at all in my mind.
No 15 year old girl will just start a fire anywhere because it is not in their nature to do so. Boys are more heated and violent by nature and can do that, but girls have to be really hurt or pushed to the limit to do such an act. I can understand where she is coming from, but it doesn’t excuse her of setting anything on fire.
Charedi in Israel are much more radicalized than they are in North America. Some of these men are very violent and abusive of anyone that doesn’t conform to their perceived standards. In America, the Charedi understand that they are guests here and must abide by the laws, but in Jerusalem, they feel like it’s their backyard so they feel empowered and can do anything they want with impunity.
So let’s recap. A girl goes and a shul, lights a fire and runs away. When caught she blaims the Chareidim for abusing her. Then all these ugly comments start rolling in.
Fact: girl starts fire
Fact: there’s no proof that she was abused by the chareidim. You just need to take her word for it.
Too bad what the facts really are. Who cares whether the girl is really demented or has phobias or even if there was one crazy chareidi who harrased her (reality check; there are crazies in ever segment of society). Who cares? If there is a platform for bashing the all Chareidim IT MUST BE EXPLIOTED TO THE FULLEST!
Poor girl my heart gose out for her, i would do the same if i where her. shame on the peopler who drove her to do this
look at the Gemorah at the end of sucah [you may correct me it is a maseches in moed I spend too much time here], about the Jewish girl who married a Roman & went in to the Kodesh Kedoshim & slapped her shoe on the mizbeach & called it Lucas Lucas, At Mosai Ata mechaleh momonom shel yisroel.
What did the Chachomim do? They sunk hthat family of Kohanim’s ring to the ground.
Same here there is something wrong with her family if she protest by setting a Shul on fire & admitting it. You get it.
This girl is 100% at fault. No question about it. There is no excuse.
However, there is something else at play here. Chareidim who set fires to private property, throw stones and other various forms of destruction and violence are LEGITIMIZING this behavior to some people. Maybe this little girl saw chareidim setting fires in dumpsters and literally fought “fire with fire”. We don’t know the truth yet.
There is a saying “you reap what you sow”. When we act like animals, we invite others to do likewise.
Again, this does NOT excuse the behavior and she should be imprisoned immediately along with anyone else who goes around setting fires.
yeah poor poor girl I feel terible we otta find away for her to let out her fustration -or maybe she’s deranged?
Rabbosai,lets not jump to conclusions bef we know all the facts.
It could be she was harrassed by somebody else and not mishmar hatznius or pretends to be mishmar hatznius or shes making it all up.Lets wait & see.
What has this generation come to that a Jewish Child would light a shul on fire. Forgive me for saying this, but we have to look in the mirror and say what we could have possibly done to hurt this child that she felt a rage of destruction against her own people. Was she called a (Shaigetz) Goy. Did people in the community say hello to her or smile to her in the street. We know in our history when our Ahavas Yisroel is at its lowest terrible things happen. Don’t forget we are now counting Sefira.