At an urgent gathering in Bnei Brak rabbonim and leading
public figures from the chareidi community decided to launch
an uncompromising campaign against a violent group from
Jerusalem that has been committing frightful acts against
gedolei Yisroel, shlita. Recently three members of the
group attacked a prominent Jerusalem avreich, Rav
M.B., beating him severely and even stabbing him with a
knife, while he was learning at Beis Knesses Papa.
The meeting was held after it was learned the unruly group in
Jerusalem is backed by certain elements within the Eida
HaChareidis, which even directed very grave remarks against
maranan verabonon the guiding lights of the entire
Torah world, when one of their rabbonim made slanderous
statements during a public gathering in Jerusalem. These
derisive remarks, which have yet to be retracted, regularly
serve the group to perpetrate acts of terror and to
disseminate debased notices against maranan
verabonon.
The group of thugs, which has been operating freely for
years, directing physical and verbal violence against
maranan verabonon gedolei hador and against the masses
of Beis Yisroel who abide by their pronouncements. They foul
the streets of the holy city of Jerusalem with highly
offensive writings and have even entered botei knesses
and botei medrash, removed books and burned them in
the streets or trampled them in their botei medrash as
in the darkest periods of history. Meanwhile not a word of
dissent or condemnation has been heard from the ranks of the
leadership of this particular tzibbur.
The recent meeting opened with a survey of the events and the
remarks that were made by certain leading figures of that
community. It was explained that the thugs are waging a
systematic battle of shameful violence and scorn toward
maranan verabonon and have stopped at nothing to sully
and humiliate, even spreading lies about maranan
verabonon.
Based on the assumption that the public was not taking them
seriously, maranan verabonon originally gave
instructions not to respond, in order to avoid increasing the
violence and the dissemination of new lies. However since
then the group has escalated its violence.
One of the worst moments took place several months ago when
HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman arrived to participate in
a hachnosas sefer Torah for the Bnei Hayeshivos
kehilloh of Sanhedria Murchevet. A small band of
hooligans from the group burst onto the scene and even tried
to ignite the car in which HaRav Shteinman was traveling. The
arson attempt made tempers flare within the chareidi public
and led the late Eida Chareidis Ravad, HaRav Y.Y. Fisher, to
issue strong condemnations of the groups and its conduct at
the event, saying, "Dos iz a gevaldige chutzpah."
Meanwhile the Eida Chareidis organ justified their acts,
referring to them as "the pure-minded of Jerusalem."
The speakers explained that the group, the identity of whose
members is known, was also active several years ago in the
gravesite problems in Pisgat Ze'ev, demonstrating terrible
violence toward gedolei haposkim. The conflict ceased
only after Yated Ne'eman took the highly unusual step
of revealing the entire chain of events of the scandal in
detail, including the names of those involved. Only then did
this band stop its lowly behavior. Stories that were spread
in chutz la'aretz were finally halted when the English
edition of Yated prepared a special article explaining
the issues involved, including extensive pictures of the
locations.
The group employs several means of showing contempt for
maranan verabonon, such as a special mudslinging
weekly bulletin, distributed for free in mailboxes, filled
with horrific lies that go to new extremes every week, and
base posters regularly distributed throughout Jerusalem, as
well as other reprehensible deeds unfit for print.
They have caught several yeshiva students in their web,
enticing them to leave the Torah and yeshiva world to join
them. One of these young men, A.Z., was thrown out of a
prestigious yeshiva where he studied after he was caught with
libelous writings against maranan verabonon in his
possession.
According to reports police believe the group was also
responsible for an arson attack on the Jerusalem branch of
Degel HaTorah.
A group of avreichim, deeply disturbed by the writings
appearing periodically on the walls of buildings in a small
section of the city, decided to take action. Two prominent
avreichim talmidei chachomim, Rav M.B. and Rav A.H.A.,
found themselves walking around between sedorim
carrying buckets of paint to cover the offensive notices.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, the 28th of Adar Beis, the two
walked to kollel through Meah Shearim, intending to
cover over shocking writings there against gedolei
Yisroel. While they were at work, A.Z. appeared on the
scene and tried to interfere by pushing and acting violently
toward one of the avreichim. The other avreich
pressed A.Z. up against the wall whereupon A.Z. pretended to
fall to the ground, apparently as part of a prearranged
scheme. Meanwhile one of the heads of the band who is in
charge of printing its posters was watching from a nearby
apartment and photographed the confrontation. Within days the
city was plastered with posters under the heading, "Nachal
Stormtroopers in Action -- Murder in Open Daylight in Meah
Shearim." A picture caption read, "The lowly murderers
sadistically kicking the victim's body and legs." The poster
even listed the names and addresses of the two
avreichim, along with their pictures and the words,
"Jerusalem, to war against these cursed murderers."
Afterwards the two avreichim began to receive death
threats by phone and other disturbances day and night, in the
most crude and vulgar language.
Later the neighborhood of one of the two avreichim was
inundated with posters too repugnant to print. The matter was
reported to the police based on an explicit heter by
one of the rabbonim from the Eida Chareidis. Following talks,
the complaint with the police was withdrawn when a promise
was made that the campaign would cease. But soon afterwards
one of the avreichim was brutally beaten by the band
of thugs, who attacked him while he was sitting and learning
in a beis medrash. The chareidi world was shocked to
hear that the group had resorted to violence in order to
impose its distorted views on the public.
Immediately afterward the incident was reported to the Eida
Chareidis Beis Din, which unfortunately took no action.
Subsequently HaRav Nissim Karelitz issued a directive to
report the attack to the police. Eida Chareidis Ravad HaRav
Moshe Shternbuch agreed with his directive. After the report
was filed, police investigators contacted eyewitnesses to the
beating, who then asked the Eida Chareidis Beis Din for
permission to answer questions, but surprisingly the beis
din instructed them not to testify. Other rabbonim and
dayanim who were told about the Eida Chareidis
decision expressed wonder since in the case of gavri
alimi one is allowed to turn to the authorities to save
the oppressed from his oppressor.
In fact, in an unrelated incident that took place last
summer, the rabbonim of the Eida HaChareidis issued just such
an order. In a letter dated 29 Tammuz, 5763, and signed by
HaRav Moshe Shternbuch, Ravad, HaRav Moshe Halberstam, HaRav
Meir Bransdorfer and HaRav Avrohom Yitzchok Ulman, under the
heading, "Macho'oh Nimretzes," was written, in part,
"Woe is us that this has happened in our days . . . that we
should need to do this to prevent bloodshed in public . . .
We hereby express our opinion, that whoever has any
information . . . is obligation to inform the Israeli Police
who can deal with this . . . "
Although the incident with Rav M.B. took place three weeks
ago, rabbonim from the Eida Chareidis beis din
continue to help cover up the acts committed under the guise
of zealotry by individuals who do not belong to the Torah
world, rather than urging eyewitnesses to cooperate with the
police investigators.
HaRav Shteinman traveled to Jerusalem to pay a visit to the
avreich, who is still being harassed, and to offer
support and encouragement to him and his family.
At the conclusion of the background survey the participants
made practical suggestions on the proper way to proceed. The
speakers made piercing remarks, saying the vast majority of
the chareidi public is wholly unaware of these grave acts and
therefore their voices have yet to be heard in protest
against the violence and the failure to contain it. The
speakers also offered practical advice on how to strengthen
the kashrus organizations the bnei Torah public
trusts.
All of the speakers also expressed their opinions regarding
the need to regularly publicize reports of grave acts being
committed, allowing bnei Torah to come to the obvious
conclusions in light of these incidents until they come to a
complete stop.
At the end of the meeting the participants drew up a series
of practical steps to be executed by a special committee
composed of prominent chareidi askonim.
Participants at the meeting included, HaRav N. Zochovsky, one
of the roshei yeshivos of Yeshivas Gaon Yaakov, HaRav C.
Mishkovsky, spiritual director of Yeshivas Orchos Torah,
HaRav E. Mann, one of the roshei yeshivos of Yeshivas Ohr
Yisroel, HaRav Y. Silman, a dayan at HaRav Nissim
Karelitz' beis din, HaRav T. Friedman, a member of the
Shearis Yisroel Beis Din Tzedek and the rov of Bnei Brak's
Ohr HaChaim neighborhood, HaRav B. Pinchasi, rosh yeshivas
Bircas Efraim, and HaRav Yitzchok Levenstein, HaRav
Shteinman's loyal assistant. HaRav Yosef Efrati also conveyed
Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv's firm support for the
meeting and its objectives.
Many prominent public figures and askonim were also on
hand (in alphabetical order): Rabbi Mordechai Blau, one of
the heads of Toda'ah, Rabbi Menachem Blumental, a board
member of Degel HaTorah's Jerusalem branch, Rabbi Tzvi
Baumel, one of the heads of Chinuch Atzmai and the director
of Toda'ah, Rabbi Chaim Braverman, Rabbi Chananya Cholek,
chairman of Ezer MiTzion, Rabbi Yekusiel Dershowitz, director
of Shearis Yisroel, Rabbi Moshe Frank, chairman of Degel
HaTorah's Jerusalem branch, Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, editor of
Yated Ne'eman's Musaf Shabbos Kodesh, Rabbi Yisroel
Moshe Friedman, a member of the Bnei Brak City Council, MK
Rabbi Moshe Gafni, Rabbi Shlomo Goldental, director of Degel
HaTorah's Bureau of Public Inquiries, Rabbi Yaakov Gutterman,
council head of Modi'in Illit, Rabbi Shlomo Huminer, a
council member in Rechasim, Rabbi Yosef Levy, a member of the
Jerusalem City Council, Rabbi Uri Maklev, deputy mayor of
Jerusalem, Rabbi Ezriel Munk, secretary of Yated
Ne'eman's Vaad Ruchani, Rabbi Yaakov Osher, deputy mayor
and mayoral replacement of Bnei Brak, Rabbi Yitzchok Pindrus,
mayor of Beitar Illit, Rabbi Avrohom Yeshayohu Karelitz,
Rabbi Mordechai Karelitz, former Bnei Brak mayor, Rabbi
Reuven Korlansky, Rabbi Binyomin Rabinowitz, MK Rabbi Avrohom
Ravitz, Rabbi Avrohom Rubinstein, secretary of Moetzes
Gedolei HaTorah and deputy mayor of Bnei Brak, Rabbi Boruch
Rosenbloom, Rabbi Yaakov Rosenstein, Rabbi Michah Rothschild,
chairman of the Association for the Prevention of Grave
Desecration, Rabbi Eliezer Sorotzkin, director of Lev
L'Achim, Rabbi Avrohom Tzvi Taub and Rabbi Yehuda Yabrov,
secretary of Yated Ne'eman's Vaad Ruchani.
