A few recent events point to the fact that the thugs are seeing a cycle where they are not coming out ahead. Authorities are finally starting to come down on them a bit harder than before, and the wider community is finally beginning to reject them and specifically their activities.
- Last night in Bet Shemesh the kannoim/thugs held a rally regarding the OROT school issue. They had called for a major hafgana, hafganat anak as they called it, hoping to bring in rabbonim and supporters from all over the city. In the end they drew only a few hundred people, not exactly qualifying for the "anak" status they were looking for, and they only got their own local rabbonim to show up. They must be starting to feel isolated from the general haredi community after such a disappointing show of support.
- In Mea Shearim yesterday a leading thug, Mottel Hirsch of the Neturei Karta, was arrested for his part in harassing the owner of the Phr Hachayim bookstore, and for running a protection racket. He has even been called the leader of the "Mea Shearim Mafia" and the "ultra-orthodox mafia".
- Kikar is reporting that Electra is suing the thug mentioned above, Mottel Hirsch. When he was arrested it was discovered that he had a motorcycle of Electra's. When they saw that they realized all his activities are not religiously motivated by criminally motivated. Hirsch attempted to run a protection racket against Electra and damaged a lot of property. Their insurance company paid millions to cover the damages caused by Hirsch and his goons, and now they are going to sue to recover that money. Electra was targeted in recent grave-digging protests, as they had been previous owners of land that was being excavated for the building of a hotel. The thugs suspected graves were underground and wanted to control the excavation and construction, and put a ban on Electra in the process to try to get them to capitulate, and damaged a lot of their property.
It is definitely a good start. With the general haredi community finally rejecting them, with the police finally starting to crack down on them, and with the possibility coming of financial ruin, perhaps we can expect some quiter times in the near future...
The third item there is definitely the most encouraging. The turnout for the rally BS can be a one off and even the arrest of Mottel Hirsch is not necessarily a big deal as he could still get off without charges. However when a large private business and an insurance company get involved with a civil suit... then he's in trouble though it could take a long time. If we could attack them in BS with civil suits and other legal harassment then I think they could be beaten into submission. However this stuff is expensive and takes a long time.
ReplyDeleteIf your report is correct, than it sounds like there might have been a misunderstanding.
ReplyDeleteThey weren't calling for a giant demonstration, but for a giant's demonstration. (Hafgaganat anak.)
Could be the regular-sized folks stayed home.
Og and Sichon had other commitments.
ReplyDeleteWhen are people going to turn against the not so moderate "moderate" charedim?
ReplyDeleteThere are rabbonim in RBSA who run their own form of mafia and use tactics such as cherem, denouncing, etc. of people and organizations that they don't like.
IMHO they are a much bigger threat and enemy than the screaming, poopy diaper throwing thugs.
"A plague on both their houses!"
ReplyDeleteA slight misquotation, granted, but it is about time that common sense and simple דרך ארץ ruled in RBS and everywhere else in Israel.
Bigotry must be banned!
sai has a point. imo, if the eida, and kal v'chomer the kanoim, didn't exist, the yeshiva world would have to invest them.
ReplyDeleteit wasn't the eida who pasuled the gerut of thousands of people, it was rav sherman. it wasn't the eida that tried to have the rabbinate cancel the heter mechira, it was rav elyashiv.
yes the eida et al can make life miserable for some people, but the yeshiva world has taken control of budgets, government agencies, and it doing so has affected the lives of who knows how many people.
should be "invent them"
ReplyDeleteFactions from the "moderate" Charedi leadership has come out against some of the following over the last several years:
ReplyDeleteThe Mikve on Dolev, under the supervision of Rav Spector, Shlita
Magen, the child abuse awareness group
The Ma'ar, which would have brought jobs, office space,stores and some tarbut to RBS
Lema'an Achai, the great tzedaka and chesed organization. Still can't imagine what problem they have with this one as they have Charedi as well as DL leadership.
And there is more.
If these are supposed "live and let live" Charedim why are they so vocal against these institutions and deathly silent against those thugs who give Charedim a bad name?
Did anyone read Malinowitz's column in Chadash last week? (I certainly wouldn't blame anyone who hasn't!) It was only part one but it sounded like he's about to say that he hasn't publicly voiced an opinion b/c BOTH sides are valid and "kadosh". Huh?!@#*!? People who spit at and throw things at small children are justified? People who shout "whore" at another Jew are "kadosh"? Hellooooo! It's time to stop calling these guys extremists, which implies that their numbers are small and they do not represent mainstream chareidim. Although their views are indeed extreme, they represent very large numbers of "mainstream" chareidim.
ReplyDeleteanon - you dont make much sense. you are complaining about something you are assuming he is going to say. you dont really know he will say that. you might criticize him for not yet saying anything, but dont criticize him for something you think he might say in the future. at least wait until he says it. he might actually say something else.
ReplyDeleteIf you read the whole column last week it is clear that he will in fact say something else.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous is a moron.
Here is where the Anonymouses get confusing:
ReplyDeleteI just saw Anonymous say that Anonymous is a moron!
People can just as well make up separate nicknames as calling themselves "Anonymous"!
imo people leaving comments should leave a name and a real (unpublished) email address. but this is just me telling the blog owner how to do his job so pleaz ignore the post
ReplyDeleteHis column is about why he has not voiced an opinion one way or the other regarding the Orot situation. He says that in order to explain his reasoning, he must recount a little story. I don't have it in front of me so I can't recall all the details, but in his story, there was a machlokes that grew and spread, and a respected Rav was asked why he didn't get involved for one side or the other. The answer was, "because they are both right and kadosh." This is the message of the story he used to explain why he is not getting involved. What exactly have I assumed?
ReplyDeleteWait, they had been previous owners of land that was being excavated for the building of a hotel ?! what land ? where exactly ?
ReplyDeleteThank you