a few days ago, pashkevilim were put up around the Haredi neighborhoods of Bet Shemesh. The message on the pashkevil was a bit of a mystery, in an attempt to leave the public waiting for the sequel that would eventually provide the answer and relieve the suspense.

The original pashkevil was:


which simply makes a reference to the affiliates of cancer (metastases) in Haredi Bet Shemesh.

It does not explain what is the metastases or what about it. It made for some fun conversation in trying to guess what it was referring to, what was upsetting somebody so much that they had to scream it out on the walls of the city.

Most guesses I heard were along the lines of Haredi soldiers, non-kosher cellphones, unfiltered Internet (anybody know what happened to the Chaver people and program who seemed to have disappeared?), maybe haredi movies for bein hazmanim, and the like..

Today the mystery has been solved. Part 2 of the pashkevil sequence has gone up.

And I must say I am disappointed, though curious. It is a totally boring topic, though it is definitely unexpected, and I did not hear this as the suggestion of anybody.

Here are the latest pashkevils in the sequence:



They are publicizing a psak that it is prohibited to join Mishmar Ezrachi of the authorities, or any form of it under any naeme, such as Shomrim (a private form of neighborhood watch) that seems to be part of the Sherut Ezrachi system.

As I said - boring and disappointing, but unexpected.

I dont know what the problem is with these programs. It seems to be that its members are under the authority of the secular government, via the police or army officials. I cannot imagine what else would be wrong with volunteering to protect your own neighborhood.

I wonder if I now have to go sign up for mishmar ezrachi again (I used to serve on the mishmar ezrachi force, but haven't in a few good years), just so people shouldn't think I am following this psak...