Jun 12, 2023

Proposed Law: incitement against Haredim

MK Yaakov Asher (UTJ) has proposed a law, signed on to by other UTJ MKs Degel and Pindrus, that would make incitement against Haredim a criminal offense according to the racism law.

As reported by Kikar, the racism law, until now, has been directed to protect from incitement based on race, color, nationality, ethnicity, but "Haredi" never fit into any of those categories. Asher says because of that it has basically been open season on Haredim with incitement against Haredim going unchecked, because Haredim are not any different than anyone else from ethnic or race or color  or nationality perspectives.

Because of that Asher has seen it necessary to add Haredim to the list of those protected against racism and incitement. It is time, MK Asher says, to put an end to the incitement against Haredim and set a red line - there is no other group in Israel incited against as much as the Haredi community. This law, Asher says, will clarify that the blood of Haredim is not hefker.

This is all nice and good, and maybe even somewhat necessary - the Haredi community seems to consider any criticism of it to be incitement and anti-haredi hatred, but there is definitely some, way more than there should be - but how can it possibly be enforced? Can anybody claim they are Haredi and call the police on someone or sue someone for incitement if they say something not ice about them? Only people wearing black hats? What would be the criteria for a female to say she is Haredi and incited against? As necessary and justified as this may be, how, in law, can they define who this applies to and to whom it does not?





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8 comments:

  1. And how about hatered and incitement within the haredi community against the secular ? Plenty of that going on, built in to everyday prayers, shiurim, siyumim etc. under a variety of guises, some innocent some less so. I think they need to be careful what they wish for.

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  2. Probably meant to stop articles in the news and public statements that are critical of the Chareidi community.
    Also, will the law add a clause that Chareidim aren't allowed to incite against anyone else?

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  3. Smash: Chareidim do not go out and beat up seculars or any other peoples. Whereas when Arabs or leftist secular Jews beat up for no reason or whatever reason a chareidi Jew, that's okay. There is something so twisted in our holy EY and the average Jew doesn't seem to care.
    The behavior of our people comes before anything else. Time to start teaching derech eretz and normalcy and stop the stupid sinat chinam.

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    1. Agreed that we need to teach "derech eretz and normalcy". But why do you think that Charedim do not beat up any people but Arabs and Leftists do?

      Most people do not go around beating people up. But there are plenty of exceptions in every community. It is not hard to find videos of Charedim extremists attacking Soldiers in their neighborhoods or women who they deem inappropriately dressed. My kids were traumatized a few years ago when I took them to a Simchat Beit Shoevah in Mea Sha'arim and they saw extremists attacking a fire truck driving through the neighborhood.

      This is not typical of the Charedi community (or any community) but to pretend it does not exist does not help resolve the problem.

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    2. Love the irony of a fire truck getting attacked at a simchat beit shoeva.

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  4. There are already some very good, valid and enforced laws against anyone beating up another. And nobody says that it’s okay. And there is plenty sinat chinam coming from the haredi direction outward (and inward). They just don’t think it’s chinam.

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  5. It's all about Chareidi exceptionalism. They want to be able to scream insults and throw rocks while being protected from those same acts.

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  6. There are specific ways charedim are defined under the law, for affirmative action purposes. It's based on where they went to school. (The idea being that they are crippled by their lack of education and thus need affirmative action. Don't ask me to explain it.)

    In a free society, though, there would be zero laws against racism or "incitement." Free speech is free speech, and people should be entitled to say whatever they want. The fact that it is sadly on the books in Israel already doesn't mean it should be extended even further.

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