I bid good bye to my friend Josh at Kikar Shabbat, we had expected some riots, but there were none and we both turned toward home, let down by the seemingly non-violence of the Charedim. I walked toward the Beis Yisroel neighborhood and he towards Nachlaot. When I got to the alleyway I had memorized as my turnoff based on the Tuna Beigel bumper sticker plastered across the street sign, I noticed a throng of Charedi boys walking quickly down the block, excited perhaps, or maybe I was just dreaming, but I decided to continue down the block. It was only 11:30 at night, I was planning on going to bed early, but my curiosity got the best of me.
I continued down Mea Shearim street until it narrowed and the garbage seemed to come out of nowhere, piles of filth everywhere, cemented into the ground by an awful lot of water, I wonder if this was the quality of street cleaning in Charedi neighborhoods, merely to pour water on the street in hopes of some miracle on par with the splitting of the red sea and all of the sudden the garbage would wash itself away.
Then I saw them, at first it was clusters of younger streimel wearing fellows, in groups of three or four gesturing towards the end of the street. I smelled smoke and saw plumes of it in the streetlights and then at this random intersection was a full out throng of kids pushing a burning mini-dumpster down the street towards the flashing lights of police cars.
I watched these kids cheering and gesturing wildly and pushing the dumpster to the police waiting at the end of the street, then everyone started running and so like any normal guy with a huge Jewfrow and a 30 pound back pack would do I started running with the boys away from whatever unseen horrors would be taking place if I had stayed still, suddenly I found myself alone and noticed the throng which was so scared a moment ago was moving back in, more people had joined in and I once again cursed myself for not speaking Yiddish.
Then I heard a rumble and before I could understand what was flying, besides for peyos, this truck started moving down the street and kids of all ages started throwing bottles and whatever they could their hands on at it, while others ran like mad, I figured the big ugly truck was going to stop and a bunch of half naked Israeli police officers would jump out, I hid behind a wall in the entrance of a building just in time to see and mighty strong jet of water squirt down the street, small tidal waves complete with last nights supper, random cardboard boxes and plastic bags floating along in the mini stream of water gurgling back down the street. Then I saw them spraying the balconies and roofs, I wondered about all the people trying to sleep.
A young Chassid came over and asked me what I thought about the whole thing, in a British accent. I told him I thought it was the pre-melave malka party and that it was just a bunch of kids with nothing better to do on a Saturday night, I also told him that I didn’t notice anyone over 30 at the gathering, he agreed, he said that it wasn’t called for, but it did provide some good entertainment and I added that it’s a good way to work of the cholent of that day.
I had thought by leaving Jerusalem for shabbos I would have missed the riots, but apparently it was peaceful this time, a small gathering of 7,000 davened together, besides you can’t burn your dumpsters on Saturday night, heterim for stone throwing at cars is one thing but heterim for fire are kind of hard to find and when you do find them they can get pricey.
The another little group of English speaking Chassids asked me what I thought about it, I told them the same thing but they weren’t buying it. I told them I understood that they were trying to out a new line of kiruv because chabad was too secular and that dumpster burning seemed to be helping people learn about the beauty of shabbos, by showing how unified the community can be when you have shabbos to hold on to. They told me that Israel isn’t a Jewish country and the people breaking shabbos obviously weren’t Jewish, I didn’t want to get all philosophical, but I pointed out that if they really weren’t Jewish, they were rioting for nothing and besides for conducting genocide on cats in dumpsters they really weren’t accomplishing anything.
Then the strangest thing happened, I have reason to believe that this one Chassid, a gray haired man who was single was trying to get with me, he was getting very touchy and uncomfortably close and then he started asking me about where I was staying and if I was renting a room and all that jazz, I tried to tell him that I had attended the gay pride protest, but he wasn’t buying it, I wonder if he saw me at the parade right after? Either way, I got away quick.
After the burning dumpster and water cannon affair some other Charedi kids got the bright idea to wheel one of those huge dumpsters that support entire cat populations and can take the garbage of several Charedi families. This big dumpster was on fire and they were rolling the thing from upper Mea Shearim down the street to the cheers and disdain of many. Lots of the older crowd was walking away, I think the water cannon is so scary because what on earth do you tell your wife if your most expensive possession, your streimel, gets ruined in a protest?
I watched from a distance as poisonous gasses shot out from underneath the pile of plastic and the entire thing was engulfed in a huge inferno, I should mention that at this point I had secretly started filming the whole event, I was scared of the Charedim getting nasty with me but I really wanted some footage, albeit dark and shaky footage. They wheeled the dumpster down to the corner and several times we ran like mad, I wondered if this is what happened during 9/11 only they were running away from much worse.
Some of you may be thinking that by me just being there I was showing support, but I was merely watching the madness with extreme curiosity, some may even call me a ghetto journalist in the sense that I have no credentials but I am just a social critic with no goals. Journalist without a cause maybe?
But this does lead to the philosophical question of the week: If these people want to stop the violence they have to listen to the Charedi demands and close the parking lot on shabbos, but if they listen that sends a message to everyone that violence pays and that is a terrible message especially in such a volatile place as Israel.
On the other hand, the only way to actually stop the violence would be to start physically hurting people. Should that be done, I heard more then one person say that the only way to deal with violence is to start shooting these Charedim, but when the government starts killing its own people that’s a great way to bring on a revolution.
What could or should be done about this violent protesting?
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
B”H
Gee. You’re such a party-pooper.
You’ll be happy to know that Sha”s says to protest, but not to riot.
To suggest that violence would stop a protest is preposterous. The government could place curfews/implement special laws to prevent such protests.
Vee-Bee it would never work, they would just stage a violent protest against it saying that they are infringing on their right to daven maariv or something
Hesh, you’re amazing. I lived there for 14 years, and I never saw this stuff. You’re there for a week, and you’re in the thick of it. How do you do it?
Nice piece! Social critic you!
Perhaps the city should forbid all municipal services from cleaning up all the mess, leave the tomatoes on the streets to rot. And make sure that no more dumpsters are provided.
Let them sleep in the bed of their own making.
wait so this happened on a saturday night? I thought these protests were going on on friday nights….
were they all young men? (and not women?) I wonder how much of this is just young men doing what young men in large groups of young men tend to do- cause chaos
maybe the Charedi Rabbis need to tell their constituencies that what they’re doing is wrong
FS – What could or should be done about this violent protesting?
The best thing of all would probably be no media coverage at all. I mean none whatsoever, not a picture, not a mention, not anything.
Bunch of idiots.
The thought of cats being killed really disturbs me. I don’t have any answers, but I wish there were a trap, spay and release program over there, if there isn’t one.
Batons and rubber bullets.
Heshy – if the government placed a sanction on the entire community because of the protests, I have a feeling the rabbis would start telling their “children” to start behaving.
these riots are really disturbing. arent they bitul torah anyway?
Any sanctions, let alsone a violent response to these portests, would be seen as religious persecution by the chareidim. They would see themselves as rightous martyrs being persecuted for their beliefs by the evil secular government, in the glorious tradition of those persecuted by the Polish and Russian governments in the past.
veebee – Heshy – if the government placed a sanction on the entire community because of the protests, I have a feeling the rabbis would start telling their “children” to start behaving.
Are you saying that you think collective punishment works? Do you think it only works for Jews or others as well?
As long as their protests aren’t violent, let them protest. And then if they turn violent, arrest and convict those that commit violent acts – but don’t hurt them.
And then go ahead and do exactly as you were going to do (ie. opening the parking lot) and completely ignoring the haredi demands.
I hate cats. Maybe they can draft these bored kids to trap the cats and use their fur for Shtreimels.
Good way to solve the Shtreimel crisis and the bored teenage chareidi prankster kids crisis in one shot. Also a good way to boost the Meah Shearim economy.
in terms of collective punishment, that’s done alot. one of the reasons that the Israeli government gets criticized so often is that that’s how they deal with the Palestinians so often – some fanatics decide to blow themselves up (i know they’re from the government alot of times but the people don’t neccessarily support them) and then all of the given territory (gaza or the west bank) gets punished. The thing is that this type of thing is pretty standard – the UN sanctions countries all the time, but it seems that Israel gets all the flack. So, it seems that collective punishment is relatively standard, if unfair. I kind of like that idea in this situation – but they could just apply it to these particular streets. Then the haredim can’t say they’re being discriminated against.
Phil I love it, turning cats into streimels is brilliant
Are you saying that you think collective punishment works?
Yes, I do think collective punishment works. The people being unfairly punished will pressure the small radical group to stop their actions.
Do you think it only works for Jews or others as well?
I’m basing this off of the idea of a curfew that was placed on a city near where I live. It was a smashing success.
These guys need some way to occupy their time. Too bad they can’t play ball.
There are Yeshivos for Americans that do allow ball-playing.
ew. (feline shtreimels)
SB,
Just as ew as the current rat shtreimels. Besides,
Israel has less musk rats and minks than cats. I would market them as 100% pure pussy, sure way to get all the Craiglist Chassidim to buy one.
SB,
Just as ew as the current rat shtreimels. Besides,
Israel has less musk rats and minks than cats. I would market them as 100% pure p*ssy, sure way to get all the Craiglist Chassidim to buy one.
Too long, didn’t read.
Treat the Tallit-ban like we’d treat Hamas or any other rioting terrorists.
I thought they were beaver. Shows what I know.
I have see plenty of violent behevior in Mea Sherim and other similar areas. Somtimes even between different factions of the Charadi comunity, particulaly Zionist vs Anti-Zionist.
You are all narrow minded fools
A bunch of teenagers don’t represent all of the Haridem
Shoot them – punish them – tell their rabbis and all of the other smart comments you left here- shows that you have no idea what you are talking about. When was the last time your were at a night bar in Tel Aviv – have you seen the way those teens behave? No better.
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