Violence And Verbal Assault Against Charedim Children By Secular Israelis

Jerusalem - 11-year-old boy approached by two secular men while waiting at a bus stop, struck in the face, Kikar Hashabbat reports.

At least two incidents of abusive attacks against ultra-Orthodox children have been reported to the police this week, in the wake of the recent storm surrounding several incidents of haredi extremism and the intense media attention that has followed.

According to a report from the haredi news website Kikar Hashabbat, on Tuesday morning an 11-year old boy, referred to as David L, was physically assaulted by two secular men.

While waiting at a bus stop in the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Sanhedriah, David was approached by two men he described as "big, and without yarmulkes or pe'ot (sidelocks)."

According to the boy's mother, Malka, the two men began shouting at him, and struck him in the face several times. They also attempted to prevent him getting on to his bus although he eventually succeeded on boarding by sticking close to a group of people also getting on the bus.

Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said the boy and his mother came to the police station and filed a complaint later that day. The police opened an investigation into the matter.

On Sunday, Kikar Hashabat launched an email hotline for members of the ultra-Orthodox community to report any incidents of violence or verbal assault against them. Since the hotline was established, the website has reported on numerous incidents of alleged attacks against haredim.

An editorial on the Kikar Hashabbat website last month said that it was launching the hotline in light of "media incitement" against the haredi public and because "as a haredi media outlet, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch the fire of hate that is spreading."

The ultra-Orthodox world has come under intense criticism in recent weeks over a series of incidents involving perceived discrimination against women, as well as extremist agitation against a national-religious girl's school in Beit Shemesh.

Tuesday's incident came the day after a similar episode that occurred on Monday, when an 11-year-old girl complained to police that she was attacked on a bus by a secular man. The girl told police that the man spit at her, shoved her and shouted at her "haredim are cursed," and that they should not travel on buses any more.

Police opened an investigation into Monday's incident as well.

The Yisrael Hofshit religious freedom activist group, which has campaigned vigorously to bring the issue of discrimination against women to public attention and was one of the main organizers of last week's protest in Bet Shemesh, issued a statement on Facebook on Tuesday condemning "all forms of violence and verbal abuse against the ultra-Orthodox public."

"There is no place [to attack] the haredi sector as a whole," the statement read. "In every community and society there is good and bad, moderates and extremists. Our obligation as citizens of the state is to oppose extremism, violence and religious coercion, and to preserve the values of freedom and equality in the State of Israel.

Speaking with The Jerusalem Post, Yisrael Hofshit director Miceky Gitzin said that the organization was nevertheless persevering with its campaign to ensure that the government and police act against discrimination towards women.

"It's not about us and them, we're not working for any particular sector, we want the law to be enforced," he said, adding that many complaints he receives regarding discrimination against women come from ultra-Orthodox men and women.

In a conversation with the Post last week, MK Yisrael Eichler, chairman of the United Torah Judaism faction in the Knesset, rejected claims that the ultra-Orthodox world was undergoing becoming more extreme.

"There is no radicalization in the haredi sector," he said. "What's happening is that there is radicalization in the secular world against our community, and it's simply got worse in recent years."

Eichler also denied that there is widespread coercion of women to sit at the back of buses, arguing that haredi men and women voluntarily segregate themselves.


The MK cited a study, presented last week to the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee on which he sits, in which 1,150 checks were carried out in 2011 by inspectors from the Ministry of Transport on 55 bus lines which had been flagged as gender-segregated.

The inspections were carried out according to a High Court of Justice directive in which the male or female inspector deliberately sat in the "wrong" section of the bus.

In 56 instances, the inspector was requested to move seats to the "appropriate," section, and in 15 cases the inspector complied with the request due to concern that a physical confrontation may have ensued.

Eichler argued that these numbers contradict claims that coercive gender segregation on public buses is widespread.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Violence
• Verbal
• Assault
• Charedim
• Children
• Secular
• Israelis

[dosvsoperator]

FINALLY!...the REST OF THE STORY!!! It isn't only the Orthodox and the Haredi that are violent, eh???

Frankly, I'm shocked that someone actually had the integrity to cover this...

[613degrees]

@2Granule

BS"D

Hes probably just shuckling out of habit.

Most hardim do it, i catch my self shuckling randomly all the time.

[2Granule]

Poor little boy. Rocking in anxiety.

[ShlomoHaAvinoo]

What a Beautifull Neshama Attacked by Chiloni Enemies of HaShem.Tribulations last very Short.

[ShlomoHaAvinoo]

Isaiah 59:15 – “…he who turns away from evil is considered mad.''Death to Hellenists!

[KTE118]

hes a cutie :3

[treebuey]

thats it??? no crying?? easily/calmly holding a microphone?? no redness in the face from slapping/beating?? CLEARLY this kid was not traumatized by the experience(no worse for wear) or he has been coached and thing made easy for him to present his(or his parent's) side lucidly. Clearly you guys should not make things so obvious.

Let me say I am NOT a Jew. Merely willing to help my country's(USA) efforts to help/PAY to keep safe and thrive.

But don't make me feel like a fool for doing so.