1500 Haredim Protest At Intel Plant In Jerusalem

Hundreds of the demonstrators attacked reporters covering the protest. The haredim hurled gravel and various other objects at the journalists, but no one was injured.

Haredim protest outside Intel
Some 1,500 ultra-Orthodox gather outside electronic chip maker's offices in Har Hotzvim neighborhood in protest of its opening on Shabbat; Intel says won't give in to pressure
Ronen Medzini • Ynet

Some 1,500 haredim arrived at electronic chip maker Intel's offices in the Har Hotzvim neighborhood in Jerusalem on Saturday to protest the fact that the company employs dozens of workers on Shabbat. The protested ended relatively peacefully with isolated incidents taking place.

After almost two hours of relative calm, hundreds of the demonstrators began attacking reporters covering the protest. The haredim hurled gravel and various other objects at the journalists, but no one was injured.

Another incident occurred when Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Yitzhak Pindrus of the United Torah Judaism party arrived at the scene.

The ultra-Orthodox demonstrators forced him out of the area, and protested against the fact that despite his being haredi as well, he has failed to use his position to prevent the Shabbat desecration.

Police forces blocked the roads leading to the Har Hotzvim compound so as to prevent seculars from accidently entering the area with their vehicles. Police and security officers were scarce within the compound, and were mostly operating outside of it.

In response to the protest, Intel said in a statement: "We will continue with our routine according to the need that we are committed to." Intel employees were inside the plant at the time of the protest.

The large number of participants in the demonstration is the result of the many calls the community's head rabbis made urging the public to join the protest, as well as the rare cooperation between the Edah Haredit and the mainstream ultra-Orthodox public.

Police backed up their forces in the capital on Saturday ahead of both the Intel protest and the Karta parking lot protest to take place later in the day.

Police sources told Ynet they would block any haredi attempts to break in to Intel's offices or block the entrance to the parking lot.

Intel also prepared for the worst on Thursday, and placed a barbed wire fence around the compound. "We always worked according to our needs, and if needs call for it – we work on Shabbat as well, all in accordance with the law. There has been no change in the status-quo," Kobi Becker of Intel Israel told Ynet.

Efrat Weiss contributed to this report.

Arutz 7's coverage says Intel may close its Jerusalem business entirely if haredi protests continue. [Hat Tip: Seymour.]:

Intel 'May Close Jerusalem Plant' Following Sabbath Protests
by Gil Ronen

(IsraelNN.com) Computer chip giant Intel may close down its Jerusalem plant because of the protests by Hareidi Religious Jews against it, a source within Intel told Arutz Sheva's Hebrew service.

Hundreds of hareidi religious Jews picketed outside the plant at the Har Hotzvim hi-tech industrial area in Jerusalem Saturday, in protest of the fact that the plant employs workers on the Sabbath. Police say the protesters attacked journalists and there was evidence that some damage was caused to the plant's front door.

The protesters dispersed quietly and no one was hurt.

100 hareidi protesters demonstrated against Sabbath desecration at Shivtei Yisrael Street in Meah Shearim, Jerusalem. A police force was on hand. No violent incidents were reported. 

Attempts to reach a compromise regarding work in the plant failed at week's end. The religious representatives suggested that only non-Jewish employees work on Sabbaths but the plant rejected this possibility.

MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) warned Saturday that the demonstrations against Intel could “cause the city's economic base to flee.”

"Plants and firms like Intel not only supply sustenance to residents of Jerusalem, they also sustain the public coffers and enable the city to supply services to the populace, including the hareidis,” he said. “The eida hareidit [a stream within the hareidi world -- ed.] is only looking for battles that will keep it united and enable it to raise money abroad, and we all pay the price,” he added.

Comments

[reuven sabel]

when we make demonstrations on shabos we cause the police to work on shabos and cause even more chilul shabos.gravel is muktze on shabos which means that the haredim who threw gravel at reporters on shabos were breaking shabos. also it is forbidden to talk to reporters on shabos or even make noise in the presence of reporters on shabos because reporters have their tape recorders on and it is forbiddento let our voice be recorded on tape recorders, microphones, telephones, and all other electronic devices on shabos.
next time we make a demonstration, we should make our demonstration on a weekday when we can and should and must use microphones to schrei(scream) that if all jews dont keep shabos, G-d will punish us by giving the arabs the strenght to defeat us, but if all jews would keep shabos we wouldnt even need an army to defend us from the arabs, as it says vchol amei haaretz raoo ailecha vayiraoo mimecha, and ALL of the peoples of the world will see you and be in awe and fear of you.

[Mr. Apikorus]

Those who attacked the reporters ought to be deported from Israel, and shipped to a country whose rulers think as they do.

Iran.

[reuven sabel]

THOSE WHO ATTACKED REPORTERS MUST DO TESHUVA FOR BREAKING SHABOS

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Reuven - I'm glad to see you heeded my earlier reminder to take your meds. Kol Tuv/Shavua Tov/Chodesh Tov

[reuven sabel]

what meds?

[harold]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1257770048772&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

"Intel has not received a permit to work on Shabbat," said the spokesman, adding that the planned demonstrations were aimed at pressing the government to enforce the law against Intel.

The law prohibits the employment of Jewish Israelis on Shabbat, which is legally declared a day of rest. Certain exceptions are made for industries that deal with national security, public health or other sensitive fields.

I had no idea that Intel began operations against an established law. As I said before, Intel did not do their homework on this one.

I sure hope that this can be resolved in short order. How hard is it to find a handfull of non-jews/arabs to do the shabbos shift.

[Shmarya]

I had no idea that Intel began operations against an established law. As I said before, Intel did not do their homework on this one.

Please.

You're quoting one of the haredi demonstration leaders, not an impartial source.

[reuven sabel]

we dont care about the laws of the zionist state. the existance of the zionist state and its government and its laws are all illegimate and have the status of a mamzer, according to jewish law. the zionist state is like a mamzer, a child which according to jewish law should not have been concieved. the reason that we have so much problems with the arabs is because we created this mamzer.

[mike]

1500 protesters. Thats a pretty paltry number. It looks as if even the chareidim may finally be tiring out of all these protests!

[reuven sabel]

a protest demonstration that haredim make on shabos is an inaffective demonstration. to make a good protest demonstration we must use microphones which we cant do on shabos and we must burn zionist flags which we cant do on shabos.
BURN BABY BURN

[harold]

Please.

You're quoting one of the haredi demonstration leaders, not an impartial source.

I did not realize that Intel did apply for, and was granted, an exception to the law that requires a permit to work on Shabbat. In this case the haradim don't have a leg to stand on and as I incorrectly said of Intel, the haradim in this case did not do their homework.

[Dr. Dave]

Reuven -

Read pirkei avot:

Rabbi Channina Sgan Hakohannim said: Pray for the welfare of the government for without fear of it people would swallow each other alive.

Now stop with the burn baby burn nonsense and follow the halacha!!!

[Neo-Conservaguy]

It's a mistake to allow this issue to become seen as a charedi issue. In this case, the charedim, while wrong in some of their actions, may be well-founded in their concerns of the impact of allowing this business to operate on Shabbat. There appears to be a creeping evil in Israel, one that will replace "Shabbat" with "haWeekend" if not checked. Like many, I often recoil in horror when I read some of the more intense moments in Torah, such as the decision to have the entire community stone the guy desecrating Shabbat. Yet, I find myself pondering sometimes if the lesson from that text is that there is a powerful ethical imperative - not to be realized mamash with throwing stones - regarding the need to defend Shabbat from some of the very people it is designed to protect.

[R]

the people who threw gravel and hurled other objects, will they be stoned for breaking shabbat? Or maybe not because they obviously did it for the right reasons.
These people do not care one bit about G-d or about G-d's commandments and we see it through their actions and their language.

[formally]

I had no idea that Intel began operations against an established law. As I said before, Intel did not do their homework on this one.

Please.

You're quoting one of the haredi demonstration leaders, not an impartial source.

Posted by: Shmarya | November 14, 2009 at 11:47 PM

so do they have one or not

[Shmarya]

They've been doing it for more than 20 years with the full knowledge and permission of the government, it seems.

They even did it when the mayor was haredi.

[formally]

Jpost

Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post learned that the riots on Shabbat had been far worse than originally reported, and that in addition to the rocks and epithets hurled at journalists and other bystanders, haredim had broken into a synagogue on Intel's premises, thrown prayer books to the floor and used prayer stands to bash in the doors.

Intel-Israel officials told the Post on Sunday they were shocked by the "pogrom" inside the synagogue and expressed disbelief at the actions of the rioters. Company management said they had photos of the damage caused to the synagogue.

[formally]

They've been doing it for more than 20 years with the full knowledge and permission of the government, it seems.

They even did it when the mayor was haredi.

Posted by: Shmarya | November 15, 2009 at 08:26 PM

While government permits are required for companies to employ Jews on Shabbat, the original Fab 8 facility had such permission from the outset. When it closed for renovations two years ago, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor permit was no longer necessary, but negotiations to renew it are considered by management as a formality that will not be rejected.

Fassberg also said that to remain competitive and for logistical and manufacturing reasons, the facilities cannot be shut down, although Intel does shut down its facilities one day a year, on Yom Kippur, despite the losses and damage caused to the fabrication process.

[Zohar]

I live adjacent to the area, and I can personally testify that only a couple of years ago we started hearing the factories on Shabbat. They do not stop on Yom Kippur.

I wish that Intel would obey the law.