Why Do Orthodox Jews Spit at Christians?

A bold new forum was recently organized to confront a persistent problem in Jewish-Christian relations in Jerusalem. But why are Ultra-Orthodox Jewish teens spitting on Christians in the first place?

Holy Spit: Why Do Ultra-Orthodox Jews Spit at Christians?
A bold new forum was recently organized to confront a persistent problem in Jewish-Christian relations in Jerusalem. But why are Ultra-Orthodox Jewish teens spitting on Christians in the first place?
By Shalom Goldman • Religion Dispatches

A very embarrassing and persistent problem has arisen in some of the sacred sites in Jerusalem where Christians and Jews cross each other’s paths. Teenagers from a small sector of the city’s many Ultra-Orthodox (“Haredi”) Ashkenazi Jewish communities have taken to spitting at clerics wearing prominent crosses and dressed in traditional garb.

Assaults have been recorded at the Jaffa and Damascus Gates of the walled Old City, an area with many historic churches and monasteries, including the Polish Church of St. Elizabeth. To address the problem a remarkable interfaith forum, appropriately titled “Why do do some Jews spit at Christians in the Old City,” under the auspices of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel and the Jerusalem Center for Christian-Jewish Relations. 

These spitting assaults have been going on for at least a decade, and like many expressions of tension in Jerusalem, the attacks represent scores that many observers thought were settled long ago. For spitting at crosses and clerics was not unknown in those parts of Christian Europe where Jews and Judaism were often persecuted and where this represented the only recourse for a powerless people to express contempt.

In the thinking of many less-acculturated European Jews—particularly in Eastern Europe—spitting or cursing was a way to express disdain for a religion which sprang from Judaism and then persecuted it. The official Israeli Rabbinate (to whom the members of the Ultra-Orthodox communities don’t profess any loyalty) has condemned the assaults. Last year the state-appointed Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Yonah Metzger, called the spitting attacks “an evil affliction,” though the Haredi rabbis refused to issue a similar condemnation.

Leaders from several Christian groups (among them were Catholic, Armenian, and Greek Orthodox clerics and seminarians) have been complaining to the Israeli police about the assaults for years. But the police, who are very skittish about entering interreligious disputes, have done little to stop the assaults. Last September, after two Armenian seminarians were spit upon by two Haredim, they fought back—with their fists—and were subsequently arrested for assault. It was only after the highest Christian authorites in the city intervened that the Israeli government rescinded its order that the Armenian seminarians be deported from the country.

While Jewish-Christian relations in the city surely are in need of some repair, these problems seem small in the face of deteriorating Jewish-Muslim relations. But while Jewish-Muslim tensions dominate the headlines, most Israeli liberals feel that there is little that they can do to improve that situation; a situation (hamatzav, or the situation in Hebrew) enmeshed in political and military consideration. The excacerbation of Jewish-Christian tensions, on the other hand, seems like a problem that ordinary citizens can address—and some Christians and Jews are doing just that.

The forum’s most impressive speaker, Armenian Bishop Shirvanian, is the designated leader of the procession from the Armenian monastery to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Perhaps the most shocking moment of the evening was the Archbishop’s statement that he had been assaulted by two Haredi teenagers on the very day of the forum while standing in front of the Armenian Cathedral of St. James. The Bishop told the audience that “I had hoped to come here this evening to tell you that the assaults on the clergy had stopped. But I’m afraid I can’t.”

What then, asked the forum’s organizers, was behind these assaults? Different opinions were offered. Some mentioned the reversal of the traditional Christian-Jewish power relationship. The centuries old-experience of European Jewry (in which Jews and Judaism were often denigrated) has in modern Israel been upended. In the historical past, Jews may have denigrated Christians and Christianity, but they had no way to publicly express their disdain for the dominant religion. And there was certainly no possibility of publicly expressing one of the prevalent Jewish ideas about Christianity: that it is a form of idolatry.

In Israel, Jews are in charge, and the Christian clergy, especially in East Jerusalem, are subject to the dictates of the Israeli administration. This new power relationship seems to have emboldened some Haredim to express their contempt for Christianity openly—and in a manner that is culturally familiar to them from other hostile encounters. When Ultra-Orthodox Jewish demonstrators objecting to government policies confront the Israeli police, for example, they often spit at them, as they did this past October when they took to the streets of Jerusalem to protest the opening of a local parking lot on the Sabbath.

Other speakers descried the growing xenophobia in Israeli Jewish society, especially among the young; one cited a recent Israeli public opinion poll that found that 56% of Israeli Jewish high school students polled did not think that Israeli Arabs are entitled to the full rights of citizenry.

But despite the pessimistic tone taken by many, the organizers—committed to peaceful conflict resolution—ended the forum by announcing a series of lectures, tours, and encounters that would introduce Israeli Jews to the lives and concerns of their non-Jewish neighbors. And, somewhat encouragingly, they informed the attendees that the Rabbinical Court of the Edah Haharedit (one of the more powerful of the ultra-Orthodox rabbinical authorities) had issued an edict condemning the spitting assaults. Thus a year after the “government rabbis” tried to stem this obnoxious behavior, some Ultra-Orthodox rabbis followed suit. Whether this letter will have the desired effect on people’s behavior in this far-from-united city remains to be seen.

Despite this article, the problem is not confined to haredim alone.

In my years living and working in the Old City, I saw both haredi and National Religious yeshiva students spit on Christian clergy, although it seemed to be more common for haredim.

The problem is not a new one; I saw this spitting as far back as 1987.

As for this

For spitting at crosses and clerics was not unknown in those parts of Christian Europe where Jews and Judaism were often persecuted and where this represented the only recourse for a powerless people to express contempt.

I think it unlikely Jews would have openly spit on Christian clergy in areas where Jews were persecuted, because this would have been dangerous.

Jews were known to discretely spit on the ground when passing churches and Christian clergy, but even this had to be done in a way that was not evident to those clergy.

Some Jewish communities – like the town of Lubavitch when Chabad controlled the Jewish community there – had the custom of spitting during the Aleynu prayer to show contempt for 'idolatrous' religions, including Christianity. Chabad is one of the few haredi groups to retain this custom today.

[Hat Tip: Joel Katz.]

Comments

[the sane one]

How about a big fricken loogie right back at them? Sounds fair to me!!

[leto]

They don't spit on Muslims because their life expediency would be considerable reduced if they did. So they pick a target that they think will turn the other cheek. That says a lot.

[Hometown Postville]

Answer: Learned behavior. If not the actual physical act, apparently the attitude is being taught in the home.

[Mr. Apikoros]

How many Christians in this country (or for that matter, Israel) spit on Jews? Or spit when passing a church?

The "Jews" who do this are the lowest form of vermin. Why? Because they validate anti-Semitic stereotypes.

If I were Jesus I wouldn't turn the other cheek, unless it were in the process of mooning these Haredi scum who are doing this.

[randomthought]

K, that is a funny title.

[ad]

The last two paragraphs say it all "discretely spit on the ground when passing churches and Christian clergy" and "to show contempt for idolatrous religions." Contempt being the key word. The custom is meant to express contempt. I don't have any doubt that this quaint custom eventually was made known to Christians in eastern Europe where it may have originated. It wouldn't endear the Jewish population to them now would it?

[effie]

Start arresting and prosecuting them. It's not difficult to set up stings or cameras. When they riot because they were arrested for breaking the law, screw them.

Maybe, a good old TB outbreak in their community will work?

[harold]

Why Do Orthodox Jews Spit at Christians?

Because they don’t!

Yes there are, to quote the article Teenagers from a small sector of the city’s many Ultra-Orthodox (“Haredi”) Ashkenazi Jewish communities have taken to spitting at clerics, but the VAST majority do not.

This is the same as saying that Why do Americans rape women or Why do Canadians murder. Just like there are Americans that rape and Canadians that murder there are Orthodox Jews that spit. The vast majority of Americans do not rape, Canadians do not murder and Orthodox Jews do not spit.

[Abracadabra]

Harold,

Until you spend a day following a Christian clergyman (who is dressed like one) around Jerusalem in areas where there are also Chareidi Jews, and count how many times he gets spit on, you can not dispute this issue with any pretend authority.

Sure you find it repulsive, because you live in the Five Towns and want to keep your head buried in the sand regarding anything negative about this clique of Jews dressed like your grandparents. They might look quaint, but they are anything but. The ones living in Meah Shearim and Geulah do not consider YOU to be an "Orthodox Jew" by their standards! They are polite to you, and come here to sell their "brachas" because they only care about the money you so naively pour into their communities, thinking you are helping to feed the poor, and tend to the sick. You are just helping them evade working for a living, and more Israeli boys die in the army because there is less of these Chareidi in the army to help spread the damage.

Harold, you are the poster child for "In Denial In The Five Towns".

When will you wake up and smell the spit?

[blair thomas]

kudos for harold for standing up for the truth. while the TINY amount of people who do spit are wrong (understatement) it is far from accepted practice. Shmarya will have you believe that all orthodox jews walk around with bottles of water looking for priests to spit on, in reality it is not true.

[leto]

Shamarya is talking about in the old city and there it is common. And the point is how the orthodox act when they feel they have the upper hand on others. And in that I agree with shamarya.

[justice seeker]

I reccomend using some chew like Beechnut, or Redman.... Christians should spit back.

[Mooser]

Okay, look, as far as these people "looking like your grandparents" please see last Sunday's NYTs Magazine and the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/magazine/04shtetl-t.html

"A Closer Reading of Roman Vishniac"

Jews in America, and everywhere else, are entering a never-never land of commercially minipulated imagery. Your grandparents probably looked like most other Europeans.

It's considered anti-Semitic to even imply (let alone infer) that given the same conditions, Jews will act like people of other religions, so I won't.

[blair thomas]

no, leto, it is FAR from common, even in the old city. I lived there for two years & I can say that as a fact. But if you're the type of person who takes shmaryas word as gospel (pun intended), then there's no point in arguing with you...

[Shmarya]

It happens so frequently that Christian clergy based in the Old City report say it happens almost daily.

I saw half a dozen or so incidents in 18 months from Dec 93 to June 95, plus several more in the late 80s.

That's quite a lot, especially when you realize how few Christian clergy are located on the immediate borders of the Jewish Quarter.

[blair thomas]

Shmarya, when you source that report that it happens almost daily, people might take you more seriously. I know that's not true and so do you. You would call yourself full of s--- on this one, but as a lowly commenter, I am bound to the rules, unlike yourself....

[Shmarya]

Source it?

Try rereading the article and also reading any of the previous articles I posted on this.

[Jay]

Personally I find it quite ironic that Chabad has maintained this custom.

[Clue]

In New York city I have only seen non-jews who curse and make fun of Jews for no reason; not the other way around.

Why are you so concerned about what goes on (or does not) in Israel but you show little concern for Jews who are cursed and worse in New York?

Because you do not care about justice; you only care about denigrating Jews?

[A E ANDERSON]

What a wonderful opportunity for the Israel Police to nip the haredi anti-social behavior problem in the bud before these children grown up to be full-fledged haredi hooligans!

There's no reason these little brats can't be prosecuted, punished, or perhaps even removed from their negligent parents and sent to state orphanages!

As to Chabad, I can't imagine them spitting on a galuch, unless he happend to lay down on their shoes during the recitation of עלינו, when it is customary for Lubavitchers to spit on the floor at the mention of the Hebrew words for idol worshippers (a passage excised from the Ashkenazi rite).

[Abracadabra]

Blair Thomas -

You wrote: "while the TINY amount of people who do spit are wrong (understatement) it is far from accepted practice."

It is "Accepted Practice" when everyone in a group knows that "some" people do it, and they wont stop them or raise all hell when someone DOES do it. When even ONE Jew gets caught doing this in Israel, where Jews have the upper hand, they should be jailed, sued and prosecuted for religious defemation. It should be considered similar to spitting and calling a Black American a racial slur like the "n" word in America. NO ONE would look away from doing such a thing in the USA and say "it's only a SMALL number of people who do it". Well, that's TOO MANY!!! If it's a small number today, it will be a large number tomorrow. Those who do the spitting clearly don't get "socially punished" or degraded, because if they would, it would stop VERY quickly. In those circles, social acceptance means EVERYTHING. If it were socially unacceptable, it would stop. Shtika K'hodaya - by NOT speaking out against it, they are condoning it.

Next, you wrote: "Shmarya will have you believe that all orthodox jews walk around with bottles of water looking for priests to spit on, in reality it is not true."

The article above said: "Last year the state-appointed Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Yonah Metzger, called the spitting attacks “an evil affliction,” though the Haredi rabbis refused to issue a similar condemnation."

The Orthodox generally follow the Chief Rabbi, the ULTRA-Orthodox (aka: Hareidi) DO NOT follow him. And the Hareidi rabbis "refused to issue a similar condemnation." That just about says it all as far as I'm concerned.

Shmarya is not "having me believe" anything that I don't see for myself. (Been there, done that, thank you very much...)

Even if it's a "tiny amount of people", as you claim, it is a tiny amount TOO MANY. And those "tiny amount" are getting winked-at within their own circles where others may not have the nerve to do it themselves, but either reward or do not condemn those who do it.

It's horrible.

And today's "tiny amount" become tomorrow's "masses".

[blair thomas]

A) Shmarya, nowhere in your "sources" does it say its an almost daily occurence, sorry dude.

B) Abracadabra, any group as large and factioned as Hareidi Jews will have a TINY segment committing any and all ills. does that mean that the group must spotlight that and condemn it because it has taken place? The stand of most normal people is that these are not things to be dealt with with statements (I would guess that would be why no one joined Metzger's).

[Shmarya]

Read the previous articles.

There are at least 100 clergy who walk in areas bordering on the Jewish Quarter and the Kotel.

Pretty much all of them have been spit on, and they report being spit on several times a year.

Do the math.

Every day or two one of them is spit on or spit at.

[blair thomas]

Sorry Shmarya. You seem to be taking a big leap here. Several preists have claimed to be spit on, not all of them. That being said, I'd like to thank you for your civil tone. It is very unlike you.

[shneerhere]

Spitting at clergymen is wrong, period. A chillul HaShem. But you did not ask us to justify it, your headline asks why do they do it.

So my answer is... maybe they are aware of their history.

They know that the Pope used to make the Chief Rabbi of Rome publically crawl to him in an act of humiliation.

Perhaps they are aware of the tradition of Russian and Ukranian Christians getting drunk on Easter, and then looking for some Jews to beat up and rape and kill.

They might be aware of European Friar-initiated blood libels that led to the murder of dozens of Jews in various European towns for the 'crime' of killing Christian kids and using their blood to make Matzoh, such as in 1451 in the Southern German towns of Ravensburg, Uberlingen and Lindau.

Or they might know of the Catholic journal, 'Civilita Cattolica' which in 1881 printed a series of articles 'proving' that ritual murder is an intrinsic part of the Jewish religion.

They may have read of the burning of the Jews of Mayence, or the tortures suffered by Spanish Jews in the Inquisition, or in 1250 is Sarragossa, Spain.

And maybe after reading this ( I have several more pages available) you have an inkling of why they spit.

[shneerhere]

Here is some more explanations.... this is nothing to spit at....

1021: Rome suffered through both an earthquake and hurricane on Good Friday of that year. Some Jews were charged with having caused the disaster driving a nail through a stolen host. They were tortured until they confessed; they were then burned alive.

1215: The Fourth Lateran Council in Rome declared the belief in transubstantiation. This established the theological basis for the host desecration myth.

1243: All Jews in Berlitz, Germany were burned alive for allegedly torturing a stolen host

1308: The Bishop of Strasbourg charged Jews in Sulzmatt and Rufach with host desecration. They were burned alive.
1370: Jews in Brabant, Belgium, were accused of defiling the host and were burned alive.

1389: Jews in Prague were accused of attacking a monk carrying a wafer. All of the Jews in the city were offered the choice of conversion to Christianity or death. They were all killed.

1399: A rabbi and 13 elders in Posen, Poland, were charged with stabbing the host and tossing it into a pit. They were slowly roasted to death. Some townspeople believed that the host had bled.

693-4 CE: At the 16th & 17th church Councils of Toledo charged Jews with undermining the church, massacring Catholics, etc.

829: St. Agobard, The Archbishop of Lyon, said that Jews were kidnapping Christian children and selling them to the Arabs.

1130: Jews in London were accused of killing a sick man. They were fined 1 million marks.

1321: Jews were charged of arranging with criminals to poison fountains in Guienne, France. 5,000 Jews were burned alive.

[maven]

shneerhere, you must be new to this site. Any longterm reader would know that on this site, all those accusations were in some way the fault of the chareidim.

[Bklyn11230]

What about spitting a non-orthodox Jews in Brooklyn? Ok, he did spit at me, he called me a sh*t.

[shneerhere]

Maven, I trust you are being sarcastic.

I hope.

Bklyn11230, yeah, morons who spit at N.Ortho Jews are morons. Can't defend it and can't explain it. Also not defending the spitting at Christian clergy, only offering potential historical explanation for behavior.

[Rosen]

I have a hasidic friend who does it here in toronto! has never been caught though a group of black youths did chase him away from their church (a black baptist church). Most of the black people in that area are poor and go to church to get some relief from the misery they have to face daily and to pray to the Creator as they understand him. I said this to my friend and he smirked and said: "their goyim, who cares"

With jews like this who needs nazis?

[Reggie]

This is a act of insanity. If these Ultra Orthodox wackos continue with this kind of behavior, and the Israeli government does noting about it, then American Gentiles like myself who have always supported Israel will put more pressure on the US government to stop supporting Israel. I would expect to be treated like this in an Arab Country, not Israel. How about just stop supplying welfare for these dirt bags!!! If anyone spit on me, I would show them what a round house right feels like!!!!

[Keith McLennan]

Just inside the entrance of Sacré-Coeur, Montmartre, there was once a marble tablet that read "Les visiteurs sont priés de ne pas cracher dans l'église." I don't know if it's still there, but when I saw it forty years ago I was amazed that such a request was still thought necessary in the nineteenth century, when the church was built. I am even more amazed to read a debate on the merits of spitting on people, in 2012! What does it matter who it is that is being spat upon, or what misguided motives drive those who do it? It is an act that degrades the one who performs it.