Jerusalem City Workers Beaten By Haredi Mob, 30 Arrested

"They are arresting righteous Yeshiva students for protesting the desecration of graves," said Rabbi Yitzhak Tuvia Weiss, the leader of the Haredi group that organized the protest. "It is they [the police] who should be arrested."

Some 700 Haredim riot in Jerusalem after graves removed from Ashkelon ER site
Jerusalem cuts off services to Haredi neighborhoods due to violent protests; at least 30 arrested in last two days.
By Liel Kyzer, Yair Ettinger and Nir Hasson • Ha'aretz

The Jerusalem municipality on Sunday evening cut off services to a number of ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, after hundreds of protesters clashed with police during demonstrations against the state's decision to relocate ancient remains buried at the site of a planned emergency room in Ashkelon.

Close to 700 Haredim took part in the Sunday demonstration in Jerusalem's Shabbat Square organized by the Eda Haredit sect, the extreme ultra-Orthodox faction that has been most vocal in its objection to the relocation of the human remains in Ashkelon.

Several municipal employees in the capital were beaten on Sunday by angry Haredi demonstrators, and ultra-Orthodox youth staged riots along Bar-Ilan Street. Authorities arrested at least 30 Haredi protesters in the city.

Due to "a long list of violent incidents, including attacks on municipal workers and the vandalism of city facilities at the hands of the Haredi protesters, the city has decided to remove employees from these neighborhoods and immediately halt all activities until the violence and lack of concern for human life and property ends," said the municipality.

"They are arresting righteous Yeshiva students for protesting the desecration of graves," said Rabbi Yitzhak Tuvia Weiss, the leader of the Haredi group that organized the protest. "It is they [the police] who should be arrested."

The controversial plan has sparked outrage among Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, as it views the removal of buried remains as sacrilege.

The Israel Antiquities Authority on Sunday said preliminary findings from the excavation at the site of the planned emergency room reveal that the ancient remains buried there are not in fact Jewish, but from the Byzantine era.

Several demonstrators set fire to garbage bins, and traffic to and from the square was blocked. Shortly after the protest began, dozens of ultra-Orthodox youth also descended on Bar-Ilan Street and began hurling stones and bottles. They burned garbage bins in the middle of the road to block traffic and strewed debris and garbage throughout the street.

A large police force, including mounted officers, dispersed the crowd using water cannons. Three of the rioters were arrested and taken into custody.

Rabbi Yitzhak Tuvia Weiss, the leader of the Eda Haredit, charged, "They are arresting righteous yeshiva students who are protesting the desecration of graves. It is they [the police] who ought to be put in prison."

"Only risking lives will enable us to stop the desecration," added Rabbi David Shmidel, the head of Atra Kadisha, an organization dedicated to preserving Jewish places of burial. "We will fight even if they dig up the graves of soldiers and other Jews."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Sunday said that the government's decision to construct the bombproof emergency room at Barzilai Medical Center is in the public's best interest, despite opposition from the ultra-Orthodox community.

"After the Second Lebanon War, we made a decision to erect a new emergency room next to Barzilai Medical Center," said Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. "There is an important ultra-Orthodox public that is offended by this. We reached a decision to implement [the plan] and the general public's interest is the
deciding factor."

Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush on Sunday visited the medical center to register his opposition to the project, calling the excavations an "embarrassment and a disgrace".

"It was possible to find alternatives to digging up graves that may be Jewish," Porush said. "It would have been preferable to have found a compromise."

Netanyahu had refused permission for a preliminary check to ascertain that the graves were not Jewish, Porush said. In response to Porush's comments, the head of the Ashkelon municipal council, Benny Vaknin, said: "The real shame is with the people who delayed construction of the bombproof emergency room, while during Operation Cast Lead people could have died…That is the biggest disgrace."

Comments

[Hometown Postville]

I'll bet if they dig under some of their own houses they might be surprised what they find. Would it be acceptable to them if the new ER erected a memorial in honor of the Jews that were buried there or is this going to be an on-going issue? Given the current circumstances, will there be even more upheaval the first time a Haredi dies because their family members refuse to let them be taken to this ER?

[Robert Wisler]

It is gratifying to see that hareidi Jews finally care about not desecrating holy Christian grave sites. They're finally realizing that Jews are no better or no worse than Christians and other gentile peoples.

[Mr. Apikoros]

Too bad the cops didn't take Tuvia Weiss and put him on ice.

[jomadar]

this is what happens when they dont go to work and learn with a closed mind they cannot comprehend the real world theese hassidim and to top that they try to impose their nonsensical thinking on normal working people who struggle everyday of their lifes to live a decent life you cannot go lower then this i call them mindless robots lately they are becoming very violent this has to stop

[Adam Neira]

This case is fascinating on many levels. The need for an emergency room in case of attack is mitigated in the event of peace breaking out in the region. This is where the UTJ and Government should be directing their efforts. The dead do not want more unnecessary numbers added to their flock. Any preventative measures by the living to improve this equation would be approved of. The budgetary considerations are important as the State of Israel does not have a bottomless pit of money to allocate for such projects. There are many sites in the Holy Land where the dead have been buried that have been developed since 1948. Apparently 40 billion souls have ever lived on the Planet. As a percentage there must have been about 46 million people who have lived and died in the Holy Land in the last five thousand years. (There is a way for the Thirteenth Article of Faith to be explained.)

[HaNavon]

Does anyone have any information about the lead rabbis and gedolim involved in any backroom deals that didn't work in their favor, leading to the riots?
There must be something more here than meet the eye.

[HaNavon]

What's very interesting is that the EDUCATION minister is calling this a disgrace, which means that he doesn't accept the words of the scientists! How can you have an education minister who doesn't believe in science???

[Althelion]

Rabbi Yitzhak Tuvia Weiss is an idiot.

[harold]

the ancient remains buried there are not in fact Jewish,

Could someone PLEASE explain just what is the issue if the remains are not Jewish. Is it that the Haredim believe that any remains, no matter what the religion of the deceased, may not be moved? This is so confusing.

[ed]

""They are arresting righteous yeshiva students who are protesting the desecration of graves."

How? By assaulting municipal employees who have nothing to do with it and are in a city far from the site?

[nachos]

harold:

That is simply not true.

[Alter Kocker]

What this is, hopefully, is an indication of a sea-change in Israel. For too long the Haredi minority has influenced the decision making. The public perception, among the secular majority has been that the haredim are essentially parasites, however the government has been loathe to enact or enforce laws which would require the minority to work, enter the military or pay taxes rather than resort to welfare.

[Mr. Apikoros]

Stop giving them welfare. This will put a stop to the baby machines.

[mau]

Mr. Apikoros:
When Bibi was finance minister few years ago he had cut child allowances. Arab birthrate went down significantly, but the haredi one remained almost intact. So cutting welfare is a good move but in addition to that there must be some reform in the education system.

[rabbidw]

Put anyone arrested in jail for the length of army service. If they can find the time to riot, they can serve in the army. If they don't want to serve in the army, they can "learn" in jail. It was good enough for Rav Meir of Rotenberg.

[chaim]

harold -

the issue is that disinterment of jewish graves is generally discouraged in jewish law (though here rabbi amar has already said that the disinterment is permitted regardless). theoretically, if the leaders would admit that these graves are not jewish ones the masses would not care. you may not like this, but it is a fact. Of course, however, this is all not really about graves, this is about a very twisted form of political manipulation... keeping the government in fear of haredi response to its decisions preserves haredi power over those decisions. it is in their best interest to blow minor things way out of proportion and turn them into opportunities for violence (that is until the govt. finally puts its foot down and makes uniform laws for all citizens)

[Bill]

"There must be something more here than meets the eye.." - HaNavon

HaNavon,

It's all about the power and control of the dead and, by extension, the aged and soon-to-be dead.

That's all there is to it. There is no need to search for an ulterior motive.