Haredi Protests To Continue Despite Pig Burials At Pagan Graves

The tombs uncovered in Jaffa belong to pagan worshipers buried next to domesticated pigs. Even so, haredi protests, which have sometimes been violent, will continue: "This is a three thousand year old cemetery where the remains of thousands and thousands of our forefathers are buried…this terrible tragedy and crime could only take place in the state calling itself Israel, which was established by heretics…"

     

'Andromeda Hill tombs belong to Pagans, pigs'
Israel Antiquities Authority says latest findings from controversial excavation site in Jaffa prove unequivocally that graves found at site belong to pagan worshipers traditionally buried next to pigs
Yoav Zitun

The tombs uncovered near Andromeda Hill in Jaffa belong to pagan worshipers buried next to domesticated pigs, according to the latest findings revealed during excavation works at the site.
 
For the past year, the site has become a political and religious hotspot, with ultra-Orthodox frequently protesting what they claimed was the desecration of Jewish graves.

The demonstrations often deteriorated into physical and verbal violence, with protesters hurling stones at police officers and security forces arresting dozens of rioters.

The excavation site has more than once been the target of vandalism, and a number of Israel Antiquities Authority officials have even received anonymous threats.

The Authority has already stated in the past that the graves most probably do not belong to Jews – but were largely ignored. Now, with the excavation work complete, they can finally base their assertion on findings that "unequivocally prove a Pagan population lived in the area."

'Remains of domesticated swines'

According to Authority officials, the controversial cemetery was uncovered back in 1993. Some 30 graves, most of which were carved out of gravel, were identified and ascribed to the Persian to Byzantine eras.

The discovery of the graves stirred a storm among religious elements, who claimed the excavations violated the respect for the dead.
 
"Human bones and skulls are rolling like manure in the field, and no one cares," wrote members of United Torah Judaism in a letter sent to then Minister of Religious Services Yakov Margi, demanding that he halts the construction work at the site.
 
The latest findings, however, seem to refute former claims of the existence of Jewish graves. According to Yossi Levi, the central district archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority, many pig bones were identified among the remains.

"These are the remains of domesticated swines, which were placed in the grave in honor of the buried. This tradition was widespread among Pagan populations throughout ancient Israel," he explained.
 
Now that excavation works have been completed, the remains were transferred to a certified representative at the Ministry of Religious Services, and will be brought to burial at an alternate location.

You might think clear evidence these graves are graves of idol worshippers would stop haredi demonstrations, but you'd be wrong, even though haredi understanding of Jewish law allows the removal of non-Jewish graves and grave of idoloters:

Rabbis to Protest Ancient Grave Desecration in Israel

NEW YORK, March 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Central Rabbinical Congress is conducting weekly demonstrations in front of Aby Rosen's townhouse in upper Manhattan at 5 East 80th Street, to protest the uprooting of an ancient Jewish cemetery in Jaffa, Israel, for the purpose of building a luxury 600-million dollar hotel on the site.

"This is a three thousand year old cemetery where the remains of thousands and thousands of our forefathers are buried," said Rabbi Pinches Weinberg. "Now, Aby Rosen with his partner Michael Fuchs of RFR Realty are digging and desecrating these holy graves.

"According to Judaism, which teaches the existence of life after death, digging graves is a serious sin. The entire Jewish community is outraged at this horrible behavior.

"Of course, this terrible tragedy and crime could only take place in the state calling itself Israel, which was established by heretics against the will of all leading Torah authorities, since the Torah expressly forbids the existence of a Jewish state during our divinely decreed exile. Throughout its existence, the State of Israel has trampled on every law of the Torah with impunity, and viciously oppressed all those who stood in its way.

"The current desecration is a private venture, but it is an historical fact that the State has always sponsored the uprooting of ancient cemeteries for purposes of archaeology and road construction, despite the pleas and appeals of pious Jews worldwide. Therefore it is no wonder that the State has given its blessings and protection to Aby Rosen and RFR Realty to proceed with this project."

The Central Rabbinic Congress has conducted many protests in the past nine months. One major protest took place in Washington, DC on July 6, 2010 with 7,000 participants. Afterwards, numerous protests were held at RFR headquarters at 390 Park Avenue, with larger and smaller groups of people. One major protest at RFR headquarters with 10,000 participants took place on Oct. 28, 2010.

We invite you to join us at our weekly protests in front of Aby Rosen's home at 5 East 80th St, usually on Thursdays between 3:00 and 4:30 PM.

This Monday, March 28, we will be conducting demonstrations at two locations in Manhattan with 600 demonstrators: from 3:00 to 4:30 we will be in front of the Israeli Consulate at 800 2nd Ave, and from 4:30 to 6:00 we will be in front of Aby Rosen's home at 5 East 80th St.

SOURCE Central Rabbinical Congress of the USA and Canada

Update 9:24 am CST – Haredim plan to hold a Jewish funeral for the bones, despite clear evidence the graves belong to pagans:

Haredi group to bury remains uncovered near Jaffa's Andromeda Hill
Kobi Nahshoni • Ynet

Members of Atra Kadisha, an ultra-Orthodox organization that fought against the removal of graves found near Andromeda Hill in Jaffa, will hold a funeral for the bones uncovered there, claiming that they belong to 150 Jews.

Members of the organization insist that the remains belong to Jews because they were buried in accordance with Jewish tradition – on their backs, and with their heads facing the direction of Jerusalem. The Israel Antiquities Authority, however, asserted that the bones belong to pagan worshipers and their pigs.

Comments

[ruthie]

i hate when they call us heretics.
the first time i went into mea sharim i was wearing short sleeves..i guess.
sure enough a bunch of big kids came over and started hitting me...not hard...didn't beat me up like they did the swedish tourist the following week.
did i run. i couldn't. i was mesmerized by young kids speaking yiddish. it was music to my ears. if they only knew.
who's the heretic?

[ruthie]

i would like to mention..
i was never taught about short sleeves so i didn't know.
and i was alone.
today i would be scared because i know. or bring pepper spray or mace in with me. not to make a problem...but how dare they hit people. i'm sure that swedish girl went back to stockholm full of warm stories about how nice religious jews are. in her case, she will never see a difference between libya, syria and us.

[Michelle]

B"H

Hmmm. If they think the pagans are their forefathers . . . maybe they are correct. Has anyone checked the background of some of these Haredim? After all, their mother's, mother's, mother's, mother might have allowed her hair to show or something . . .

[dlz]

Does anyone really think that the pagans buried pigs in their cemeteries???

[Shmarya]

Does anyone really think that the pagans buried pigs in their cemeteries???

Posted by: dlz | March 27, 2011 at 09:22 AM

The Egyptians buried cats with their owners. Why is it so strange to think pagans buried pigs with people?

[jancsipista]

theese demonstrators are nothing more then mindless morons they have no idea aboutt modern science they live in a tottaly isolated fantasy land they are a laughting stock of the educated normal peace loving people what a shame on us all yiddin who hold education to be dear to us all i call theese demonstrators neaderthals robotisized automatons.

[the usual chaim]

jancsipista- what you should call them is "victims". They are victims of a system that was consciously designed to deprive them of all independent reasoning ability. victims regarding whom one cannot even turn to their leaders to blame b/c they are products (and thus victims) of the same system. all that can be done is to abolish the system externally, against all protest. separate church and state, normalize the educational aparatus. dialogue is impossible because it would demand reasoning

[Jeff]

Throughout its existence, the State of Israel has trampled on every law of the Torah with impunity, and viciously oppressed all those who stood in its way.

Please. I wish they were being viciously oppressed. Meanwhile, I'm surprised they aren't demanding that the remains of the pigs and pagans be removed and the bones of their ancestors dipped in a mikvah and re-interred, all at the expense of the secular, taxpaying public they so vehemently despise.

Israel has a choice - it can disenfranchise these people, or continue kissing their collective behind and face bankruptcy and collapse within a generation. Tragically, it will almost certainly choose the latter.

[jancsipista]

the usual chaim- this time i agree with you 100 per cent youre right on target they are victims more or less i say we need a revolution like in the arab world someone to go out and shout this is all stupidity what they the hareidim are going mindless robotisized automatons.

[Maskil]

You might think clear evidence these graves are graves of idol worshippers would stop haredi demonstrations...

Because if history has taught us anything it's that the Israelites have always been a monotheistic nation unified under one single code of law and never split or divided by breakaway factions of heretics or ignorants.

[who knows]

These people might have been victims of their educational system as children. Now they grew up into vicious fanatical adults. These adults are victimizers! The victimize countless people and need to be stopped.

[state of disgust]

maskil said

"...if history has taught us anything it's that the Israelites have always been a monotheistic nation..."

Ever hear of the golden calf?
How about the meshichistas?

Be careful about using absolutes when talking about Jewish history.

[Maskil]

state of disgust,

Looks like my comment went right over your head, but everyone else got it. :(

[Monsey]

If these guys are such big learners where do they all find the time to demonstrate? If they have extra time and energy they should visit the gym.

[ruthie]

or work

[Jeff]

And another thing - I want to address ruthie's earlier comment. She went into Meah Shearim, and children began hitting her. I mean, seriously? It's beyond deplorable, it's by no means an isolated incident.

I'm really not interested in hearing about what victims they are. My compassion went out the window years ago - for them, and for their Islamic and (especially) their evangelical counterparts. This should have been dealt with decades ago, when the first child in Meah Shearim picked up the first stone to throw at a passerby on Shabbat. Israel, to its shame, has allowed this behavior to go on unchallenged for generations.

Israel and the Haredim - they deserve each other, and they deserve what's coming to them.

[David]

The dude in the picture - how did he get the blood around his mouth? Perhaps it is his clown make-up or he has been engaged in some type of pagan blood sacrifice?

[David]

The pig bones should be reburied with the Charedim!

[David]

... will hold a funeral for the bones uncovered there, claiming that they belong to 150 Jews.

This is very strange given their claims that many existing Jews are not even Jewish and won't marry or bury them because the paperwork is not in order. What did they do to check the paperwork of these 3,000 yr old idolaters? They show more respect for 3,000 yr old bones than they do for their fellow Jews.

[Maskil]

David,

This is very strange given their claims that many existing Jews are not even Jewish and won't marry or bury them because the paperwork is not in order. What did they do to check the paperwork of these 3,000 yr old idolaters? They show more respect for 3,000 yr old bones than they do for their fellow Jews.

The Persian & Byzantine eras weren't quite that long ago. But you have made the utmost valid point. There are Haredim in Israel who take every case with the utmost care to assure that all the rights of a Jew in life and in death are available to them, both from the Rabbinate and from the Interior Ministry. But these rabbis are a minority. But the protesters are certainly not from among them, and though I due avoid using the term "hypocrite" (because being fallable doesn't make one a hypocrite) - these people epitomize the meaning of the word hypocrite. And if they cannot express the same level of concern for the living that they do for the dead, they should at least show as much zeal and protest for their contemporary Jews in death (assuring that every case is carefully examined and no Jew goes without a proper burial) if they cannot find it in themselves to do so in life.

[catcher50]

I hate to seem like a '60s radical (sorry, can't remember which song), but I notice that the old man, who undoubtedly was among those provoking the nonsense and causing the young man to end up with a bloodied face, is quietly standing in the back.

I'm glad I'm Jewish and they're not.

[YbM]

these idiots aren't jewish! they are delusional fools that belong to the former rural pale of settlement. they are in israel by default. gd who put them ther must be laughing.

[zoobiemanyak]

filthy farsical flatuluent frum fartsacks

[Yos]

"...where the remains of thousands and thousands of our forefathers are buried..."

Maybe they're referring to the pigs.