More Hasidic Violence

From attacks with metal clubs to setting fire to a home to pouring gas on a 1-year-old baby, another red line has been crossed in the war between rival ultra-Orthodox groups in Jerusalem's Warsaw Homes (Batei Warsaw ) neighborhood.

 

Where nothing is sacred
A baby was nearly set on fire in a bitter property dispute between ultra-Orthodox factions in Jerusalem.
By Yair Ettinger • Ha’aretz

From attacks with metal clubs to setting fire to a home, another red line has been crossed in the war between rival ultra-Orthodox groups in Jerusalem's Warsaw Homes (Batei Warsaw ) neighborhood. Eida Haredit zealots hired a lawyer and are preparing to appeal this month to the Israeli courts, which they do not officially recognize, in an attempt to overcome their rivals, members of the community of Gur Hasidim. Rabbis from the Eida Haredit permitted representatives of the residents to seek the assistance of the Zionist state in an indication of just how desperate this violent battle has become - a battle in which nothing is sacred anymore.

The representatives of the neighborhood's residents claim that Gur Hasidim are trying to dispossess hundreds of needy families and are benefiting from a forgiving attitude on the part of the police toward the "pogroms" they are perpetrating. In the first comments on the dispute, Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, the most senior representative of Gur Hasidim, yesterday told Haaretz that the other side is trying to impose its will by resorting to violence. He calls the zealous residents of the neighborhood "robbers" seeking to take control of assets that are not theirs.

This battle is taking place in the heart of Jerusalem, yet seems to be transplanted from another continent. The ultra-Orthodox papers refrain from reporting on it, even when there are physical injuries, as in the case of Shimon Stern, who has been hospitalized for the past 10 days.

On the eve of Shavuot, unknown assailants attacked Stern on the street, in broad daylight, because he apparently mistakenly got mixed up in someone else's fight. The mistake cost him a shattered thigh, an operation and a lengthy hospitalization at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem. Stern, a 46-year-old student at a kollel (yeshiva for married men ), told Haaretz that he is a Viznitz-Monsey Hasid whose family hails from Hungary and Romania, indicating that he has no connection to the fight that involves only those of Polish origin. Stern does not live in the Warsaw Homes neighborhood and does not belong to any of the communities involved in the fight.

According to Stern, his only crime was that on the eve of Shavuot he attempted to pick up and throw out posters left on the sidewalk in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem. The posters referred to the leaders of the residents' revolt in the Warsaw Homes neighborhood as "missionaries" and "deranged terrorists."

"I am not a member of either side," insists Stern. "I just wanted to pick up the dirty and controversial posters from the street." He told police investigators that he was attacked from behind. He could not identify the attackers except to say that they were ultra-Orthodox. "I didn't believe that I could be attacked so viciously in broad daylight by ultra-Orthodox Jews," says Stern. He refrained from stating in the interview and to the police what his friends said in his name: that his attackers were Gur Hasidim, the ones who had put up the posters.
Heart of the dispute

Warsaw Homes is a little ghetto hidden in one of the capital's central locations, adjacent to Kikar Shabbat. Two rows of crowded and peeling two-story homes run parallel to Mea She'arim Street and are the focus of a dispute that is evident on the graffiti-covered walls. There are around 90 apartments here, most of them inhabited by families affiliated with the Eida Haredit, which does not accept the state. The group opposes any involvement of ultra-Orthodox groups, such as the Gur Hasidim, in the affairs of state and refuses to accept any state funding.

This dispute has an ideological side and a sectarian side, but beneath the surface bubbles the impoverished residents' fear of the 21st century's invasion into the neighborhood that was established in the late 19th century.

The neighborhood was set up during the Ottoman rule as a trust with funds provided by the philanthropist Yaakov Shraga Tennenwerzel for kollel families with Polish origins. As in other similar ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, needy families here receive small apartments in return for key money or low monthly rents. The Polish Gur Hasidim always dominated the neighborhood committee, but in recent years its representatives attained almost total dominance and, according to their representatives, this was apparent in the mistreatment of any family that was not a part of the Gur community.

Moreover, the committee is planning to add additional stories and more housing units, and to open businesses and charge rent. The residents are convinced that it is all part of a plan to open a mall in the area and kick them out of their homes.

Over the years, there have been assorted attempts to resolve the dispute through the rabbinical courts, informal mediation efforts, police complaints, and civil suits initiated by Gur committee members - all to no avail. Instead control of the neighborhood was achieved through brute force.
Pouring gas on a baby

At the height of the escalation, around two months ago, dozens of Gur Hasidim broke into Hirshman's home , poured gasoline on his wife and infant daughter, then lit a fire which miraculously did not destroy the house while the residents were inside. In a reprisal act, a family of Gur Hasidim was expelled from the neighborhood.

Both sides accuse each other of violence and both are absolutely right. But only one side, the members of the Eida Haredit, complains about the police. The police arrived in the neighborhood on numerous occasions; the commander of the Lev Habira police station, Deputy Commander Eli Kazari, was even injured when a stone was thrown at his head. But the residents claim the police are taking sides. "The police, for some reason, do not open files against any of the Gur Hasidim," says Hirshman. "The night they almost set fire to my wife and baby daughter, I went to the police to file a complaint and surprisingly, they arrested me instead of arresting the attackers. I was stunned," he related.

Two weeks ago, the police arrested Shalom Baruch Roset, a leading activist in the neighborhood and a leader of a radical faction in Mea She'arim known by some as the Sicarii, after the Jewish zealots who fought the Romans in Jerusalem around the time of the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. Roset was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport before catching a flight to England. Shimon Stern also has complaints against the police, who have not arrested anyone in the attack against him.

MK Yaakov Litzman says that the Gur Hasidic community is not involved in the dispute. "There are people who received apartments there, who decided one day that they do not approve of this. Sicarii surfaced, crazies. They decided that this is not the State of Israel, that it is their territory, decided to use force, because they want a free apartment. They are simply robbers. We are asking the court to evict them."

The Jerusalem police stated that the Zion district has set up a "special investigation team that is looking into the mutual complaints about the attack and property damage. So far it is investigating nine mutual complaints of assault and property damage and in two the investigation has been completed and the cases have been transferred to the complaints department with a recommendation to proceed to trial." Regarding the complaints of trespassing into apartments, the police "are waiting for the court's decision which is expected in the coming weeks and it will act accordingly." The police stress that "there is no basis for the charges made [against them.] The forces operating in the area arrested several people involved in disturbing public order."

Regarding the attack on Shimon Stern, the police stated, "following a police initiative, a complaint of assault was filed by the victim. The investigation is underway."

Stern's colleague, activist Moshe Blau, urged Gur Hasidim to acknowledge that its members attacked Stern, and in an effort to achieve that he even met with the Admor of Gur in person. It seems that he was unsuccessful and Litzman yesterday referred to him as "audacious." So who attacked Stern? Litzman: "So what if they say it was Gur, maybe it was Viznitz Hasidim or Belz Hasidim who attacked him?"

Comments

[seymour]

what a beautiful people.

yes they are the apex of Jews we should all strive to be like them.

Funny they are crawling to the people they despise hate and blame they where the case of the holocaust to solve their problems.

In a few years another book will be written the untold stories of chassdeim that the ultra Orthodox do not want you to know

[phillip]

These clowns love to fight each other.....
But do nothing to protect the nation from
the common foe to all Israelis.
The founders of Israel must be turning over in
their graves. This is not what they wanted
a modern Israel to be....
Israel is slowly becoming the Iran for the
Jews.

[anuran]

phillip - Worse than Iran.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

chasidic jews (?!) or rather
" ואנשי סדום, רעים וחטאים, ליה-ה, מאוד "

[R Wisler]

A 46 year old kollel student??????

[Jeff]

I'm sure the Israeli authorities will take swift and decisive action. (rolls eyes)

[netflix]

"a 46-year-old student at a kollel (yeshiva for married men ), told Haaretz that he is a Viznitz-Monsey Hasid whose family hails from Hungary and Romania"

So he was born in Hungary in 1965? what's he talking about? who cares where his grandfather was killed?

[Visting the sick]

"to pouring gas on a 10year-old baby"

Shmarya, are you that angry that you can't check your facts? When was the last time you've seen a 10-year-old baby?

[jancsipista]

netflix
-he is saying that he is a hungarian romanian peace loving dude only when it comes to the parking lot there he gets violent in this case he is neutral and nonviolent nice guy.

[Shmarya]

"to pouring gas on a 10year-old baby"

Shmarya, are you that angry that you can't check your facts? When was the last time you've seen a 10-year-old baby?

Posted by: Visting the sick | June 27, 2011 at 06:52 AM

That's a typo.

[Guest]

The GERrorists always were terrorists. They are one of the worst fanatical religions out there, and woe to the one who gets in their way. They worship their Rebbe like Christians worship their savior, and they are all built like oxen.

Never cross them, or they will walk right over you.

My enemy's enemy is my friend, thus I am rooting for the Eidah Hachareidis in this instance.

[Alter Kocker]

How wonderful a reflection on a people. Instead of embracing one another, our people have descended into thuggery. Why don't these animals read something as simple as Dr. Seuss' "Butter Battle Book" The differences between groups are just as monumental.

This is why the anti-semites keep winning, and keep coming back. We are too involved in battling one-another, and ignoring the true enemies.

[ah-pee-chorus]

anyone who doesnt admit that if haredim/hassidim were in the majority they would be at least as bad as the taliban and the iranian and saudi theocracies is lying.
israel must immediately apply some variation of welfare to workfare whereby benefits are phased out after a specific time on the dole. the status quo which aids them in producing many children must be dealt with at the peril of israels existence, not to mention israels democratic ideals.

[Yossi]

We also have lots of Polish residents in our apartment building. Some of the furry hat extraction and some are what are called goyim. We all get on fine, talk to each other, etc.. Obviously, the people in your article must have lower intellectual abilities or have had an inadequate upbringing.

[Luke]

Wow...sounds like Ramapo.

[tooclose2detroit]

those damned orthodox-dressing up like blacks last night and attacking white people in Peoria IL, screaming kill the white people-when will those chareidim ever stop?
Tonight, around 11 p.m., a group of at least 60-70 African American youth marched down one of the side streets (W. Thrush) to the 4 lane main drag (Sheridan). They were yelling threats to white residents. Things such as we need to kill alll the white people around here. They were physically intimidating anyone calling for help from the police. They were surrounding cars. Cars on the main drag had to slam on their brakes to either avoid the youth blocking not only all four lanes, but a large section of the side street as well. fights were breaking out among them. They were rushing residents who looked out their doors, going on to porches, yelling threats to people calling the police for help.

Cars were doing U turns on the streets just to avoid the mob, mostly male. One youth stated his grandfather was white and several assaulted him on the spot. One police officer answered the call. The youth split into two large groups, one heading north, the other south. They were also yelling racial threats to the police officer but he was outnumbered. Another police Car did not show up until after the youth finally dispersed and the patty wagon (van) also eventually showed up.

[tooclose2detroit]

and here is a video taken a few days of orthodox jews dressed as black people fighting at the carribean festival in washington-damned those orthodox jews!-i wish they were perfect and peaceful, like the black people that you all worship-enjoy the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeBIPUw7ORs

[tooclose2detroit]

this is even better-i think i can see peyos coming out from their sideways turned hats, so it is definitely orthodox jews fighting here-what masters of disguise they are!
enjoy!-

http://24wired.tv/13468/neighborhood-crews-fight-during-caribbean-carnival/