Priest Gets Pass For Punching Yeshiva Student

In a rare ruling, a judge in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court dismissed an indictment filed against a priest who punched a haredi yeshiva student in the face after the student spat at him as he walked on the street.

An Armenian priest and haredim walk in Jerusalem's Old City. Armenian, Greek and Russian and Russian Orthodox priests and Ethiopian Coptic priests have all complained of spitting attacks by haredi and Orthodox Zionist Jews.

Judge quashes indictment of pugilistic priest
Greek Orthodox cleric was sued for punching haredi man who spat in his direction in 2008.
By JEREMY SHARON • Jerusalem Post
 
In a rare ruling, a judge in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court dismissed an indictment filed against a priest who punched a haredi yeshiva student in the face for having spat at him as he passed.

In June 2008, Greek Orthodox priest Martarsian was walking along The Armenian’s Street, in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, when the yeshiva student spat toward the ground in his direction.

The priest then punched the man in the face, causing him to bleed.

The priest did not dispute that he had punched the man, but asked that the indictment be dismissed in accordance with a clause in the law that allows for charges to be dismissed “if the indictment contravenes the essence of the principles of justice and fairness.”

Judge Dov Pollock said in his ruling last Tuesday that the court had heard evidence of daily incidents in which Christian clergy were spat upon by members of the ultra-Orthodox community, something which, the judge added, has been occurring for a number of years and which the police has not acted to prevent.

“Needless to say, spitting toward the accused when he was wearing the mantle of the church is a criminal offense,” the judge said.

Those who do this “hurt not only the people they spit at, but the image of our country, tourism and our values.”

The judge criticized the priest for taking the law into his own hands but said that it was equally deplorable that the authorities do not take the required action to uproot the phenomenon through prosecution and education.

“It is intolerable that a man of the Christian faith should be demeaned because of his religion, in the same way that it is for a Jew, Pollock said.

“The Jewish people experienced a long history of Christian anti-Semitism that brought great suffering to Jews and Judaism,” the judge continued.

“However, with the realization of the return of the Jewish people to sovereignty and independence, the state must strive not to look back but to establish a country that guarantees freedom of religion and worship to every religion, a state where every person is equal before the law without distinction of race or religion. These things are the cornerstone of the Declaration of Independence, and the rock of the foundation of Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state.”

The plaintiff told the court that he had not spat at the priest to degrade him but because he suffered from a medical complaint that caused him to produce a lot of saliva.

Pollock dismissed this argument owing to the fact that he had not produced any medical documentation to substantiate the claim, nor had he needed to spit during the duration of the court proceedings.

“The defendant is being prosecuted for having, in a single incident, punched a man who spat in front of him, after having suffered years of being spat at and demeaned while wearing the mantle of the church, and having never received any response from the authorities for this distress,” the judge said.

He ruled that the indictment represented a contravention of the principles of justice, for which he was dismissing the charges.

Shahar Ilan, vice president of Hiddush – For Religious Freedom and Equality, applauded the ruling and called on rabbis and leaders of the haredi community to denounce the phenomenon of members of their community spitting at Christian clergy.

“The haredi leadership has to understand that the fact that we have established a Jewish state brings responsibility, Ilan told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

“We have to prove that we don’t treat people from other religions as Jews were treated in the past.

The idea that we came here and treated others as we were treated is simply insufferable.”

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of Efrat, co-founder of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation, also welcomed the ruling.

“The crime this man committed by spitting at the priest was embarrassing him. This yeshiva student was in return embarrassed by having been struck by the priest, so I hope it was a lesson well learned for this particular yeshiva student,” Riskin said.

“The haredi community’s attitude to the Christian church stems from the pogroms carried out by Christians mobs against Jews in Europe for hundreds of years, incited by members of the Christian clergy, Riskin said.

“But times have changed and a whole new era of Jewish-Christian relations and understanding has dawned upon the world, and the haredim – and all Jews – should understand this and act accordingly.”

Comments

[Dr. Dave]

This ridiculous behavior has to stop.

While I don't condone physical violence I can understand how it occurred.

In certain parts of the U.S., if you spit at someone you'll be answered with a bullet.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Spit happens.

[Chicago Sam]

Sounds like the dumb shmuck got a Hawaiian Punch!

[R. Wisler]

It's about time that the Palestinian Christians in the West Bank fought back against their oppression by the Israelis. Bravo to this courageous priest.

[p]

Reminds me of the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when the French soldier says

French Soldier:
"... I fart in your general direction ..."

Sir Galahad:
Is there someone else up there we can talk to?

French Soldier:
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time.

[WoolSilkCotton]

One punch in the face did more justice than the entire Israel Police Department could.

[PishPosh]

Now the Priest only need fear walking out at night where more hooligans await.

[Gevezener Chusid]

The good father, however, was not acting in accordance with his own religion:

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:39, KJV)

But I applaud his effort nonetheless. The spitting pigs should have the shit kicked out of them. Period.

[OMG]

Posted by: Gevezener Chusid | October 31, 2011 at 11:29 AM

You quotation of the New Testament, is regarding personal interaction, but spitting at the priest is a direct reference against his religion, therefore, there is a theological argument that the priest did the right thing and stood up for Jesus not himself.

[Phillip]

Good for the good father.....
Next time I hope he answers with a brick
after being spat upon.

[rebitzman]

You do NOT want to mess with the priests in Jerusalem.

When I was there last two groups of priests had a "misunderstanding" that resulted in riot police being called and about 15 of them going to the hospital (before jail).

[Barry]

When I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre some years ago, I saw a young priest grab a cigarette from the lips of a Russian youth who lit it just outside the Aedicule. The priest proceeded to rebuke the youth who remained silent but responded with a perfect right hook which put the priest on the floor.

[Chareidi]

Embarrassing. I commend the violence from the priest to the chareidi for when police fail to respond... Assuming that it indeed happened as presented.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

-Disgusting haredei
-Hooligan galoch
-Torah-hating Zionist judge

All comments must stem from one of these 3 perceived sources of evil.

The liberals will go with #1; the conservatives with #2, and the trolls with #3.

[abcdef]

I was once in court in a small town in New York for a traffic ticket, and there was a case of a Hispanic male who had assaulted an orthodox Jewish male. The Hispanic male kept insisting that he should not be responsible because many other Jewish people had allegedly hurt him in the past. The judge mocked him and repeatedly asked what anything other Jews did had to do with this Jew. The Hispanic male could not understand the Judges reasoning and insisted that they are all "his people" so it was only fair that he be off the hook.

Here too, it seems the Judge ruled in favor of the priest, not because of what this one Jew did, but because of what other Jews and the political establishment are doing. Assaulting someone for spitting on the ground in your general direction is not a "proportionate response." There's no doubt that had he judged this case based on this one incident, the priest would be found guilty.

This is not just, and unsurprisingly, none of the commentors here so far care; they are just happy that an orthodox Jew did not win a case against the priest. I guess their enemy's enemy is truly their friend.

[abcdef]

If I had a dollar for every time someone spat in my direction, or fake sneezed haJew at me, I'd be a rich man.

Yet, it never occurred to me to attack any of the people who did the above.

[Gevezener Chusid]

well abcdef - the numerous times I had antisemitic things done or said to me, it definitely DID occur to me to attack the perpetrators.

I only actually did it once, though, and after that, for as long as I lived on that block, I never had another incident.

I still do not feel that my response was in any way disproportionate.

You have to speak to people in a language that they can understand.

[David]

The plaintiff told the court that he had not spat at the priest to degrade him but because he suffered from a medical complaint that caused him to produce a lot of saliva.

I guess that beats the "not really orthodox" excuse.

[A E ANDERSON]

I can;t fathom why the Israel Police aren't apprehending and jailing these haredi hooligans and thugs. What incentive does the haredi eruv rav have to behave except avoidance of jail and fines?!

[abcdef]

"I can;t fathom why the Israel Police aren't apprehending and jailing these haredi hooligans and thugs. What incentive does the haredi eruv rav have to behave except avoidance of jail and fines?!

Posted by: A E ANDERSON | Clown Heights, NY 11213 | October 31, 2011 at 03:02 PM"

What's "eruv rav?" The rav in charge of the eruv?

[Dovit]

The plaintiff told the court that he had not spat at the priest to degrade him but because he suffered from a medical complaint that caused him to produce a lot of saliva.
----------------
Maybe the priest had a medical complaint that causes his hand to ball up into a fist and fly toward the face of anyone with an excess of saliva.

[David]

Maybe the priest had a medical complaint that causes his hand to ball up into a fist and fly toward the face of anyone with an excess of saliva.

Posted by: Dovit | October 31, 2011 at 03:39 PM

LOL!!!

[seymour]

wow

no if only the police would do the same

[Zack]

lets say a chussid in langeh payis was the one who smashed a priest for spitting in his direction....

guaranteed the chussid would be put in jail for that.

go figure

[Jeff]

lets say a chussid in langeh payis was the one who smashed a priest for spitting in his direction....

guaranteed the chussid would be put in jail for that.

Except that a priest - especially in Israel - wouldn't be spitting at a Jew, and a Jew who gets caught spitting at a priest is without question a repeat offender.

[abcdef]

"Except that a priest - especially in Israel - wouldn't be spitting at a Jew, and a Jew who gets caught spitting at a priest is without question a repeat offender.

Posted by: Jeff | October 31, 2011 at 06:03 PM"

Really, a priest wouldn't spit at a Jew? And they wouldn't molest little children either, right?.. in some alternate universe...

Actually I shouldn't be surprised at all that commenters here are anti-religious Jews and pro-priests.

[Abracadabra]

But Torah contains all the morals and ethics in the whole world, and Chareidi men do not go to work or to the army, but instead spend their entire adult lives learning Torah. So, then, how could it be that they don't have the first clue about how to treat people, or about not treating someone in a way you don't want to be treated? Or even about taking revenge against someone for the crimes of his ancestors?

(For those who don't know me, the above was all tongue in cheek.)

It is frightening that these animals keep gaining more and more power in the government in Israel and keep multiplying like roaches - with excess saliva and all.

It is also pathetic that the yeshiva guy clearly lied to the judge and to the court, saying he had a "medical condition causing him to salavate". And yes, he clearly lied, otherwise he would have been able to produce medical documentation. So, lying is also okay in the morals and ethics of the Torah they learn?

Someone should examine their copies of the Torah, it sounds mighty different than the one I have.

[rebitzman]

Really, a priest wouldn't spit at a Jew? And they wouldn't molest little children either, right?.. in some alternate universe...

Be a light unto the world means setting a better example. The fact that a priest MIGHT does in no mitigate that a Jew DID.

Actually I shouldn't be surprised at all that commenters here are anti-religious Jews

Actually, many here are very religious. You can generally identify those that are - they don't engage in judgmental discussion as to religiosity of others.

[Friar Yid]

The plaintiff told the court that he had not spat at the priest to degrade him but because he suffered from a medical complaint that caused him to produce a lot of saliva.

Worst. Excuse. Ever.

[Friar Yid]

Here too, it seems the Judge ruled in favor of the priest, not because of what this one Jew did, but because of what other Jews and the political establishment are doing. Assaulting someone for spitting on the ground in your general direction is not a "proportionate response." There's no doubt that had he judged this case based on this one incident, the priest would be found guilty.

But turn it around again: Why was the Jew spitting at him? There was never any answer gotten from him. Why are so many priests spat on, or near, by Haredim, particularly in Jerusalem? Are we really to assume that these are all accidents or cases of "excess saliva?"

You accuse the judge of not looking at individual behavior but at the behavior of the group. I would ask you to hold all of the people involved in this unfortunate incident to the same standard. What was the Jewish man doing spitting on a priest?

[WoolSilkCotton]

I have a medical condition that causes me to ridicule frumma at every opportunity. Therefore, I cannot be held accountable for anything I write here on FM.

[WoolSilkCotton]

I am at least as old as most of the frumma apologists on this thread.
I have always lived in the NY/NJ metro area.

You frumma apologists all claim to experience antisemitism regularly. I have not experienced anything even remotely antisemitic since the late 1970's.
Maybe you were rude to someone nonJewish, or tried to screw them, and they did not take kindly to your behavior. Have you considered that posssibility? Of course not. Frumma are never wrong.

And of course, you need to keep pounding the drumbeat of how Christian clergy are virulent antisemites. Living in the past is indeed essential to maintaining the frumma mindset. The important thing is, keep hating everyone and everything.

[Isa]

Say the 'N' to a Black and you will liable get your teeth knocked out { I have heard of this happening] even though the Black might spend some time in jail...

So too, do you think this Yid will spit again especially if these priests decide it is better to spend jail time rather be insulted?

[Abracadabra]

Rebitzman - Excellent comment!

[Abracadabra]

Hey WSC - I'm still eagerly awaiting that promised email! If you sent it to Shmarya, please, send it again because I haven't received it yet. Thanks!

And I'm sorry about that medical condition of yours. I hear that there is a home remedy to it that includes punching frumma in the face. Of course it's "Alternative Medicine" and may not work for everyone. ;)

[Jeff]

Really, a priest wouldn't spit at a Jew? And they wouldn't molest little children either, right?.. in some alternate universe...

Posted by: abcdef | October 31, 2011 at 06:18 PM

Please. When was the last time you heard of such a thing happening, either in the US or in Israel?

But Haredim having no clue as to how to behave? Happens every day.

[Jeff]

I have a medical condition that causes me to ridicule frumma at every opportunity. Therefore, I cannot be held accountable for anything I write here on FM.

Posted by: WoolSilkCotton | October 31, 2011 at 07:22 PM

HA! Maybe they'll organize a fundraising campaign to find a cure!

[seymour]

I have a medical condition that causes me to ridicule frumma at every opportunity. Therefore, I cannot be held accountable for anything I write here on FM.

Posted by: WoolSilkCotton | October 31, 2011 at 07:22 PM

I am sure some frumma can find some program for you to scam because of that condition just ask

[WoolSilkCotton]

Seymour, Jeff, maybe I can go schnorring door to door in frumma neighborhoods, or I could organize a 'race to the cure'.

I must say, of all the pathetic lame excuses we read here daily from all the usual frumma apologists, this scumbag's excuse of having a disease with too much saliva is really the best. I'll bet that even Mendy Hecht, Deremes, abcdef, etc. are all in awe at that level of chutzpah and creativity.

[jesus]

Frum hating aside, If I see a priest wearing the garb it reminds me of some very dark places and terrible things that "jesus" has done to us in the last 2000 years. It would make me spit in that general direction too.

[Jeff]

I must say, of all the pathetic lame excuses we read here daily from all the usual frumma apologists, this scumbag's excuse of having a disease with too much saliva is really the best. I'll bet that even Mendy Hecht, Deremes, abcdef, etc. are all in awe at that level of chutzpah and creativity.

Posted by: WoolSilkCotton | November 01, 2011 at 08:05 AM

Yeah, it pretty much takes the sponge cake. I LOL'd when I read it.

[Chicago Sam]

MY good friend, Prof. Marvin Wilson is a man of great integrity, and has been honored several times by synagogues in the Boston area.

He told me that once, he walked by his church, and a group of yeshiva bocherim surrounded him and, one person went up and spat in his direction. He grabbed Marvin's Bible and threw it on the street, saying, "This is what we think of your mamzer messiah . . ."

Marvin is a cordial soul, and he told me that he was not angry, but someone else in the Christian community might have responded very differently from him, if the circumstances were different.

[infoaxs]

"Frum hating aside, If I see a priest wearing the garb it reminds me of some very dark places and terrible things that "jesus" has done to us in the last 2000 years. It would make me spit in that general direction too."

The Priest's name in the article is Armenian, and they know a little bit about 'dark places and terrible things' too as do a lot of other peoples in the world so let's just ALL start spitting on each other.

[Korbendallas72]

Harediphobia running wild! See, we're all afraid of them because we're influenced by the Jews.

[WoolSilkCotton]

++"Frum hating aside, If I see a priest wearing the garb it reminds me of some very dark places and terrible things that "jesus" has done to us in the last 2000 years. It would make me spit in that general direction too."++

And Christians of previous generations looked at you and saw the Christ killer. And so they assailed you.
And now you say it's ok to do likewise to their descendants. And you wonder why people who may not have hated you now do hate you.

[Jack Tripper]

Say the 'N' to a Black and you will liable get your teeth knocked out { I have heard of this happening] even though the Black might spend some time in jail...

So too, do you think this Yid will spit again especially if these priests decide it is better to spend jail time rather be insulted?

In the USA, based upon the "fighting words" doctine affirmed by the Supreme Court as long ago as 1942, this would be tantamount to throwing a punch at someone, so the person insulted has the right to hit the person back.

The insulter might also be arrested for disturbing the peace, although court decisions have been all over the place on this.

[Jeff]

Posted by: Chicago Sam | November 01, 2011 at 02:09 PM

Wow. We don't even have that many yeshiva bocherim here.

That's very disturbing.

[Chicago Sam]

Marvin is a sweet and gentle soul. I am wondering whether it might have been a shtibel he was passing by. I will ask him next time we speak . . .

[spacedout BT]

Maybe hire the priest as bodyguard for pupils at the girls school at Ramat Beit Shemesh

[Adam Neira]

The spitting was a provocative act. Not sure where it is in the "All people turning to the one G-d" chapter of the Redemption.

BTW, there also has to be some healing done between the Eastern Orthodox churches, especially the Greeks who are extremely proud and the Jews. Some discussions between some leaders of both faiths would be instructive, but the Orthodox clerics would have to give up on the idea of Jesus of Nazareth's messiahship if the real Moshiach facilitated discussions. The Greeks are experiencing a paradigm shift at the moment but there are ways to ease this in, rather than through unnecessary provocations.

[Jeff]

Marvin is a sweet and gentle soul. I am wondering whether it might have been a shtibel he was passing by. I will ask him next time we speak . . .

Posted by: Chicago Sam | November 01, 2011 at 08:07 PM

We don't really have them here. Even the Bostoner Rebbe's shul is too large to qualify, and no one there would behave that way. We do have a kollel, but I can't imagine any of the handful of young men who attend it behaving that way, either. It just isn't that kind of place.

In which town does Prof. Wilson live? The college at which he teaches is on Boston's north shore, in an area in which there are very few Jews, let alone frum ones.

[who knows]

Could Prof.Wilson be making up the story?

[Zoobiemanyak]

The real question is.... Do Priests wear anything under their robes????

[Ben]

Forgive me Father for I have sinned.

[Ben]

There is no excuse for the Yeshiva student for spitting at the Priest. That said a Priest punching someone in the face is unacceptable behaviour for a man of the cloth.

[spacedout BT]

Ask the Yeshiva boy is it right to conduct oneself as a manuvel in the street. Ask the priest about his gospel teaching about turning the other cheek. Looks like everyone is forgetting the most basic teachings fo the golden rule.