Haredi Teens Assault Modern Orthodox Child In Beit Shemesh

"A" and his family are new immigrants from the United States. As "A" was walking home from school alone, around five boys approached him and started shouting at him. "He didn't understand what they were saying, he still doesn't know Hebrew well, and certainly not Yiddish," A's father said. "So he tried to escape…Not in a million years" did I expect to find this kind of atmosphere here, he said, adding that before they left for Israel he told his son about the problems with Palestinian terror, and warned him to avoid people who looked suspicious. "I never dreamed that Orthodox Jews would be the ones I'd have to teach my son to watch out for ... that's the big disgrace to my mind, that even children" are subject to terror at the hands of other Jews in Israel.

File photo: haredim throw rocks at police in Mea shearim in July 2011.

Ultra-Orthodox teens accost U.S. immigrant boy in Beit Shemesh
Group of teens surround victim, a third-grader, shout and spit at him and then throw a large rock in his direction that hits him in the back.
By Oz Rosenberg • Ha’aretz

On Monday, just two weeks after a big demonstration sparked by an incident in which an ultra-Orthodox man spat at a local 8-year-old girl dressed "immodestly," another student at Beit Shemesh's Orot state religious school was targeted by Haredi teens on the short walk home from school.

The victim this time was a third-grader, whose parents asked to identify him only as A. He was surrounded by a group of boys who shouted and spit at him and then threw a large rock in his direction that hit him in the back.

The boy's father, a new immigrant from the United States, relates the events his son relayed to him. As the boy was walking home from school alone, around five boys approached him and started shouting at him.

"He didn't understand what they were saying, he still doesn't know Hebrew well, and certainly not Yiddish," A's father said. "So he tried to escape, and then one of them threw a rock at him, hit him in the back." His son ran home and told his parents what had happened.

A's father said that a few weeks ago, while his son was walking with a friend and his dog in a field between their home and a Haredi neighborhood, they were approached by a Haredi man who screamed at his son and threatened to kill the dog because it was tameh (ritually impure), according to the son. A's father filed a complaint with the police, but no suspect has been apprehended.

A's father and his family immigrated to Israel from the U.S. state of Ohio just six months ago, directly to Beit Shemesh. He said he never imagined he was coming to a center of conflict over religious differences among Orthodox Jews.

"Not in a million years" did I expect to find this kind of atmosphere here, he said, adding that before they left for Israel he told his son about the problems with Palestinian terror, and warned him to avoid people who looked suspicious. "I never dreamed that Orthodox Jews would be the ones I'd have to teach my son to watch out for ... that's the big disgrace to my mind, that even children" are subject to terror at the hands of other Jews in Israel, A's father said.

To A's father, the fact that Monday's attack on his son had nothing to do with the issue of modesty proved that the attacks against Naama Margolese and other girls and women were merely a symptom of a wider problem of intolerance on the part of Haredi extremists.

General intolerance

"The intolerance isn't only against women, it's their general intolerance. The fact that they shout 'shiksa' at little girls is another example of their intolerance for anything that's different," A's father said, adding that children in the community imitate their elders, "and the result is that boys throw rocks at my son."

In related news, a man from the city's Haredi community admitted to police yesterday that he had sent several threatening emails to Tanya Rosenblit, the Ashdod woman who caused a stir when she refused to sit in the back of a public bus headed for Jerusalem. The suspect said he did not threaten Rosenblit. He wrote her, "Stalin is very proud of the education he gave you" and "Tanya, Tanya, where were you before ... you showed Haredi figures the Achilles heel of secular culture.

While the American Jewish media almost uniformly ignored the problems in Beit Shemesh until Na'amah Margolese's story was broadcast on Israeli television a month ago, a handful of Jewish blogs, including this one, did report problems with haredim in Beit Shemesh long before that.

One Google search on FailedMessiah.com would have turned up posts going back as far (at least) as 2007 documenting haredi violence against Modern Orthodox and secular Israelis in Beit Shemesh.

The question is, why didn't A's family's rabbis warn them about the violence? Why didn't his local Jewish newspaper write about it? If they used Nefesh B'Nefesh to make aliyah, why didn't Nefesh B'Nefesh warn them?

There are no redeeming answers to those questions.

Those rabbis, that newspaper and Nefesh B'Nefesh (if it helped with their aliyah) all failed this family.

Each probably did so for selfish reasons: the rabbis because they didn't want to make Orthodoxy/Yiddishkeit look bad or speak "lashon hara"; the newspaper because it didn't want to print bad news about Israel or "make a shonda for the goyyim;" and Nefesh B'Nefesh for all of those reasons.

So a little boy has been terrorized by haredim, and a family has moved thousands of miles to settle in the Jewish homeland only to be mistreated by anti-Zionist haredim.

And one thing is pretty clear – the only people who will pay the price for the failure of these Jewish leaders is this family and other families like them.

The leaders will get off scot free.

Why?

The same reasons these leaders failed to warn the family in the first place – because punishing them or firing them would make Orthodoxy, Yiddishkeit and Israel look bad and would be "a shonda for the goyyim." So the failures and incompetence will go unpunished, and more people will be hurt in this or in other ways as a result.

Comments

[Phillip]

I guess they are coming back home..........
Israel is falling apart that,s to religion
and the bearded PIGS.

[Lo K'darkah]

Hatred breeds hatred and what goes around will eventually smack you in the face. I'm sorry, but I can't shed too many tears here for the "modern orthodox" living in Beit Shimush. Don't get me wrong; this episode of children harassing children is awful, but lift up a stone just about anywhere in the MO world in Israel and you'll find racism and hatred and bigotry crawling around. The ultra-orthodox may be bigots par-excellence, but at least they want to stay stuck in the shtetl. I have on too many occasions been disgusted by the attitudes of the happy-clappy-kipa-serugah wearing kool-aid drinking nouveau Judeo-fascists, their obnoxious perversion of Zionism, and their desire to bring their ignorant and arrogant BS into mainstream Jewish culture by pretending that it's normal to think of other human beings as monkeys.

[A. Nuran]

During WWI some Americans went around kicking Dachshunds. Never German Shepherds or Rotweillers.

[Steven]

Please lo k'darkah tell us what is your way?

[Dovid]

I agree with lo k'darkah, although it's "religious zionism" not "modern orthodoxy."

The combination of nationalism and religious messianism is always a toxic brew.

[Shlomo]

A lot of the above posts sound awfully like blaming the victim I mean we are talking about a family that actually emigrated from a comfortable place like the USA to live and support their Jewish family probably viewed the chareidim like extended family were treated despicably and the best we can come up with here is that the NO deserve to be treated like this. How would any of us feel if our young children were treated like this especially by people that look especially religious how would we explain it to our children especially after probably convincing them that all the hardships in Israel is worth it and leaving our friends because we are moving to live with or own family.

[Missing Lynx]

Shmarya is on something, questining why Nefesh B'nefesh still send families to Beth Shemesh, one reason is that they are trying to stop or at least slow down the white flight from Beth Shemesh.

I feel bad for those sissified American Modern Orthodox who see their children getting abused and do nothing. I am not sure why people like JoeSettler and Muqata do not take their IDF provided M-16 and go to Beth Shemesh to make sure that Naama can go to school. The Muqata is actually defending the haredim, talk about Stockholm syndrome.

I am not what rabbi Kahane had in mind when he talked about submissive Jews, for sure they are not the communists, the Socialists, or the Zionists.. they are his own people, the North American Modern Orthodox Jews.

[Moshe in Israel]

Thank G-d I do not live in BT or RMT. I am very happy to be living far away from these ilk.

And also, there is no Modern Orthodox by definition in Israel. It's called דתי לאומי (National Religious). And they/we do not compromise on Halacha.

And in regards to NBN, i prefer to call them גוף בגוף(body for a body, as opposed to נפש בנפש (soul for a soul).

NBN is most concerned about bringing bodies to Israel, and less concerned about the spiritual/emotional/psychological issues that Olim face.

[Lo K'darkah]

Dovid
You are probably correct about my imprecision; something about seeing the words "Modern Orthdox" and "Beit Shemesh" on the same page triggered a short blast of nuclear za'am that got posted too hastily.

The perspective to keep in context here, perhaps, is that this was a case of a bunch schoolboy hooligans picking on another (newbie) schoolboy. Schoolboys have been doing this since the dawn of man. Hardly a chidush.

Shlomo, maybe the ugly irony I was referring to is irrelevant. I certainly don't blame the victim and I feel saddened by the shattering of his family's aliyah fantasy. Welcome to Israel.

But, if you're frum and you choose to live in Beit Shemesh now, as olim chadashim, you are either making a statement about what you can tolerate or you have been grossly misinformed.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

The war of gog and magog has begun.

W4m your time has come.

[SkepticalYid]

Rabbi Slifkin wrote essays a long time ago about Haredi assaults on MO kids. Nobody cared.

http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2010/04/someone-is-going-to-be-killed.html

[Confused]

Time to start a movement to bring Jews back to the United States, the goldena medina. B"H we have no problems here.

[Shmarya]

Rabbi Slifkin wrote essays a long time ago about Haredi assaults on MO kids. Nobody cared.

He wrote them 1 1/2 years ago.

The blogs I'm talking about were reporting on this violence as far back as 4 1/2 years ago.

[Hal]

None of this surprises me for I have been on the receiving end of violent looks by charedim for years. They just hate those blue shirts I wear with my black pants, black shoes, big black kippah, and black jacket. Drives them crazy to see such an apikoris as me.

[HF]

Many (not all) MOs who are moving to some of these areas of Beit Shemesh are doing to closer associate with the charedim and bring their kids up in charedi communities. Many Rabbis in MO communities in America preach to their communities how great hte charedim and their way of life is and the sheeple don't know any better. This s what Charedi Judaism is really like. It is time for the MO community to wake up and take their leaders to task for misleading them. Chaedi leaders preach hatred towards those who are not like them and teach their flock to disdain the MO way of life, but the MO Rabbis think this is great and invite these fools into our communities.

[seymour]

he combination of nationalism and religious messianism is always a toxic brew.

Posted by: Dovid | January 17, 2012 at 01:10 AM

really the problem is religion and power

thought out history when religion get power terrible thing happen

[jancsipista]

Thees anthropods are mindless beasts dont listen to no one they are determind in ther stupidity live crazed animals nothing can phase them they are in a hypnotized state from their gedoilim rebbes

[Hal]

Oh the modern need to break off and stop being bullied by the charedim. Sephardim need to do the same thing. Charedism is a sect. Let them go their own way.

[Dan]

I'm not going to bother to temper this any, even though I know I'm exaggerating a little bit.

Anyone who chooses to move to Israel has to realize that they will be forced to deal with social issues that are unimaginable in ordinary Western civilization. Whether you can predict the precise contours of the mishigas you'll have to deal with, you will have to live your life amongst the Israelis. And Israelis are nuts. It doesn't matter if you're talking about Chilonim, Charedim, Ashkenazim, Sefardim... whatever. If they're Israeli they're dafuk ba'rosh. Anyone who doesn't know what they're getting themselves into when they move to Israel has only themselves to blame.

[Shoshi]

Many (not all) MOs who are moving to some of these areas of Beit Shemesh are doing to closer associate with the charedim and bring their kids up in charedi communities. Many Rabbis in MO communities in America preach to their communities how great hte charedim and their way of life is and the sheeple don't know any better. This s what Charedi Judaism is really like. It is time for the MO community to wake up and take their leaders to task for misleading them. Chaedi leaders preach hatred towards those who are not like them and teach their flock to disdain the MO way of life, but the MO Rabbis think this is great and invite these fools into our communities.

Posted by: HF | January 17, 2012 at 07:45 AM

^^^^^
That!

So true and sad.

[Hal]

And haven't you all seen the violence in charedi shuls, like animals slapping little boys for not saying the sefiras haomer bracha correctly. I have seen it. Spend some time in Flatbush if you really want to have some fun.

[jancsipista]

Hal- theese dictatorial behavious was bought over from the old country i myself was beaten by my rebbi as a child whenever he tought i pronounced a word wrong this was in the 50 s and early 60 s i might say in a european country my uncle who was born prewar told me stories about they were beaten and when they complained to their parents the parents hit them saying they must of been bad i wont go into it i wrote this a few times before how in the heder i was beaten not only that but our shohet and moel one yom kippur he was be dal tefileh all of a sudden stepped out came towards me with my father next to me he picked me up with all his might and threw me down for no reason at all and i even wrote here that in our mikva he molested me touching me and fondling my oppinion is that theese or alot of theese hassidim are the devil in disguise they make you beleive they are angel but in reality they have an agenda what a tragedy this hassidism is on us all jews and embarrasement in front of the whole world

[Shoshi]

Here's an example. The local MO rabbi, who is at the shul where half the community won't daven, teaches that in Pirkei Avot where it says to acquire for yourself a Chaver, it means to form an attachment to the Torah elite, which today means the Black Hats. He is not shy about saying that the Black Hats are the real thing and we need to emulate them to whatever extent possible.

[Jeff]

@Hal: Chaedi leaders preach hatred towards those who are not like them and teach their flock to disdain the MO way of life, but the MO Rabbis think this is great and invite these fools into our communities.

I've been saying it for years. These fools have been catering to and attempting to placate the the Haredim for going on three generations. This is the result.

"Not in a million years" did I expect to find this kind of atmosphere here, he said... "I never dreamed that Orthodox Jews would be the ones I'd have to teach my son to watch out for ... " - and this is the problem. The Modern Orthodox do engage the secular world, but in many ways they're nearly as insular as the Haredim. They isolate themselves in bubbles in which most or all of their friends are Modern Orthodox with similar values and beliefs. Many have no clue as to what's going on in the outside world.

As horrendous as this is, the MO have themselves to blame. For going on three generations, they've been complicit in the empowerment of the Haredim. They've stood by silently while the Haredim have commandeered their support infrastructure - the mikvaot, the kashrut organizations, the beis din. They spin romantic fairy tales about the "alter heim" and a mythical "golden age" of Hasidism. They tell their children "Our way is better", but meanwhile, the kids grow up seeing their parents glancing furtively backward over their collective shoulder, longing for Haredi approval. As a result, they're losing as many kids to the right as they are to the left.

Jeff Klein, A's father, is a perfect example of the blissful ignorance of the Modern Orthodox. This business in Bet Shemesh has been going on for years, and it's been made increasingly public. All you have to do is to open a Jewish newspaper or look at any one of a number of blogs (and they're all acquainted with Failed Messiah at this point) - yet this guy was unaware of it. It wouldn't surprise me if the Kleins are baalei t'shuvah, and are still believing everything they're told, reveling in the "beauty of Yiddishkeit" and the "Torah way of life" - but seriously, how irresponsible is that?

The Modern Orthodox have done this to themselves.

[Hal]

jancsipista You have to theorize that all that child abuse had something to do with 90% of Jews leaving observance over the last century.

jShoshi The MO need to stop feeling inferior to the black hats. I was in the black hat world for 20 years. They are a mess. If they are holy, then I'm a prophet. When I see those YU Roshei Yeshiva wearing black hats and black suits, I want to dump a cooler of gatorade on their heads and say snap out of it.

[who knows]

Nowadays many Modern Orthodox shuls are lead by Haredi rabbis. Modern Orthodox schools have haredi principals and teachers. It is not uncommon for Modern Orthodox parents to send their kids to haredi yeshivot. Therefore you can see a generational shift, where many MO parent have Haredi kids.

MO shuls which 20-30 years ago had public dressed in pants and shirts, now sporting majority of public wearing black suits, white shirts and often black hats.

Modern Orthodoxy is dying.

[Abracadabra]

There are violent people in every group. The problem here is the violence is condoned by the leaders, and intolerance is preached as "holy" and fighting "forces of tumah" that their leaders tell them are threatening them has become a holy cause for them AS A GROUP.

Within their group you will find fathers who beat their kids, and fathers that are gentle.

Schoolboys have been doing this since the dawn of man. Hardly a chidush.

Schoolboys have not been doing this to their own. And certainly not JEWISH schoolboys. And that is the problem. The National Religious (NR - which in Israel is the Modern Orthodox) consider the Charedim their family. And family protects each other from THE OTHER - they do not attack each other - even the schoolboys.

But Charedim do not consider NR their family. Not only that, but Charedim consider anyone that doesn't look like them "dangerous" and preach and teach that they must be fought.

Your claim is a transparent apologetic. The violence is not tolerable, period. And if it's coming from schoolboys, it's a reflection of what the group and community preach. The boys did not beat up THEIR OWN - they beat up on this kid because they considered him to be THE DANGEROUS OTHER. This is coming from the community's intolerance and ideas that those different than them are threatening and need to be attacked.

[Hal]

Can I tell you what would save Modern Orthodoxy? Throw out those stinkin' television sets. Many of the MOs who send their kids to charedi schools do so because they are concerned about all the TV watching that goes on in the MOs families their kids will meet in school.

[Shoshi]

Shoshi The MO need to stop feeling inferior to the black hats. I was in the black hat world for 20 years. They are a mess. If they are holy, then I'm a prophet. When I see those YU Roshei Yeshiva wearing black hats and black suits, I want to dump a cooler of gatorade on their heads and say snap out of it.

Posted by: Hal | January 17, 2012 at 12:22 PM

Amen to all that!

Neither one is too appealing at this point.

[Hal]

Neither one is too appealing at this point. Agreed. It is gross out there; although I do meet appealing individuals.

[jancsipista]

Hal- now you are being unrealistic throwing out t v s you can curtail youre children from watching yes also computers same thing

[Confused]

A big problem in the MO world is that a lot of them send their kids to schools that are more to the right than they are and next thing you know, after the fashionable obligatory year in Israel the kids return with the tzitzis out, scraggly beards and black hats. Many then decide to eventually make aliyah. I simply don't see many MO schools around.

[Shoshi]

. . .after the fashionable obligatory year in Israel the kids return with the tzitzis out, scraggly beards and black hats.

Posted by: Confused | January 17, 2012 at 12:55 PM

And the BOYS are even worse!

[Jeff]

Posted by: Confused | January 17, 2012 at 12:55 PM

Shaul Magid wrote an article about this a few years ago:

http://www.newvilnareview.com/features/is-there-an-orthodox-war-against-modern-orthodoxy-.html

[Russian PhD]

Shmarya,

Next time you share with us the hot news about Hassidic preschoolers that violently took over the municipal sandpit from MO/secular users? Not every children conflict represents religion and state problem.

[Malka Gittel]

Russian PhD - no, but probably this one is bigger than the sandbox alone. You can't take one incident in Beit Shemesh without looking at it in context of everything happening with children in the city.

Given that this occured not only along with attacks on schoolgirls and on disabled children, pretending that there is no pattern is like an ostrich stcking its head in the sand.

Remember the lyrics to the secular song "Carefully Taught". Hatred is taught by parents to children.

[adams]

I think this family has to move, i beleive this idea of living amongst other Americans has to stop. they should move to regular Israeli communities that don't have an abundance of Chareidsihe. I believe the Chareishi are better behaved when there are only a few o them.

Once they galvanize into a large group, nothing can help you.

This family now has a traumatized son, possibly for life. they must move, immediatly.

Since the Americans refuse or are unwilling to fight fire with fire, they are better off to move from that hell hole they are in.

[adams]

Good point about NBN. Also follow the money, the head guy there is good for at least 300K per year, sorry to be so crass but it's based on moving bodies, that is a good point as well.

[Dovid]

Why anyone who had a choice to live in the West would choose to move to Israel is hard to comprehend, unless they just couldn't make it here and wanted to start over somewhere else that would let them immigrate.

Israel is totally spinning out of control on almost every front, even the army is falling apart with religious disobedience and Rightists and MK's passing information to help settlers attack army bases.

[C]

Why are we outraged at this but not at what's going on in the Muslim world? PS its worse