Haredi rioters broke a window of the synagogue in an attempt to break in, beat up the haredi soldier and drag him outside as the soldier and his friends waited inside for police, who took 15 minutes to come.
Above: (file photo) haredim throwing stones at police in Mea Shearim in July 2011
Haredi Soldier Attacked By Haredi Mob In Jerusalem Synagogue, Police Take 15 Minutes To Respond
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
A haredi soldier was attacked yesterday in the haredi neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem.
The haredi soldier went with friends to a small synagogue in Bais Yisroel an hour before midnight to pray.
"We went to pray. One of the residents of the neighborhood came up to me and called out, 'Harda”k [a haredi slur for haredi soldiers that essentially means ‘haredi cockroach’], get out of the synagogue.’ I told him when I was done praying I would leave,” the haredi soldier told Behadrei Haredim.
The other haredi worshipers then tried to evict the haredi soldier from the synagogue by using physical force, but the haredi soldier’s friends protected him and managed to barricade themselves and the haredi soldier inside the synagogue.
Outside, a riot broke out, and haredi rioters broke a window of the synagogue in an attempt to break in , beat up the haredi soldier and drag him outside.
"Within fifteen minutes, riot forces arrived, and the rioters fled the scene,” the haredi soldier said, going on to describe the fear and tension he felt as he waited for police to arrive.
"The violence against me is for the ’sin’ of me being a soldier who went to pray in a synagogue, and it only makes me proud of what I do every day and how I serve the country,” the haredi soldier said. “I came here to pray and never did any harm to anyone. I hope the police will bring the rioters to justice and that soldiers will not have to fear to walk around in the Jewish state.”
There have been dozens of similar incidents over the past two years. Police have only made a handful of arrests of haredim who allegedly assaulted haredi soldiers. None have received any significant punishment.
Like in most other similar incidents, no arrests were made in last night’s attack.
Haredi rabbinic leaders strongly oppose the military draft of haredi yeshiva students and argue that their Torah study, not the IDF, is what protects Israel for harm.