Meah Shearim Madness
It has happened once again.
Riots and protests and struggles and more. This time, not by Arabs but
by the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Meah Shearim.
I
saw a photo in the press of the women of Meah Shearim fighting with our
police and waving Palestinian flags. It disgusted me beyond words. The
ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect, Meah Shearim (One hundred gates) in
Jerusalem has gone mad once more.
I recall Meah Shearim’s “religious revolution”
in 1948. Jerusalem was over-run by troops of the Jordanian Legion.
Those Jews who could flee the city did so. Not the zealots of Meah
Shearim.
They came out of their homes waving white
flags of surrender. They preferred to live under Arab Jordanian rule
rather than to live in a Zionist state. Pictures of bearded Jews
surrendering willingly to Jordanian soldiers still fills me with shame
and even hatred.
Today’s recent “revolt” was a reaction against
the drafting of young haredi men into the army. The Meah Shearim
culprits do not recognize the State of Israel nor its flag or anthem.
Yet, as parasites, they happily accept the health insurance and free
benefits available to all Israeli citizens. But they will not agree to
send their sons to the defense of our State nor even to allow them to do
civil service where they may become “infected” by association with
other Jews very different from themselves.
Many of our Arab citizens are more devoted to
the State of Israel than these despicable Jews who take everything but
give nothing in return.
The sight of ultra-Orthodox Jewish women
waving proudly the Palestinian flag has upset me both physically and
emotionally. If they feel an attachment to the Palestinians, they should
move into Palestinian areas in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem or to
some distant place in the West Bank. We don’t need them and we don’t
want them. They are a disgrace to our Jewish laws of love and respect
and fidelity to the ordinances and regime of the country in which they
live.
Some brave haredi men have answered the draft
call and serve nicely in our army. But they suffer from family and
neighbors in their community when they return home. All of them remove
their IDF uniforms before reaching home. And once at home, they are
punished by parents, scorned by their community and are infested with
guilt.
Meah Shearim madness is nothing new to us.
Since the independence of our nation, Meah Shearim residents have
frequently revolted against our laws and have committed personal
attacks, such as the one in April 2015 when the men and women of the
insular community brutally attacked an army officer and threatened to
kill him. The attack was condemned by Prime Minister Netanyahu and by
the Shas leader, Ariyeh Deri, who called it “an act of terrorism”.
Very often the residents attack police and
government officials who enter their community, pelting them with
stones, blocking of the streets and burning garbage and rubbish in their
streets in an effort to prevent the “goyim” from entering.
Paradoxically, the architect who drew the plan
for Meah Shearim in 1846 was a German Christian and a missionary. The
community was established in 1875, one of the earliest settlements in
the Jewish yishuv outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Its men spend long hours every day studying Torah and Talmud. The women spend their time in producing multitudes of children.
There are signs in Hebrew and English at the
entrances to Meah Shearim specifying that women and girls who enter must
wear long ankle-length dresses (no shorts or slacks) with long sleeves
and a covered neck.
Men and boys are required to wear a hat or
yarmulke, long sleeve shirts (no shorts or sleeveless shirts). All of
these requirements are for the sake of modesty. Infringement of these
rules can lead to an attack on the person who violates them.
Many non-observant Israelis despise the
residents of Meah Shearim. “We give them everything and they give us
nothing” is a frequently heard complaint.
The government could deprive them of some of
their benefits but for the sake of keeping the situation calm and to
prevent more rioting, it will not take any action.
So we are forced to live (not side by side)
with the madness of Meah Shearim’s residents until the prophet Elijah
arrives and solves the dilemma. Teiku .
> If they feel an attachment to the Palestinians, they should move into Palestinian areas in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem or to some distant place in the West Bank
ReplyDeleteIn their defense I would point out that their community in that neighbourhood predates the State of Israel and even most of the British Mandate. They will correctly point out that they were living there when the Zionists arrived and began building all around them. Why should they move?
Having said that, Israel should respond simply and in kind: you don't recognize us? Get your electricity, water and healthcare somewhere else because we're cutting off our supply to you.
"The ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect, Meah Shearim (One hundred gates) in Jerusalem has gone mad once more."
ReplyDeleteIs Meah Shearim a "sect" or a "neighborhood"?