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Aug 13, 2017
Tensions between Haredi and secular communities of Zichron Yaakov
The calm community of Zichron Yaakov is having its nerves tested. Normally we hear very little about the goings-on in Zichron. Despite it being a "mixed" community -largely secular and traditional with a relatively small Haredi community - we never hear about fighting there the way Bet Shemesh, Jerusalem or others makes the news regularly. The various communities seem to live i relative harmony in Zichron Yaakov.
This past Shabbos, a Haredi youth was caught on camera throwing a rock at a car. The driver posted pictures and video to Facebook with some comments.
After Shabbos, Rav Rafi Manat, director of some educational organization of the Haredi community put out a response saying that the boy must be a guest for bein hazmanim as it is common in the Haredi community for families to travel to other cities and swap apartments. He points to the Yerushalmi-style dress of the boy and says that nobody in the Haredi community in Zichron dresses like that and this boy is clearly a guest. Rav Manat talks about the harmony between the communities that normally reigns in the city and that the entire Haredi community in Zichron should not be judged by the actions of this boy who is not even from the city.
source: Kikar
It is a shame that good neighborly relations can be so quickly ruined - one act of hooliganism can threaten years of quiet. It perhaps shows how tenuous the relations really are, but still, one act should not be such a threat, though it should be stopped immediately and not allowed to perpetuate itself. It was good of the rabbi to condemn the act and not just say he isnt one of us so I don't need to say anything - why do I have to condemn what someone else that I have no connection to does? - if he wants to keep the good relations he needs to make sure such actions don't continue.
One more thought - the Haredi community knows very well how to warn people from the other direction when coming into "our" neighborhoods and towns - dress modestly, don't drive on Shabbos on our streets, etc. Maybe they need to come up with a strategy to warn guests from the other direction as well to not ruin our neighborhoods and town - here we do not throw stones at cars on Shabbos, do not enter our neighborhoods looking to fight with the secular, etc.
This past Shabbos, a Haredi youth was caught on camera throwing a rock at a car. The driver posted pictures and video to Facebook with some comments.
After Shabbos, Rav Rafi Manat, director of some educational organization of the Haredi community put out a response saying that the boy must be a guest for bein hazmanim as it is common in the Haredi community for families to travel to other cities and swap apartments. He points to the Yerushalmi-style dress of the boy and says that nobody in the Haredi community in Zichron dresses like that and this boy is clearly a guest. Rav Manat talks about the harmony between the communities that normally reigns in the city and that the entire Haredi community in Zichron should not be judged by the actions of this boy who is not even from the city.
source: Kikar
It is a shame that good neighborly relations can be so quickly ruined - one act of hooliganism can threaten years of quiet. It perhaps shows how tenuous the relations really are, but still, one act should not be such a threat, though it should be stopped immediately and not allowed to perpetuate itself. It was good of the rabbi to condemn the act and not just say he isnt one of us so I don't need to say anything - why do I have to condemn what someone else that I have no connection to does? - if he wants to keep the good relations he needs to make sure such actions don't continue.
One more thought - the Haredi community knows very well how to warn people from the other direction when coming into "our" neighborhoods and towns - dress modestly, don't drive on Shabbos on our streets, etc. Maybe they need to come up with a strategy to warn guests from the other direction as well to not ruin our neighborhoods and town - here we do not throw stones at cars on Shabbos, do not enter our neighborhoods looking to fight with the secular, etc.
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"Maybe they need to come up with a strategy to warn guests from the other direction as well to not ruin our neighborhoods and town - here we do not throw stones at cars on Shabbos, do not enter our neighborhoods looking to fight with the secular, etc."
ReplyDeleteI think that sentence should read "We do not throw stones at cars on Shabbos EVER, do not enter neighborhoods looking to fight with the secular EVER, etc." Because these things make all Haredi look bad, and secular Jews do not care which neighborhood these violent, homicidal people come from—all they care about is keeping them AWAY. And they have every right to keep them away, because they are VIOLENT.
I find it unfathomable any rabbi, any ONE, could think this kind of behavior is acceptable based upon which neighborhood it's happening in. Have Haredim become so desensitized to the hateful actions being committed amongst themselves, they accept it as normal? How very very sad.