Haredi leaders come together to denounce campaign against Haredi soldiers
On eve of Tisha B'Av, ultra-Orthodox leaders condemn ongoing campaign of incitement and violence against Haredi soldiers after remaining quiet on the matter thus far.
Ahead of Tisha B'Av, a first-of-its-kind video campaign is going live featuring Haredi MKs, rabbis and mayors of Haredi cities, all of whom rail against harming Haredi soldiers.
What started with flyers and vociferous accusations by religious extremists has long since turned into an out of control incitement campaign against ultra-Orthodox men serving in the IDF, which includes cursing, shouting and even physical violence.
Haredi soldiers coming home from the army oftentimes face violent harassment from their neighbors when their only crime is choosing to join the IDF.
Leaders of the Haredi public were called upon time and again to denounce the violent behavior soldiers have had to experience as well as the use of the pejorative term "Hardakim" (a Hebrew acronym meaning "weak-minded Haredim") against them. However, they have thus far refrained from such denunciation almost to a man.
It wasn't just the ultra-Orthodox leadership, however, as the mainstream Haredi media—enjoying a great deal of influence within the sector—never came outright against the phenomenon.
In anticipation of Tisha B'Av, which starts Monday evening, a reporter called Yishai Cohen from Haredi website Kikar Hashabat put together a video documenting different figures from the Haredi sector denouncing the incitement and violence against Haredi soldiers. The video is set to be uploaded to the website in parts – one clip every few hours.
Perhaps most surprising of the video's participants are MKs from the United Torah Judaism party. MK Moshe Gafni has so far claimed he has no part in violence against Haredi soldier, and he therefore sees no need to denounce it. Nevertheless, now Gafni has chosen to take part in this project. "We were brought up to detest violence," states Gafni. "I think violence is 'Chillul Hashem.' It does damage to the world of the Torah, those studying it and 'Da'as Torah.'"
Another UTJ MK to join the campaign is Uri Maklev, who denounced the violence publicly for the first time and referred to the fact neither he nor his compatriots have gone against this phenomenon: "I'm often asked why we won't denounce the acts of violence. It is in this case, as well as others: the people responsible have nothing to do with the public I represent."
A third UTJ MK participating in the project is Eliezer Moses: "Naturally, above all else, the Torah defends us and those studying it are of paramount importance. Having said that, if someone chooses to join the army, it is of course forbidden to shame them in public."
Persons affiliated with the Shas party are perhaps a better fit for this campaign, as many of the party's voters don't lead ultra-Orthodox lifestyles and send their children to the army themselves. Still, a campaign bringing together Haredi politics, both Sephardic and Ashkenazi, is quite out of the ordinary.
Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri says in the project: "The Gemara teaches us the First Temple came to ruin because of paganism, incest and bloodshed. The Second Temple due to unjustified hatred. Our path is one of pleasantness and respecting one another. Who gives anyone the right to defame someone who doesn't agree with him? It's not the way of the Torah, and certainly not the way of its disciples."
MKs Yoav Ben-Tzur, Ya'akov Margi, Michael Malchieli and Yigal Guetta from Shas also took part in the project alongside Rabbi Dovid Grossman and Israel's chief rabbis, comprising a group whose members could be expected to renounce these acts.
The project also boasts another surprising presence in the form of several Haredi mayors such as Moshe Abutbul, Beit Shemesh mayor, and Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Zvika Cohen, who have yet to release public statements on the matter. Perhaps the most hard-line stance of all is provided by Elad mayor Israel Porush, who's taped standing next to a graffiti denouncing Hardakim.
Yishai Cohen, the reporter behind the project, said: "The constant coverage of attacking Haredi soldiers has brought us to the deep understanding that today it's soldiers being attacked, but tomorrow it can be anyone else. This made us want to raise a different voice, a loving and inclusive one, the sane voice of the Haredi public that feels so at odds with that vocal, extremist group. We hope what we do here will trickle down to the rest of the Israeli public, sending the message that the Haredi public places 'Love your neighbor as yourself' above all else."
