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Haredi protest in Ashdod
Photo: Amir Cohen
Photo: Amir Cohen
Police in close contact with local rabbis
Photo: Amir Cohen
Photo: Amir Cohen
Purification room
Photo: Amir Cohen

Ashdod: Haredim snatch baby's body

Riots erupt in Ashdod as ultra-Orthodox object to autopsy on baby girl's body; one policeman seriously injured in clashes

The body of a one-year-old baby girl was snatched by ultra-Orthodox men who broke into the purification room in the Ashdod cemetery. During clashes between ultra-Orthodox men and police forces, an officer was seriously injured on the scene. Rocks and broken glass were thrown at police.

 

Earlier, three police officers were lightly injured in clashes with haredim.

 


Haredim broke into the purification room (Photo: Amir Cohen)

 

The baby's body was taken due to anger over a court decision ordering that DNA samples be taken from the body in order to carry out checks. Earlier, talks were held between rabbis and police sources.

 

The police are working currently to track down the body, and are holding contacts with local rabbis, who are trying to find out where the body is being held in order to return it to the purification room.

 

Ultra-Orthodox sources said they managed to steal the body through a diversion tactic. They claimed a number of ultra-Orthodox men arrived through the back entrance of the purification room, near the women's bathroom, where they sawed through the room's iron bars, as their friends gathered on the other side of the room, thereby taking the body.

 

'Family also doesn't know where the body is'

 

One person present at the scene said, "We succeeded, with divine providence, to take the body of the baby, despite efforts by police (to prevent this). We managed to outsmart them and we think this is a miracle from the sky."

 

Some of those present have distanced themselves from the act, and said that the honor of the dead is no less important, adding that the body of the baby must be placed in an appropriate place, according to Jewish law.

 

Zaka Chairman Yehuda Meshi Zahav told Ynet: "It is not known who snatched the body of the baby. She was taken two hours ago. The family also doesn't know where the body is. Zaka has held negotiations on behalf of the ultra-Orthodox with police in order to delay the autopsy until tomorrow (Monday) afternoon."

 

Ilan Marciano contribute to the report  

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.29.06, 00:05
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