Haredi soldier allegedly attacked in Jerusalem
Haredim allegedly lob sundry items from moving van at haredi soldier while cursing him; soldier hides in building, alerts police which escort him to station, where he files complaint
The men in the van allegedly also cursed at the soldier, police reported.
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When attacked, the soldier ran into a nearby building and contacted police, which soon arrived at the scene and escorted him to a Jerusalem police station, where he filed a complaint.
Police are currently trying to locate the van and the assailants, based on the soldier's description.
Talking to Ynet, the soldier described the incident: "I went out of the post office and started walking to my parents' house, when a van pulled over and I felt bottles thrown at me, as well as everything in the car, including snacks. They started shouting and cursing."
The soldier, who serves in the Ofer Base near Jerusalem, said the men kept cursing him: "I was afraid they'll get off and attack me violently, so I called the police."
Humiliation, not fear
According to the soldier, who enlisted at the age of 24, he asked several times to be exempt from wearing his uniform and still be eligible to ride public transportation for free – but was denied. "We have soldiers who live in Mea Shearim who are forced to change clothes. So they pay the bus fare because they have to go without uniform," the soldier said.
"It's more humiliation than fear," he added. "They shout very loudly, in an area where I'm known, and it's unpleasant. They're sort of cowards, so I wasn't afraid to be beaten, but the thing here is the humiliation."
On Tuesday, A haredi soldier was attacked by dozens of haredim in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood. The soldier ran into a nearby building and called in police forces, which managed to rescue him unharmed.
Against the backdrop of parliamentary deliberations to regulate haredi enlistment, assaults of haredim who serve in the IDF, by haredim who are against the move, have seen a rise recently.
Many senior officials condemned Tuesday's attack, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "we will take a hard line against whoever tries to intimidate citizens who are fulfilling their duty to the State."
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Police detained a 30-year-old man, who arrived dressed in a Golani shirt to the city's Habakkuk Street and started kicking parked vehicles. According to him, he did so in retribution to Tuesday's haredi soldier attack.
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