Poster praising Shlissel
Poster wars: Jerusalem broadsheets support and oppose pride parade stabber
After posters praising Yishai Shlissel appear in haredi neighborhoods, posters condemning attack are hung, reflecting tension between radical fringe and 'silent majority' opposing violence.
A week after Yishai Shlissel stabbed six people at
the Jerusalem pride parade, murdering 16-year-old Shira Banki,
posters hung in the city reflected a range of reactions among the haredi population.
On Thursday, however, posters appeared condemning the violence, which were signed by a different group calling itself "The Faithful Jewry". It said it "condemned with disgust the brutal act and the terrible murder committed by Y. S. last Thursday in the holy city of Jerusalem, using the excuse of a holy war… This is the place to clarify in no uncertain terms: Haredi Jewry had no part in the terrible deed, and it disavows this evil and its deviant supporters, who bring great destruction upon us."
Posters seen on Wednesday and signed by a group calling itself "The Faithful Jewry" praised the killer, in one case drawing a connection to the biblical tale of Phineas, who personally executed the leader of the tribe of Simeon for having sexual relations with a Midianite woman. The posters, which were found in haredi neighborhoods in the capital, portrayed Shlissel as a messenger of the people and of God.
Posters condemning murder being put up (צילום: מנחם לדרמן)
Photo: Ya'akov Lederman
In an interview with Ynet, group members said they did not "oppose legitimate protest" against the pride parade, but within reasonable limits.
Yehiel Vaknin, among those protesting Shlissel's deed, said he and his friends want to give a voice to the "silent majority", as they say, "that entirely condemns the murder, and is deeply shocked by it. Whoever hung the posters at Mea Shearim does not represent the absolute majority of the haredi public."
On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ordered Shlissel to undergopsychiatric evaluation. The evaluation will determine whether Shlissel, who is also suspected of five attempted murders, is fit to stand trial and whether he was responsible for his actions while stabbing the marchers at the pride parade.
