A disturbing incident took place Thursday night in Yerushalayim’s Shmuel Hanavi neighborhood, where a family was violently attacked by a group of extremists dressed as chareidim. The victims included a reservist IDF soldier and his wife, who were traveling in a car with her parents. While thankfully no one was physically injured, a complaint has been filed with the police.
Footage circulating on social media shows a mob of extremists surrounding the family’s car, throwing objects at the vehicle and attempting to force the doors open. In the video, the wife can be heard shouting at the attackers, “What kind of Jews are you?”
The reservist, identified only as L., recounted the terrifying encounter in an interview with Kan News. “They stopped us, started kicking the car, tried to open the doors. In the end, they smashed our windows and set objects on fire in the street. There were no police anywhere. We hit the gas and got out of there.”
L. explained that they were en route to a restaurant, and because of widespread traffic closures across the city, their GPS redirected them through a chareidi neighborhood. “A group of chareidim had blocked the road. They stopped a bus, wouldn’t let it move, and started throwing things inside,” he said.
“We pulled up alongside the bus and stopped because we saw someone inside who looked like a soldier. I thought he needed help, so I got out to bring him into our car. They had created total chaos — breaking the bus, blocking the doors, even opening the disabled-access ramp to prevent it from moving.”
Upon reaching the bus, L. realized the man inside wasn’t a soldier but someone wearing cargo pants. “They hadn’t attacked him, and he said he was fine, so I returned to the car. That’s when the mob turned on us. They tried to open our doors, kicked the vehicle, threw cans and water at us. Eventually, they hurled stones and heavy objects that shattered both the front and rear windshields.”
“We slowly pushed our way out,” he added. “They were whistling and yelling, and we couldn’t even understand what they wanted from us. We assumed it had something to do with opposition to the draft.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
Why hasn’t Moshiach arrived? Of what difference is last week, Shabbos Chazon, and this week, Shabbos Nachamu? Same hate. Same division. Same machlokes. Who needs Israel? Just as wicked as any other country. We’re lost. Sad. Keep sipping expensive wines and stuffing your face with sushi. Ain’t going to help kadachus.
I have 2 sons in the army who’ve gone through charedi neighborhoods in army uniform. They’re almost always treated well. On a bus packed with charedim only, chassidim thanked them for their service and bless them that Hashem should protect them.
Also, the Israeli media (with the exception of Channel 14) seeks every way to undermine religious Jewry and bash charedim. So consider the source…
If it happened as described, then it’s despicable. But focusing on the bad increases self-loathing among the frum – unnecessarily. The good frummeh outnumber the bad.
Let’s hear the other side of the story.