Jerusalem – The leaders of the ultra-Orthodox Haredi Community in Jerusalem have come up with an original way for dealing with the nightly riots associated with Purim celebrations in the capital’s haredi neighborhoods.
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This year they used dead fish against the young rascals, and with the help of local police succeeded in keeping the area relatively quiet, after two tumultuous years.
Each year on Purim eve large crowds gather in the haredi neighborhoods, including many shababnikim – young haredi men who dropped out of their yeshiva and spend most of their time on the street.
Residents have complained that in the last two years things have been getting out of hand during the holiday, with shababnikim, usually accompanied by young women, exhibiting “provocative and unruly behavior.”
The solution was ingenious: Placing stench bombs throughout the main streets in a bid to keep the crowds away from the neighborhoods. It also proved highly effective.
Shmuel Pfenheim, a spokesman for the Haredi Community, described the phenomenon: “Many undisciplined young women from New York and around the world study in boarding schools in Jerusalem, and they come here and crowd together with a lot of unruly American guys.”
He also explained how the stench bombs were made: “Thirty days before the holiday you take from the fisherman fish skin, heads, and various other parts that cannot be used for cooking, put them in a bottle with some water and place the bottles on rooftops under the boiling sun. On Purim eve we spread the bottles in sensitive spots.”
“The rascals can get over the stench, but the girls can’t stand it,” Shmuel said.
The local residents, “They know in advance not to go through certain streets… those who have to pass there do it quickly and without delay.”
Pfenheim added that stench bombs have been used by the community in other mass events that draw unwanted youngsters, as well as in attempts to scare away “undesired residents who do undesired things.”
He noted that his was a Jerusalemite invention that could not be implemented in Bnei Brak “where the streets are very crowded and the stench goes up into the houses.”
yes, I saw in Geula and mea shearim girls covering their faces fleeing the street, while men stayed put walking slow. I was on a bus and didnt know what it was all about.
What happened to achdus in the Chareidi community? They should use this time as an oppportunity for kiruv. Just invite them for a Purim seuda.
Thats right blame the young American Jews. These people are pathetic and to be so proud of something so pathetic – PATHETIC
First They Ruined MY Purim It Was Horrible I Was Stuck At Home Not Even Opening The Window. Second Of All The Bum’s Are Not Americans Rather Israel.y Youth From Low Income Familys Not Us The Americans Have More Class And Better Place’s To Hang Out Then mea sharim etc
“Thirty days before the holiday you take from the fisherman fish skin, heads, “
Mi kamcha Yisrael – taking the wisdom of the talmud ( it is a mitzvah to study (shoalin v’dorshin) the laws of each Yom Tov thirty days before the chag (Pesachim 6a)) and applying it to modern situations – it sounds almost modern orthodox!
KT
I am completely confused.
Nightly Riots? I thought Purim had only one night.
American Boys and Girls from Co ED Schools are rioting? In Mea Sheari?
What are shabinikinim anyway? Are those Mea Shearim kids who fell under the influence of the Amrican kids?
I also thought that the burning plastic garbage cans smelled really bad without the dead fish. It was enough to keep me out of Mea Shearim.
Help me please!
What about the people who live in the buildings around the stink bombs? How is it okay to stink up their homes? Because a stench like that can be smelled from inside as well as outside.
They should use these stench bombs to keek these hareidim in their homes on shabbos and not allowing them to disrupt shabbosim for the rest of yiddin in ER by protesting our clothes, our lack of Tznius, etc. Kol Hakovod to the police and security for coming up with this elegant solution to keeep this drech of the streets and attemting to impose their morality.
if i knew about this fish smell thing in advance, i would retaliate by letting loose 1000s of rats and mice .
Its amazing i have been in israel for 2 years learning in yeshiva. I learned alot in these past 2 years one of these things that i learned is that when there is a tzniyus issue with the israeli community or fighting issue then most not all israelis blame it on americans. Its almost always the shabadinkim that are started the fight with americans. in the past week i had two friends who had to go to the hospital because of shababniks. So Israelis STOP blaming the americans for stuff when really its coming from you (shabniks) guys. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH STOP COMPARING BELIEVE IT OR NOT AMERICANS ACOULB BE AS FRUM AS ISRAELIS. allright have a good shabbos ameicans, israeli,english,french,etc.
why not
great idea they should put some rotting fish every time theres some sort of protest to keep the leidikgeirs home
these arent stink bombs its fish sauce saved over a year old kept some place under the sun i know the guy that does it
purim parties in america are more fun anyway!
where there is torah there is chochma.
I like the idea but mea shearim was not nearly as bad as rechov r’ akiva in bnei brak. I was also once a bucher also a shababnik an american bum in eretz yisroel and we used to go purim to bnei brak because all the american girls were there I even have a friend who was forced by a beis din to marry a girl he met there because he made her pregnant and her parents took him to beis din.
now that I am a baal teshuva I see the terrible things that those poor neshomohs still hang out there and a few stupid poeple here on VIN are defending them.
This is the sickest thing they can do. People spend thousands of dollars to come to Eretz Yisroel for chagim and end up being stuck at home with shuttered windows. The stench is abhorrant. They used it on Succos as well. I think it’s a chillul hashem and a dispicable act.
For us americans the bottom line is that if u send your son and esp. your daughter to a sem in EY, you are giving him/her up for yiddishkeit and don’t be surprised by how he/she turns out. Anyone who sends a kid to EY to learn is IMHO borderline shoifech domim.
To # 24: If you’re learning in Israel for 2 years and you’re shteiging away, then why are you online reading and commenting on this blog site? What else are you doing online?
kol hakavod for this “fishy” idea, if I wouldn’t be there myself I wouldn’t beleive it.
it was Friday night P’ vayechy i walked on Mea She’arim I suddenly heard loud screaming, I rushed to the site then i heard a noise of breaking glass after a couple of steps I see a man dressed in the Yerushalayim’er levush and gushing from his head, suddenly I see one of these shababnikim (not an american) runing with a pole (the one they use by the end of the side walk) in his hand and literaly beating people left and right,
so to all of you not happy with this “fish” act I say go there yourself and try to stop those bums! (I will come visit you in the hospital)
Mazal Adar Dagim
I thought Avira D’Eretz Yisrael Machkim.
Apparently in some neighborhoods, the avira makes you retch.
From rotten fish, or from cigarette smoke… it’s not clear.
Please share with us the plans for blaming your Pesach problems on us terrible, modernish Americans…. this way we will be prepared.
Please note, that those of you who believe that your sisters from the USA are the unholy Source of your Yetzer Harah, please consider the fact that our daughters were not taught to obsess about arayos and aveiros yomam v’layla.
It isn’t healthy for normal development.
We teach them personal responsibility and normal tznius.
For Men AND Women.
Please stop dreying them ah Kup, and turning them away from yiddishkeit.
We don’t do that to your kids when they come here looking for meaning, jobs, guidance, answers, warmth and a clean, decent place to learn Torah or a Trade.
Or to collect funds to support your chosen way of life.