Jerusalem – Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews again clashed with police in Jerusalem on Saturday afternoon during the latest Haredi demonstration against the Shabbat opening of the Carta parking garage in the capital.
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The clash took place in the Haredi neighborhood of Mea Shearim, where police had been deployed to maintain order.
The incident began when hundreds of Haredim gathered Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Shivtei Yisrael and Hanevi’im street, where they demonstrated in front of police who arrived at the scene.
The demonstration turned violent when demonstrators flooded the neighborhood near the parking lot, screaming “Shabbes,” the Yiddish word for Sabbath, and occasionally lobbing rocks at police. Officers, some in riot gear, shoved them back as they tried to break through the police barriers.
Several dozen demonstrators also reached the parking lot, near Jerusalem’s Old City, where one protester crawled under the wheels of an idling bus as it waited to enter. Police dragged out the man, who lay on his back, clutching his festive fur hat (shtrimal) to his chest.
Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said he was taken away for questioning.
Several other demonstrators lay down in the street near the lot, trying to block cars from entering. Police seized them by their arms and legs to drag them away.
No one was reported to have been wounded.
Nearby, secular Jerusalemites held a counter protest in support of the opening of the parking lot and police ensured that none of the haredim could approach them.
Saturday was the third Shabbat in a row that the garage was open by orders of the Jerusalem Municipality to accommodate visitors to the Old City.
Although most senior ultra-Orthodox rabbis and newspapers have abandoned the issue, the extreme Edah Haredit is advocating continued protests, which police do not expect to get out of control.
It appears that common sense has prevailed and as the article says, “most senior ultra-Orthodox rabbis and newspapers have abandoned the issue” and are no longer attempting to force their view of shabbos observance on the poplulation of Jeruselam. This is a wise decision by the mainstream chareidi leadership and literally throws the extremists at the Edah Haredit under the bus.
These protests are nothing but Hypocritical!!!!
Throwing Rocks is Chilul Shabbat and Chilul Hashem!!!
And we will keep on fighting until they close that chillul shabbes lot down
They are right. If we will not against this chillil shabbos they will continue
To open more things on shabbos!
u have to stop them or else it will go further and further the desecrating of the shabbos
in the all 50 years of mdins yisroel the only way it works are protesting, seeding in knasset or around the tabls dosnt help at all, check history
anyone who thinks that is EVER ok to throw rocks at jews for any reason should be treated as gentile.
From the article is seems that the secular and city government won and the chareidi lost and are crawling back into meah shearrim after realizing that they cannt blackmail the city into shimiars shabbos. From now own, hopefully, Yeresushalim will be open on shabbos and yidden can decide for themselves whether to drive cars or do other thinks that might offend the chareidim;
Apparently this morning’s (Sunday’s) Chareidi newspapers ignored the protests completely.
(And never forget that had they let R’ Uri run again, we’d still have a frum mayor.)
Let’s understand the facts. The Rabbunim didn’t allow to throw rocks, and if someone through, it was one or two individuals who you can’t control.
On the other hand if we talk about Israeli officers and “diplomats”, they act different then other diplomats. They use the lowest words, and they behave so discusting.
The Chariedim aren’t so bad and the police aren’t so innocents.
the only way the israeli govermant get’s a message is w/rock’s they never ever sat properly round table for any TORAH issue to settle. they have din as a MIMER L’HACES!!!
I was present at this rally as I am from New Yorks boro park area. I am writing now in Jerusalem at my daughters house here about exactly what happened. The protest rally was not advertised much to the public because they wanted an element of surprize .I myself would ask taxi drivers on thursday and friday before the Shabbos if they heard anything and they all said that if anything was planned they would know. But I had a hunch that there would be some rally so I began walking to the karta parking lot on shabbos and met some chassidim who gave me the details of the afternoon rally. On friday I went to the parking lot and spoke to the manager and he told me it was ok to park a car from friday through sunday morning at 100 shekels total/ Long term parking is ok. I found out it holds 800 cars and I figured for 12800 dollars you can fill up the lot, I think this plan would avoid anyone getting hurt and by filling up the lot no one would be able to park in on shabbos, I witnessed the rally at 6 pm at the parking lot and no stones were thrown at all. There was just civil disobedience like martin luther king did. Nothing outragous at all. The only area where streets were closed with garabage bins was across the big jerusalem police station entering arzei habirah and maalot dafna neighborhoods. And that was done by yeshivash type kids ages 7 to 11 who threw stones at cars who tried to break through the barriers. It had nothing to do with the eidah chareida group. There were 2 police horses at the karta parking lot and 100 cops. There was pushing and shoving. Im returning to ny monday and I contacted some heimish people who would put up the money in order to fill up the lot so a surprize sighn will read LOT FULL. There were about 20 media people with cameras there, This the real story.
What a shame that this wrong approach just continues.
Do you really think that all this yelling and protesting and fighting and pushing is going to accomplish? They want the non religious to suddenly close their shops and the parking lot?
Like the Neturei Karta crowd who think that Israel is suddenly going to give back the whole country of Israel to the Arab Muslims, these loud mouthed screamers also are only going to make the others more stubborn and determined to open on Shabbos.
Shabbos protests should be done with respect and sweetness, in a relaxed Torah teaching derech. They should not look like a bunch of wild people.