JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Owners of cellphone stores from many chareidi districts in Israel came to the Knesset’s Internal Affairs committee to describe the harassment and violence they are experiencing from elements in the community.
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The owner of the Didi Phone store in Bnei Brak, who has suffered from repeated harassment and raucous demonstrations outside his store, described the threats he had received from the self-styled “Rabbinic Committee For Kosher Communications” which demands that he authorize his phones under their auspices.
A member of the committee told him: “Listen, you see me dressed like this but three times I became non-religious and then did Teshuva. There is nobody who doesn’t know me and I have connections with the biggest criminals (citing a name of a well-known crime boss)- you better beware of me and listen to what I tell you to do.”
The owner said that he had feared for his life and complained to police, who were shocked that this particular criminal was involved. The owner stressed that he does not sell non-kosher phones and himself has a kosher phone. He only sells phones with SMS, cameras and players to those who require them but does not sell phones with internet access. Despite this, he was harassed for not accepting the kashrus committee’s authority.
Another store owner from Geula said that he had received threats and that the window of his store had been broken because he refused to purchase phones from the committee. He said that “I can’t sleep at night.”
However a store owner from Beit Shemesh told a different story, claiming that all the kashrus committee had demanded was a deposit check for 10,000 NIS to ensure that he sold only kosher phones, ” which for eight years has not been cashed.” They had not demanded that he buy phones from them and he purchases the phones directly from importers. He stressed that “store owners must respect the chareidi way of life.”
we have a choice, do we want to be like Iran or Afghanistan where things are coercively enforced with violence or be civilized where people have a Bechirah to do what right (and sometimes also what is not right.. Bechirah..) and let people see the goodness of Yiddishkeit.
G-D is on the side of Bechirah. that is how he created is world. he does not need the Kanayim help enforcing his rule by force.
I’m not even getting into the absurdness of the situation that the Vaad is totally corrupt and the only thing care about is to extort $$$ from store owners and to force them to Davka use ONLY THEIR Hechsher. its not good enough if you don’t sell smart phone. you have to use THIR Hecsher. pure corruption!
The attacks were a Chillul H’shem.
Unbelievable! You would think that the attackers/rioters are a bunch of Arabs or Nazi storm troopers. Me thinks any bunch of twisted radicals need to go back to Yeshiva, and this time around, hopefully learn some basic midos that should be part and parcel of every observant Jew.
Gangsters In a free society you have the right to sell any legal and ethical item you want. You also have the right not to shop there But terrorist threats no.
Better instead teach your boys that free trips to foreign lands with several thousand dollars to deliver a package is illegal But this they don’t touch
this guy who went off 3 times and became religous sounds like a real winner and a great guy to take as a son in law.
Personally know someone who had a store and was attacked. He went from being very frum Yeshivish person to OTD because of the violent attacks.
Chillul hashem…
I understand that 99% of this violence comes from the Arab community.
People can’t just open a shop in someone’s neighborhood and sell what they want against the wishes of the residents.
Those shop owners are the Mafioso.
Stores that dont respect the neighborhood must be ousted. Businesses should not force themselves where they are not wanted. Nobody wants violence, if the neighbors are forced to threaten or hold demonstrations, that just tells me that the store owner is being obtuse. Let him take him wares elsewhere.