Ministers Approve MK Yaakov Asher’s Bill To Criminalize Incitement Against Charedim

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In the wake of severe anti-charedi rhetoric over the last few months of anti-government demonstrations, the Knesset’s Ministerial Committee on Legislation voted Sunday to back a bill that would criminalize incitement against chareidim, as part of Israel’s anti-racism laws.

“The time has come to draw a red line against dangerous and rampant incitement against the charedi public,” said United Torah Judaism MK Yaakov Asher, who sponsored the bill. “The bill will enable extracting a price from instigators and will clarify that charedi citizens’ blood is not cheap.”

It was not clear what the specific penalties would be, but the legislation proposes to expand a 1977 anti-racism law (Hebrew link)which includes punitive measures against those who incite to racism or violence based on race, national-ethnic background.

In its explanatory notes, the bill argues that the existing law defines racist incitement “only in cases in which the racism is due to [skin] color or belonging to a race or national-ethnic group, and the charedi population is not distinguished by color, race, or national-ethnic.

“In this regard, it should be noted that the ultra-Orthodox population… is distinguished by its clothing and lifestyle, so there is no rationale for an exception to the provisions of the law,” the notes read.

The bill blasts “an expanding phenomenon of incitement to racism toward the charedi population,” noting as “particularly grievous” cases where “the incitement is carried out by elected officials with the aim of dividing the people and thus reaping political gain, while harming the entire public and the unity of the people.”

“In this bill, it is proposed to expand the definition of racism to include the prohibition of inciting racism toward the charedi population,” and curtailing “the entrenchment of the phenomenon of racism towards the charedi population,” according to the proposal.

An identical bill was first presented by Asher in the previous Knesset.

A recent anti-government protest in Bnei Brak, prior to the state budget’s passage on May 24, drew thousands who accused the coalition of “looting” the state’s money, while allowing men in the charedi community to avoid employment and military service. Former Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev also took part in an anti-charedi protest outside Rabbi Edelstein’s house, leading to a charedi boycott of Angel’s products, as Bar-Lev serves as their director. Other anti-charedi demonstrations took place outside the homes of Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf and Finance Committee chairman Moshe Gafni.

Newspaper cartoonists lambasted charedim for receiving additional budgets, casting them in terms reminiscent of anti-Semitic regimes.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that the budget’s approval “brings no fresh tidings, no attempt to fight the cost of living – just endless extortion.”

“This budget is a violation of the contract with the citizens of Israel, and our children and children’s children will pay for it,” he said.

Prior to the budget vote, TV host Galit Gutman caused an uproar after calling charedim “bloodsuckers” during a panel discussion about the government’s financial priorities.

“How much burden can be placed on a third of this country in order to support all of these charedi bloodsuckers, all these people who suck our blood?” Gutman said on her Channel 12 morning news show in May.

“There’s no other word [for what the Haredim are doing],” Gutman said in her Friday show. “We have a new government that is simply milking its citizens. Our young people — those who serve in the army and go to university — will not stay here. I’m telling you, they’re sucking the blood [out of us]. They’re milking us, they have no shame, and we are done sitting here and [taking it].”

Gutman’s remarks were roundly denounced by charedi politicians, coalition and opposition members. She later apologized for her words.

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