JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In a shameless desecration of the holiest day of the year, anti-religious protesters prevented a Yom Kippur prayer service with separate seating for men and women from taking place in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv.
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After the court ruled that a partition could not be placed between men and women in a public place, the Rosh Yehudi organizers of the Kol Nidrei prayer service tried to use Israeli flags as a makeshift mechitza. However irate residents and protesters arriving at the scene confronted the worshipers, destroyed the partition, and removed the chairs that the organizers had placed. The protesters verbally abused the Rosh Yehudi leaders and used whistles and heckling to disrupt the prayers, which were eventually moved to another nearby location on a side street.
יום כיפור? מלחמת אחים בכיכר דיזנגוף pic.twitter.com/SELvDSfWkg
— Ittai Shickman | איתי שיקמן (@ittaishick) September 24, 2023
Just before the blowing of the shofar at the end of the holiday, the head of the Rosh Yehudi organization, Yisrael Ze’ira, took the stage and said that he forgives the handful who prevented the prayer and that he only acted out of a desire for unity.
Prime Minister Netanyahu commented on the protests, stating that : “The people of Israel sought to unite on Yom Kippur by asking for forgiveness, repentance, and unity within us. To our astonishment, precisely in the Jewish state, on the holiest day for the Jewish people, left-wing demonstrators rioted against Jews during their prayer. It seems that there are no borders, no norms and no boundaries for hatred on the part of the extremists on the left. I, like the majority of Israeli citizens, reject this. Such violent behavior has no place among us.”
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai responded differently to the incident: “Unfortunately, last night, religious and messianic extremists decided to trample on the court’s decision and established a partition between men and women at the Yom Kippur Eve prayer.”
“A crowd of protestors and residents of the city, prevented the prayer in Dizengoff Square from taking place in its illegal form. Since the Yom Kippur War, 50 years, I have not been called during the holiday. I want to make it clear – I will not let the character of our city change! In Tel Aviv-Yafo, there is no place for gender segregation and exclusion in the public space.”
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote “On this Yom Kippur, we saw haters who are trying to expel Judaism from the public sphere. Israel is a Jewish country, and a democratic one. Next Thursday I will hold an evening prayer in the square, the public is invited!”.
Opposition Chairman Yair Lapid published a post on Facebook at the end of the holiday in which he wrote: “It’s a shame that in the name of G-d, Yom Kippur was spoiled. For years I have given Yom Kippur as an example that Judaism does not need to be enforced. It becomes ours only when we consider each other. Until this year. Until the haredi core that came to the neighborhood decided to bring the war to us as well. They insist on gender segregation outside as well. They make sure to explain to us that there is only one version of Judaism, their version.”
Chief Rabbi David Lau responded to the demonstration, stating that “I heard with great sorrow about the incidents which occurred at the prayers on the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. The most special day of the year turned due to the wild incitement of haters of religion into a sad day. Some people forgot the meaning of the day and continued to foment hatred.
“The prayers were attended by residents of Tel Aviv who wished to pray in accordance with halacha without any attempt to coerce anyone and only for those who wanted them in this fashion. Under the guise of freedom they prevented a large group from praying according to its customs. The incident has overtones of dark periods in Jewish history. The state of Israel was established as a home for the Jewish people and needs to be a place where people can live according to Judaism’s requirements. All those who claim that the state of Israel is Jewish and democratic please remember that the Jewish is no less important than the democratic.”
Just wondering if the police used water cannons and horses to brake them up
Or is that reserved strictly for religious Jew protesting
Herzl is kvelling
“…The state of Israel was established as a home for the Jewish people and needs to be a place where people can live according to Judaism’s requirements.
All those who claim that the state of Israel is Jewish and democratic please remember that the Jewish is no less important than the democratic.””
Actually, that’s not why it was established.
Rav Chaim Brisker noted that it would be established for shmad, that the reason the Zionists a century ago were agitating for a state was for one reason: shmad.
That’s why it was established.
The Zionist lie about it being “Jewish” is just an excuse for them to convince others to support their Zionist “State”.
I cry when I read this. Even if the left thinks you are correct once it happened and people are praying already on the holiest day of the year, why can’t you let it go? Next year you can work on stopping it before
Those protesters are more Jewish than they realize – they think they’re smarter than everyone else.
Liberal Jews are upset when those who oppose women’s prayers at the Kotel interfere, and then some of them act the same way. Are we really slow learners? We need tolerance on all sides!
I thought is was Neilah services that were disrupted. In any case, the lost liberal left is so full of hatred. Shame on them.
Can someone explain the halachic issue here? I was under the impression that a mechitza is technically not necessary in a place that is not ordinarily used for a minyan. How much more so when the people themselves would not ordinarily go to a minyan ?
NOTE the number of bald headed and grey haired protesters: the face (or head) of the losing leftists.
Note those who are with kippot are young. face of the future.
Rav Kook wrote many years ago that right before Moshiach, there would be a small group of self-hating Jews in Eretz Yisrael making some noise.
It is amazing that Rabbi Lau doesn’t know the meaning of Democracy. He is echoing the false claims of Democracy on the left. Democracy means majority rule. It seems here that the majority wanted separate seating at this event, and the minority is imposing their will on the majority…
Ever see them trying to tear down a mechitza at a mosque???????
Coercion on both sides. Each side under the guise of unification and inclusion is schlepping the other group all the way to their agenda.
Look ladies and gentlemen: if this minyan (in a public square) is indeed meant to do kiruv work FOR MANY OF THOSE THAT ALREADY HAVE A STRONG DISLIKE (to put it mildly) FOR FRUMKEIT/ORTHODOXY, then putting up a mechitza, which so many of them are obviously strongly opposed to, IS THE WRONG WAY OF GOING ABOUT BEING MEKAREV THESE JEWISH SOULS. As we see, all it will do is turn them off more. So much for kiruv. First of all, they’re not even demanding mixed seating. Nothing asur with separate seating with no mechitza as a starting point in doing kiruv. Then when they’re at the point of knowing more and loving yidishkeit more, they’ll appreciate a mechitza and understand the need for it. Many thousands became Baal Teshuvas from דרכיה דרכי נועם. This hard core, heavy handedness, is NOT the way.
Religion or Politics?
When Shuls have musical slichos or a person attends a musical slichos we have plenty of complaining how wrong it is because it’s not our “Mesorah” We are told Slichos are a serious time & as we are preparing for judgement it should not be about “Vibing” to good music. We are told this was never done in Europe & shouldn’t become accepted here.
Yet on Y’K when since time immemorial Yidden have Davened inside their Shuls (or walked to the Shul they grew up in that is farther away because of “Mesorah”) we have no issue with Yidden leaving their Shuls (& it’s atmosphere) to Daven outside with all the noise & distractions & let’s admit an all around lowering of the Kidusha we find in our Shuls.
So I ask. Is this fight really about religion or is that just an excuse to create more (as if there isn’t enough already) political conflict?