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Jews attacking Jews in the holy city of Jerusalem

Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2009 2:41 PM
Filed Under:

By Paul Goldman, NBC News Producer

TEL AVIV – The arrest of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman accused of starving her 3-year-old son has sparked three days of violent clashes in Jerusalem between religious and secular Jews.

Authorities allege that the mentally ill woman has been starving her son for several years.

On Thursday, a photo on the front page of Yediot Ahronot, a popular daily, showed a horrific photo of the emaciated boy sitting on a hospital bed clearly suffering from malnutrition. Authorities said they have video showing the mother repeatedly disconnecting her son from a feeding tube in the hospital. 

But her arrest has outraged members of the ultra-Orthodox community who resent outside interference in their affairs.  For the last three days protesters have clashed with police, throwing rocks at them and burning trash cans. At least 28 demonstrators have been arrested.

VIDEO: Protesters clash with police in Jerusalem

The incident has laid bare the very delicate relationship between the insular ultra-Orthodox community and the city’s more secular population.

The ultra-Orthodox community views the Israeli authorities with a great deal of mistrust; they think they use brutal tactics (police used water cannons on rioters on Thursday), are uncompromising and oppose any perceived interference from them in their religious life.

By arresting the mother, authorities touched on what is viewed by the ultra-Orthodox community as its most sacred institution: the family.  By interfering in an ultra-Orthodox family’s private affairs, the authorities crossed a line – which has brought hundreds onto the streets.

"In this story of the mother, they really want to extinct us. To touch us in the Holy of Holiness, our children, so we won’t bring more children to the world," one demonstrator, Yoel, told Haaretz newspaper.

Another demonstrator shouted at the police and called them "Nazis."

Jews accusing other Jews in the holy city of Jerusalem.

This mistrust has led Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to punish the two neighborhoods where the riots took place by banning garbage collection and closing government offices until further notice.

Still, many questions remain unanswered. Why would the mother starve her own child? Why was the father not arrested? The woman has five children, have the other children in the family been abused as well?

Meantime, the mother is in police custody and appeared in court Thursday, hiding her face with a prayer book. She said the child is sick, but that she is not responsible for his condition. Doctors say the boy is doing well and is gaining weight.

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From the report, I read, it was alleged that the woman is mentally ill, again, that she repeatedly disconnects the feeding tube from her child in the hospital, also, that she has a husband who has not been arrested for comments.
Based on these facts, I would say that the husband should be consulted to make statement because he is the father of the child and must know what goes on in his family.
The authorities should diagnose seriously to find out whether she is mentally ill as was alleged, and if she is, should be taken to physicist for treatment instead resolving into violence.  The fact that she on Thursday when she appeared in court, denied that she was not responsible for the child's condition, rather the child is sick, can prove a matter of urgent attention, let the doctors diagnose the child to see, apart for malnutrition caused by lack of food, if there is another sickness that makes kid to reject food, and matter should be resoved peacefully instead of violent brutalities.

HENRY UMEZURIKE
LAGOS NIGERIA

HENRY UMEZURIKE, LAGOS NIGERIA (Sent Friday, July 17, 2009 4:11 AM)

As an Ultra-Orthodox resident of Jerusalem I can confirm that this article is quite factual.

I just want to add that Americans probably do not know how different the social law is here than in the US.  Here it is perfectly normal for the city to effectively prevent Orthodox Jews from buying apartments or praying in certain parts of the city that are certified as 'chilloni,' which means 'desecrating,' of all things.  The police came in and closed down an 'illegal' synagogue in just such a neighborhood a little while ago.  This was especially because Ultra-Orthodox young couples had been buying apartments there and trying to turn it into a religious neighborhood, which the others did not want.

If you get used to discrimination on the basis of creed it really gets to seem quite normal.  As odd as it may be, I would never want now, having lived so long here, to live in an 'open' neighborhood filled with people not like me.  

But it helps to put all this stuff into perspective.

Yosef (Sent Friday, July 17, 2009 5:43 AM)

Such a sad situation.  I am not Jewish, but I pray that the fighting and rioting stop.  So many wars have been due to religion.  This seems to be the case here - orthodox vs. secular.  

LCK, Seattle, WA (Sent Friday, July 17, 2009 5:49 AM)

These fanatical, fundamental, untra-orthodox groups bring shame to themselves and shame to the entire Jewish people. If there any sane leaders in their community, why do they allow and encourage this
behavior? These groups are parasites on the State of Israel and don't deserve the support of the state or the Jewish people. The world-wide anti-Semites love seeing Jews fighting Jews. Don't we Jews have enough enemies, do we have to fight amoung ourselves? This is just another example how extreme religious intolerance can be hateful and detremential to our people. What ever happened to Kal Yisroel?

Eliezer ben Boca Beach (Sent Friday, July 17, 2009 5:52 AM)

THE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE ATTACK THYSELF BUT THE KINGDOM PEOPLE LOVE AND CARE OTHER,THAT IS CHRIST JESUS.SO CHRISTIANTY IS NOT A RELIGIOUS BUT IS A WAY OF LIFE AND LOVE AND PACE.WHY ALL THIS Jews attacking Jews in the holy city of Jerusalem?

FEMI,lagos nigeria (Sent Friday, July 17, 2009 6:02 AM)

SHE WAS STRARVING HER OWN CHILD....put her in jail and let her repent for a few years, good grief, it's not nazism...it's protecting a life of a child.

Adam, Vernon, Vermont (Sent Friday, July 17, 2009 7:01 AM)

The entire Middle East is just a hotbed of raw emotion and irrational behavior. Sometimes I think let it all let loose and see what would happen. To even get involved is a dangerous move on anybody's part. There is such hatred among all groups and religions in the area. How can anyone even call it the Holy City! It' more like the holey city since it's so segregated by hatred. It's more like hell!!

Tino, NYC (Sent Saturday, July 18, 2009 1:01 PM)

Very interesting indeed. Many posters correctly and fairly equate fanatics of religions as one of a kind. But, lets read Ben Goldman's news brief. He refers to the rioters as "ultra-Orthodox". But we know that ultra-Orthodox Muslims are commonly refferred to as "Islamic Militants", or "Islamic Extremists".

Very interesting and highly discriminatory labeling. It is apparent that Jewish extremists, the likes that killed Yitzchak Rabin, or Dr. Baruch Goldstein, who in Ramdan of 1994 murdered 29 Muslims as they lay kneeling in prayer in an Hebron mosque. Baruch Goldstein, a medical doctor by training, cowardly shot all his murder victims in the back, while they defenselessly prayed, with their hands and forehead touching the ground in supplication. He was a settler and a terrorist. But he was referred to as an ultra-orthodox Jew at the time.  

Jamaal Adam (Sent Saturday, July 18, 2009 2:58 PM)

Sadly reading through these comments I became once again aware of the fact that most people, inside or outside of Israel know little about the Ultra Orthodox and their stringent rules, their secret lives, and the fact that they are not any better than terrorist themselves. They often allow such behaivor, this is a one time incident, search the net for Ultra Orthodox riots and see what comes up. THe sadest thing about this situation is that the Ultra Orthodox have soo very much power over the country of Israel. If they had their way there would be no government, they would rule Israel as a religious country and no one would live there except them!

Leah PettePiece, Long Beach, Ca (Sent Saturday, July 18, 2009 4:55 PM)

Interesting.  So when those poor Palestinian children starve to death with no medical care, it's OK.  And these are God's people?

David Cohen (Sent Sunday, July 19, 2009 10:42 PM)



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