Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 12/09 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 14. – 27. Juli 2009 1. Demonstrationen der Ultraorthodoxen In den letzten Wochen ist es wiederholt zu Ausschreitungen in den von ultraorthodoxen Juden („Haredim“) bewohnten Vierteln von Jerusalem ge­kommen. Demonstranten gingen teilweise gewalt­tätig gegen die Polizei vor, setzten Mülltonnen in Brand und beschädigten öffentliches Eigentum. Dafür gab es verschiedene Gründe, u.a. die Öffnung eines städtischen Parkplatzes am Sabbath, sowie jüngst die Verhaftung einer ultraorthodoxen Mutter, der – auch in den Schlagzeilen der Medien – vorgeworfen wurde, ihr Kind fast verhungert haben zu lassen. Die ultraorthodoxe Minderheit in Israel lebt – oft in großer Armut- zumeist streng getrennt von der säkularen Mehrheit, ihre Kinder besuchen religiöse Schulen und die jungen Männer dienen selten beim Militär. Einige Segmente verstehen sich als anti-zionistisch und distanzieren sich von staatlichen Institutionen. When worlds collide “The violence[…] had been sparked by a judge's decision to hold a pregnant haredi woman in custody after she was arrested on suspicion of systematically starving her three-year old child[…]. Rather than eschewing her for this vile desecration of human life and blasphemy of God's name, the community from whence she came was rallying around her, castigating the outside world for interfering in their own. There was no consideration here of right and wrong, only of us and them.[…] This isn't merely a campaign of civil disobedience. When protesters declare they will continue their struggle to the bitter end, when they declare smugly that they do not accept the authority of the state, it is insurgency. Their taking to the streets is not about asserting their right to live the lifestyle of their choice; it is about their demand for insularity, a virtual secession from the Zionist state whose protection, services and funds they continue to enjoy.“ David Breakstone, JPO 21.07.09 Heavy price to pray „The struggles we see emerging between the two sides as of late – the parking lots in Jerusalem, the question of enlistment to the IDF, the economic policies dictated by Shas, the issue of conversion, and the question of core curriculum at schools all pertain to the following fundamental disagreement: In Herzl’s and Ben-Gurion’s view, the State is the tangible expression of Jewish independence. Yet in the eyes of the haredim, the State constitutes a foreign regime, and just like in the Diaspora they try to get as much as possible out of it, while at the same time viewing it as a despicable force, whose future and stability are not a Jewish concern.” Gadi Taub, JED 16.07.09 A haredi consensus? “If there is one thing[…] about which there is a nearly unanimous agreement across all sectors of the haredi community, it is condemnation of violent actions, such as throwing stones at police and burning garbage cans. From the beginning of the Shabbat demonstrations, after Mayor Nir Barkat's bombastic announcement of the opening of a municipal parking lot, as if he were the secular Saracen recapturing the city from the haredim, [Rabbi] Sternbuch[, the head of the Eda Haredit rabbinical court] has issued countless public proclamations stating clearly,‘Anyone who commits acts of violence declares that he doesn't belong to our community.’[…] Jonathan Rosenblum, JPO 22.07.09 Burning down the house “We see it happening every few months. An amazing Jerusalem ritual; glorious haredi pyromania – burning down the house.[…] 1