donderdag 5 januari 2012

Haredi voelde zich geprovoceerd door soldate die tussen orthodoxen in bus stond

Nog eentje dan, en dan hopen we voorlopig op te kunnen houden met berichten over ultra-orthodoxe Haredi in Israel die een strikte scheiding van mannen en vrouwen nastreven (met de vrouwen natuurlijk op de tweede rang) en daarbij niet schuwen om zelfs kleine kinderen te intimideren en bespuwen.

Overigens vond ik de vergelijking met Rosa Parks bijna even ongepast als toen de Palestijnse "Freedom Riders" die maakten. In veel Amerikaanse staten waren destijds wetten die zwarten verboden voorin de bus te zitten, en meer van dat soort zaken; in Israel geldt wettelijk gelijkheid en kunnen vrouwen hiertoe niet gedwongen worden. Ook zijn er bij mijn weten nog geen vrouwen of seculieren gelyncht door de Haredi.

Wouter

_____________

Haredi who called soldier 'slut': She acted provocatively

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4170403,00.html

Shlomo Fuchs, who is accused of sexually harassing female soldier on public bus, tells Ynet 'it's the most basic concept: A woman should not stand amidst men'

Aviad Glickman

Published:

01.02.12, 21:31

The haredi man who is accused of sexually harassing IDF soldier Doron Matalon after she refused to sit at the back of a public bus in Jerusalem, told Ynet Monday that she had intervened in an argument between him and another woman who stood near the "men-only" section of the bus.

According to Shlomo Fuchs, 44, Matalon acted provocatively. "She stood amidst the ultra-Orthodox men. It's the most basic concept: A woman should not stand amidst men, just like no woman would go into a men's bathroom. So I called her a slut."

Fuchs said he was travelling from his home in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood to a yeshiva in Mea Shearim last Tuesday when "some Russian woman stood by the men's seats at the front of the bus."

"I told her: 'Lady, you don't have to present a ticket if you have a monthly pass.' She said, 'Thank you very much, sir.' Suddenly I heard someone from the middle of the bus saying, 'She'll stand wherever she pleases.' So I answered 'What business is it of yours?' I couldn't see who was speaking, because the bus was full. I only heard her voice. I didn’t see it was a soldier. I could only make out her head, and I yelled 'slut.'"

At this point, Fuchs claimed, Matalon said "Look at you; parasite; parasites, taking money from the State. I protect you."

"She protects me? I sit at shul from eight in the morning till midnight and study, and she's protecting me? I protect her," the ultra-Orthodox man told Ynet. "I understood who I was dealing with, so I went back to studying for my test and things calmed down."

However, Fuchs said, Matalon continued to argue. According to him, she said "these haredim do what they want. We will bring an end to it. Take him to the police."

Fuchs claimed he was not aware of the significance of the word "slut" in the secular world. "I am completely detached from the (secular world). I don’t own a television set and I never have newspapers in the house. People laughed at me because I don't have any idea what women's exclusion is and don't know what happened in Beit Shemesh," he said.

"I do not forgive (Matalon). She cannot give back the hours of studying that I lost; she cannot take away the fear that I have when I go out to the street. She shamed us all and made us out to be criminals," Fuchs said.

He also claimed Israel Police had deliberately assigned female investigators to handle his case. "I always thought police were supposed to protect me, but I will never forgive them for the nightmare they made me go through. Yes, they harassed me only because I am haredi," Fuchs said. "This is a blood libel."

Asked about the controversial Holocaust display at a recent ultra-Orthodox rally in the capital, Fuchs said, "I sympathize with these feelings of persecution. They tried to present me as though I were the worst criminal in the world, and from this perspective it is just like the goyim treated the Jews for generations.

"Let me live in peace. I too sang 'Hatikva' (national anthem) once. I want to be free in our land. Leave me be."

Udi Matalon, the soldier's father, said "apparently (Fuchs) is trying to present himself as the victim. This attempt should not be taken too seriously."

Meanwhile, Ynet has learned that two women told investigators that Fuchs did not confront Matalon. "The incident on the bus involved a different female soldier who does not fit Matalon's description," one of the eyewitnesses said.

Israel deed ook wel eens iets goeds voor de wereld in 2011

Twee artikelen over bekende en minder bekende gebeurtenissen in 2011, overwegend maar niet alleen positieve zaken, die weinig in de media kwamen.

________________

How Israel Made The World A Better Place In 2011

http://actforisrael.org/blog/blog/2011/12/30/how-israel-made-the-world-a-better-place-in-2011/

By Gal Sitty

2011 was a year in which Israel’s continued contributions to the World received increasing recognition. Whether it was disaster relief in Japan, helping to feed people in sub-Saharan Africa, or ground breaking discoveries in science, Israel was at the forefront of the all the major positive developments of 2011.

Here is a piece by piece look at some of Israel’s impressive achievements in 2011:

Chemist Dan Shechtman became the 10th Israeli to be awarded a Nobel Prize. Shechtman’s discovered chemical structures previously thought to be impossible to exist. His groundbreaking work opened up entirely new fields of research.

The Israeli humanitarian relief agency, IsraAID, was the recipient of numerous awards for its efforts in helping the victims of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this year. IsraAID dispatched medical and post-trauma units to three locations in Japan along with over 20 tons of relief items (see video below). IsraAID established a 2-year plan for relief and rebuilding efforts in Japan and has recently sent its fifth delegation to the country. IsraAID also operated in many more areas of need including South Sudan and Kenya.

Israel became one of the first nations to formally recognize the newest country in the world, South Sudan. Israel has pledged extensive aid in helping the extremely underdeveloped country build infrastructure and develop expertise in agriculture and water management among many other things. As such, Israel was one of the first countries that the newly formed State’s President paid an official visit to.

Many technological breakthroughs that may soon greatly improve our lives and our environment were achieved this year in Israel. The company Better Place unveiled the first electric car with “battery switching” technology that allows drivers to switch out the drained battery for a fully charged one in less time then it takes to fill a tank of gas. Emefcy announced its development of a method to generate electricity from the treatment of wastewater; this could have an exponentially beneficial impact on our environment as wastewater treatment has traditionally been very energy intensive.

New developments in medicine may soon save millions of lives. Of the more noteworthy accomplishments is the development of a “cancer vaccine“, currently in clinical trials, which teaches the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells. Israeli scientists also identified a glucose sensing enzyme that can trigger natural insulin production, possibly helping to end Type 1 Diabetes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2011 was a busy year. Here are some less-reported stories from the Holy Land.

http://www.aish.com/jw/id/News_from_Israel_You_May_Have_Missed.html#.TvjRgO9rcDE.facebook

by Yvette Alt Miller

January

Israel received some new immigrants this month: up to 400 bottlenose dolphins, which have taken up residence along the Tel Aviv and Herzliya shores.

Nablus-based food company Alul became the first Palestinian-owned manufacturer to seek kosher certification, for its tehina spread.

Prof. Nava Dekel of Israel's Weizmann Institute for Science established a link between certain antioxidants found in facial creams and infertility. While Prof. Dekel said that this might warrant "more caution" in using certain face creams, it also points to intriguing research in the field of birth control.

Noble Energy announced it had found natural gas off Israel's coast. The company estimated it could produce 16 trillion cubic feet of gas, making this the world’s largest off-shore discovery of natural gas in the past decade.

A Disney Company affiliate announced plans to open a major new amusement park in Haifa. Construction, estimated to cost $170 million, is planned to begin on 20 acres in 2013.

February

Israel welcomed 31 of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 68 days in 2010. The miners, accompanied by their wives, girlfriends, and children, enjoyed an eight day vacation, courtesy of Israel's Tourism Ministry.

Strangers No More won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. The film tells the story of the children from more than 48 countries, many of whom came to Israel to escape genocide and hunger in Africa and other regions, who attend the Bialik-Rogozin school in Tel Aviv.

Israeli start-up company BioExplorers announced they developed a new bomb detector that uses a unique new component: trained mice. The mice, which work in 4-hour shifts, have been found to be more effective than traditional airport body scanners.

March

The European Association for Zoos and Aquaria held its annual meeting in Jerusalem, at Israel's "Biblical Zoo" (so called because all of its animals are mentioned in the Bible). Though small, Israel's Biblical Zoo is a world leader in conservation and efforts to return animals to the wild.

Dalal Mughrabi Square was dedicated in the Fatah-ruled town of Ramallah. The square was named after the terrorist who killed 37 Israelis, including 13 children, in a bus hijacking in 1978. The dedication of the square came just two days after the brutal murder of five members of the Fogel family in a Jewish town on the West Bank.

April

Congolese surgeon Dr. Leon Mubenga visited Israel's Rambam Medical Center in Haifa to learn techniques in treating burn victims, and become the first burn care specialist in Congo. He was sponsored by Israeli charity Moriah Africa, which also donated advanced medical equipment used to treat burns for Dr. Mubenga to bring back home with him.

Golan Heights Winery, based in Katztrin, earned first place at the Vinitali International Wine and Spirits Exhibition, often called the "World Cup" of wine competitions. The winery produces several popular brands of Israeli wines, including Golan.

A 16-year-old boy was killed when missiles fired from Gaza hit a school bus near Kibbutz Sa'ad in southern Israel. The attack was part of a barrage of 45 rockets fired from Gaza in a period of three hours.

Tel Aviv began offering free Internet access in several public spaces downtown, with the eventual goal of becoming an entirely "wireless" city.

May

Internet travel service Tripadvisor revealed that Israel is its 13th most popular destination, ahead of sites like London and Rio. In 2011, Israeli tourism broke all records, producing a shortage of hotel rooms.

University of Maryland Dr. Michele Gelfand, who studied the rigidity of social norms in 33 countries, found that Israel is one of the world's "loosest" countries socially, with high levels of tolerance, acceptance and ease with other cultures. This is due in no small part to Israel’s melting pot society comprised of immigrants from over 80 countries.

June

Jerusalem unveiled dramatic First Temple-era archeological sites, including the remnants of a gate house, a royal structure, and a fortification tower. The oldest remain found in the new sites, a clay fragment, is believed to be 3,400 years old.

Israelis participated in a mammoth, five-day security simulation designed to test emergency responses in the case of missiles being fired on Israel's cities.

Jamal Hakroush became the first Muslim appointed as Israel’s Deputy Police Inspector General. Hakroush said: "I am proud of Israel Police for choosing me based on my qualifications and nothing else. My religion and origin are facts I do not ignore, but I have never, in all my years of service, felt discriminated against or hurt by it."

Israeli aerospace engineer Meidad Pariente invented the "Mayday" app – using GPS technology to send out a distress call when users suffer an automobile accident. Inspired by a family member's car crash, the app senses when there is a sudden deceleration in speed, and asks if the user is okay. Upon failure to respond, Mayday sends emergency messages to five pre-selected recipients.

Hamas set up an appalling Facebook campaign to "abduct a wife” for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. (Shalit was freed on October 18, 2011, after five years in captivity in Gaza.)

Kibbutz Ketura, a few miles north of the Israeli city of Eilat, completed a solar field consisting of 18,000 solar panels which can pump out 4.9 megawatts of electricity per hour of direct sunlight.

July

An Iranian swimmer pulled out of the Shanghai FINA World Championship because of the presence of an Israeli in the competition.

Israel became one of the first countries to recognize the new state of South Sudan after it declared independence on July 9. The date also saw joyous street parties among the many South Sudanese refugees who call Israel home.

Seven hundred college students from across North America came to Israel for an intensive 2-week program of Israel activism training. Aish’s Hasbara Fellowships trains students and provides them support to run successful pro-Israel activities on their campuses.

For the third year in a row, Scientist Magazine ranked the Weizmann Institute of Science as the world's best place to work in academia.

August

Online encyclopedia Wikipedia held its annual conference in Haifa, which beat out New York, Toronto and other cities to host the international event.

As rocket fire from Gaza rained down on Beersheva, 17-year-old Arina Shestopolov Censor became a national hero. Along with her father, she left her bomb shelter, braved raging fires outside, and saved the lives of two injured men. She relied on what she’d learned at age 12 in a first aid book to fashion a tourniquet and save the life of Nati Hagshor, 24, who was so seriously injured she initially thought he was dead. In recognition of her bravery, Ben Gurion University awarded the girl a full scholarship.

September

Roie "Jinji" Sadan, a 29-year-old bicyclist who spent four years cycling 40,000 miles through 42 countries around the world, celebrated the end of his epic trip with a ceremony at the Western Wall.

The Jewish Agency reported that 21,300 people made aliyah to Israel, a 20% increase from the previous year. The new immigrants came from countries all over the world, including Suriname, Thailand, China, Honduras and Congo.

Journalist-turned-politician Shelly Yachimovich became the first woman to lead Israel's Labor Party since Golda Meir.

Israel welcomed the debut of Hala TV, its first full-time Arabic-language TV station.

October

Israeli actress Hannah Maron set a world record for the longest continuous acting career. She began acting in 1931 at age four in her native Germany. She lost a leg when Palestinian terrorists attacked an El Al flight she was on, but she continued her acting career. As she marked 80 years on stage and screen, Maron was preparing for her upcoming role at Tel Aviv’s Carmai Theatre.

Prof. Daniel Shechtman of Israel's Technion Institute won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery of quasicrystals.

Moshe Ami, a 56-year-old father of four, was killed by a rocket fired from Gaza into the Israel city of Ashkelon. Scores of rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza by the Iranian-backed group Islamic Jihad.

Iranian Chess Grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami pulled out of aninternational chess tournament in Corsica, rather than play Israeli Grandmaster Ehud Sachar. Calls were made to bar Iran from next year's Olympics in London unless they agree to compete against Israeli athletes.

November

“Drivia” became available as an iPhone app; it keeps sleepy drivers awake by bombarding them with trivia questions.

The Israel Philharmonic announced plans to celebrate its 75th Anniversary, and the 50th Anniversary of Zubin Mehta as conductor, with a series of live concerts streamed on the Internet.

December

Shyne, the former bad-boy rapper now living a chassidic lifestyle in Jerusalem, teamed up with an Israeli record company in a new initiative aimed at bringing Israeli musicians and educators to inspire at-risk youth around the world with music education. The project will kick off in Shyne's native country, Belize, hoping to use music to help some 500 at-risk youth get off the streets and get away from drugs and gang violence.

Apple, the maker of iPods, iPads and iPhones, announced it will open a research and development center in Herzliya, Israel's version of Silicon Valley, as Apple's first R&D center outside California. Meanwhile, Google's Israel R&D center announced it will open an incubator where Israeli entrepreneurs can grow their ideas into great products.

Israel en PA praten weer over onderhandelingen

Er wordt weer gepraat, na 18 maanden. Abbas stelde weer zijn gebruikelijke eisen aan Israel en uitte ook de nodige dreigementen, zoals het een overwinnaar betaamt:

Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, Abbas said the peace process would not be revived unless Israel agreed to freeze settlement construction and accepted the pre-1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution.
“If Israel does not accept the Palestinian demands, we will take other measures which we cannot detail. These measures could be hard,” he said.

Maar dit belet hem natuurlijk niet om de volgende keer weer het machteloze slachtoffer uit te hangen.

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Israel, PA agree to meet again next week

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=252085

By HERB KEINON AND KHALED ABU TOAMEH
01/03/2012 23:07

Before meeting in Jordan, Abbas warns of "hard measures" if Israel doesn't accept the PA's demands.

Israel and Palestinian negotiators meeting in Amman on Tuesday for the first direct talks in 16 months agreed to continue talking, with another round scheduled in Jordan next week, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who hosted the talks, said at a press conference after the meeting that the Palestinian delegation submitted proposals on border and security issues to Israel, and that the Israeli team took the proposals and said it would respond and present its ideas in a future meeting. One principle that Israel is expected to put forward is the need for an Israeli security presence along the Jordan River in any agreement.

The talks, which where characterized as having taken place in a “positive” atmosphere, were divided into two parts and lasted a total of three hours.

The first part was a meeting that included Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s envoy Yitzhak Molcho, PA negotiator Saeb Erekat, Judeh, Quartet envoy Tony Blair and a representative from each of the Quartet’s members – the US, EU, Russia and the UN.

This meeting was then followed by a direct meeting between Molcho and Erekat in the presence of the Jordanian hosts.

Judeh said afterward that while there was no breakthrough, the importance of sitting down and conducting a direct dialogue was not insignificant.

The talks were held without preconditions, and Judeh said that an agreement on borders and security would end the whole issue of settlement construction.

The sides agreed that they would not issue a statement following the meeting, and that the Jordanians would serve as the spokesmen for the talks.

The relatively upbeat atmosphere presented by Judeh contrasted with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s warning before the talks that Israel’s failure to accept the Palestinian demands for resuming the peace process would prompt him to take “hard measures.”

Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, Abbas said the peace process would not be revived unless Israel agreed to freeze settlement construction and accepted the pre-1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution.

“If Israel does not accept the Palestinian demands, we will take other measures which we cannot detail. These measures could be hard,” he said.

Abbas did not give details about the nature of the measures he plans to take. However, some of his aides have hinted in the past at the possibility that he might either resign or dismantle the PA.

Abbas said that the PA leadership would have to study various options when and if efforts to resume the peace negotiations fail. He pointed out that the Quartet had given Israelis and Palestinians three months to work toward reviving the stalled peace process. The deadline expires January 26.

Abbas warned that a “vacuum” could be created after the expiration of the deadline. “We won’t be able to continue living in a vacuum,” he cautioned.

Abbas said the results of Tuesday’s meeting in Amman would appear within a day or two. He expressed hope that the Jordanians would succeed in achieving a resumption of the direct peace negotiations between the PA and Israel.

“If the Israelis comply with our demands, we will be prepared to return to the negotiations,” the PA president said. He said that the PA did not rule out the possibility of land swaps with Israel as part of a twostate solution.

Meanwhile, Fatah-Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti said in a letter from Israeli prison that the peace process had failed. He called on the PA leadership to stop “exporting illusions” about the peace process and to endorse a new strategy based on popular and peaceful protests and boycott campaigns against Israel.

RELATED:
Israeli, Palestinian negotiators to meet in Amman
Barak: Negotiations can prevent Israeli isolation

woensdag 4 januari 2012

De haredi last van Israel (IMO)

[NB: de IMO Blog is momenteel op een andere lokatie te vinden, een nieuw onderdeel van www.israel-palestina.info ]

De haredi last van Israel

http://www.israel-palestina.info/actueel/2012/01/04/de-haredi-last-van-israel/

IMO Blog

De laatste weken is er opeens veel aandacht voor de religieuze spanningen in Israel, en lijkt een bom die al langer lag te smeulen tot uitbarsting gekomen. Het begon met een keurig gekleed achtjarig meisje wiens verhaal dat zij op straat werd bespuugd door ultra orthodoxen velen in Israel schokte. In de reportage die een Israelische televisieploeg maakte laat zo'n Jood weten het volkomen terecht te vinden dat dit gebeurt, omdat iedereen zich aan de wetten van de Torah moet houden. Ook voorspelt hij dat Israel een theocratie zal worden waar deze wetten voor iedereen zullen gelden.

Hierop volgde een demonstratie van tienduizenden tegen de zogenaamde 'religieuze dwang' en een actie tegen de gescheiden buslijnen en daarop volgde een demonstratie van enkele duizenden (of misschien zelfs minder) haredim die zichzelf met de Joden in de 2e Wereldoorlog vergeleken en daarom gele Jodensterren hadden opgespeld. Ze zouden net zozeer vervolgd worden als de Joden toentertijd. Dit werd uiteraard alom veroordeeld als smakeloos en grievend, en ook binnen de haredische gemeenschap zijn er velen die protesteren tegen de religieuze intolerantie.

Het blijft (voor mij althans) vooralsnog onduidelijk hoe groot de groep haredim is die er zo over denkt als de agressieve man in het filmpje van de Israelische TV en de demonstranten met Jodensterren, maar duidelijk is wel dat het niet om een klein groepje extremisten gaat. Overal duiken voorbeelden op. Van de posters in Jeruzalem van vrouwen die zo systematisch worden vernield dat de meeste bedrijven zijn gestopt met het afbeelden van vrouwen in reclames in de publieke ruimte, tot de vele buslijnen (niet alleen van en naar haredi wijken) waar vrouwen worden lastig gevallen als ze niet achterin gaan zitten, tot verhalen van mensen die netjes gekleed in haredi wijken door snotjongens werden belaagd, en christenen in de oude stad van Jeruzalem die al jaren last hebben van spugende ultra orthodoxen. Het gaat hier vaak om praktijken die al jarenlang gaande zijn, en blijkbaar min of meer werden gedoogd en geduld door de machthebbers en de leiders van de lokale haredim gemeenschap. Ik word er eerlijk gezegd behoorlijk onpasselijk van en vind eigenlijk dat de seculieren zich zeer tolerant en terughoudend opstellen tegenover mensen die veelal op hun kosten leven en studeren, door hun kinderen worden beschermd maar zelf geen goed woord over hebben voor iedereen die niet net zo rigide is in het geloof als zij. Of, zoals een ultra orthodoxe rabbijn het zelf zegt in de Haaretz:

I don't believe anyone has to pay for my beliefs. It's not ethical that the secular public finances yeshiva students and the high birth rate among the ultra-Orthodox. There is nothing more infuriating to secular Israelis than to be spit in the face after they've given the ultra-Orthodox a generous sum of money. The ultra-Orthodox oppose the values of a secular society – Zionism, creativity, army conscription, sexual equality and more. However, they have no qualms about demanding and receiving money from this society, thereby intensifying public animosity toward them.
Let's be honest with ourselves. There is no reason the secular public should finance those who show contempt for its values. The solution I propose will benefit religion more than the state. I don't want to be part of a society that uses coercion. I don't want to be part of a society in which there is incitement to racism, and I don't want to be part of an ungrateful religious society.

…. The time has come to say "enough": enough to the religious parties; enough to their disgraceful self-centered preoccupation with budgets, as they ignore the rest of the country and the world; enough to the moral and aesthetic corruption of religion; enough to forcing laws down the throat of a public that does not believe in them.
To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr., I, too, have a dream: I have a dream that politics will be separated from religion; I have a dream that a secular child will study the Jewish sources out of love and not out of fear of the results reflected in the display window of the religious establishment; I have a dream of belonging to a moderate Haredi religious society with broad horizons, whose slogan is "Live and let live."

Hij is gelukkig niet de enige haredi die zich uitspreekt, en dat biedt hoop. Maar de haredim zullen hun privileges niet zonder slag of stoot opgeven, en de streng religieuze partijen hebben onevenredig veel invloed in de Israelische politiek, omdat ze bij bijna iedere regeringsvorming nodig blijken te zijn.

De haredim waren aanvankelijk fel gekant tegen de stichting van Israel, en zeker het Israel dat de seculiere zionisten voor ogen hadden. Er is toen, kort samengevat, een deal gesloten waarbij zij op een paar gebieden wel hun zin kregen zoals zaken rondom huwelijk en begrafenissen, en ook konden zij hun leven van full time studie voort zetten met steun van de staat. Vandaar dat je voor een burgerlijk huwelijk naar Cyprus moet en dat het orthodoxe Jodendom de enige officieel erkende variant is en alleen niet-Joden die bij een orthodoxe rabbijn zijn 'uitgekomen' als Jood worden erkend door de staat. Het zijn dit soort zaken die antizionisten vaak aangrijpen om erop te wijzen hoe religieus Israel is en dus haar aanspraak een moderne democratie te zijn niet waarmaakt. Waarna er in een moeite door op wordt gewezen dat zionisme en democratie niet samengaan, omdat het zionisme uit gaat van de superioriteit en uitverkorenheid van het Joodse volk. Het is een omkering van zaken, want juist de ultra orthodoxen waren (en zijn dat voor een groot deel nog steeds) antizionistisch. Sommigen spreken zich geregeld tegen Israel uit en ook op de demonstratie in Jeruzalem waar zij zich in kampkleding hulden waren borden te zien waar zionisme met racisme wordt gelijkgesteld. En juist zij drukken een religieus stempel op Israel en tornen aan haar democratische uitgangspunten zoals de gelijkheid tussen de seksen en de scheiding van religie en staat.

Ook zaken als dat er op sabbath geen openbaar vervoer rijdt en er met Pesach geen gewoon brood in de winkels ligt doen mij wat vreemd aan voor een modern en seculier land. Voor Joden, ook de meerderheid die zich seculier noemt, hoort religie echter meer bij het dagelijks leven dan voor ons. Het is voor hen vaak een onderdeel en bron van hun identiteit en geschiedenis. Mede door de religie en de vele aparte gebruiken zijn de Joden in de diaspora altijd herkenbaar gebleven en niet weg geassimileerd. En misschien wel daarom is er in Israel behoorlijk veel begrip voor de ultra orthodoxen en hun wensen.

De zionisten braken met de Joodse traditie en waren met hun revolutionaire ideeën een bedreiging voor het Joodse establishment. Door de geschiedenis en het extreme antisemitisme kregen zij toch veel aanhang, aanvankelijk vooral uit Oost Europa waar de Joden er slechter aan toe waren, maar vanwege de nazi's ook uit West Europa. De ultra orthodoxe Joden in Jeruzalem keken met scepsis naar de zionisten en stonden er passief naar te kijken toen die in 1948 voor het behoud van de oude stad vochten. Deze passieve houding en het gebrek aan steun voor de strijders van de Haganah heeft zeker bijgedragen aan het verlies van de oude stad. Jordanië heeft de Joodse wijk grotendeels verwoest, inclusief de synagoges, en stenen uit de begraafplaats op de Olijfberg zijn gebruikt om wegen te plaveien.

Ondanks alle privileges van de haredim keren zij zich geregeld tegen de staat, en sommigen roepen openlijk om de stichting van een Joodse theocratie in plaats van het grotendeels seculiere Israel. Door hun agressieve houding tegenover seculiere Israeli's en het stempel dat zij op de staat drukken spelen zij de antizionisten in de kaart en dragen bij aan hun campagne tegen Israel. Wat sommigen niet beseffen is dat juist zij, als zeer herkenbare Joden, het zonder Israel zwaar te verduren zullen krijgen en hun levensstijl buiten Israel nauwelijks mogelijk is. Het is voor het voortbestaan van Israel (en daarmee ook hun eigen toekomst) van groot belang dat de privileges van de ultra orthodoxen worden afgebouwd waaronder de hoge subsidies op het krijgen van veel kinderen, en er een realistischer verdeling komt van lusten en lasten.

Ratna Pelle

dinsdag 3 januari 2012

Armeense christenen in oude stad Jeruzalem zijn gespuug ultra-orthodoxe joden zat

Het gepest en gespuug van sommige ultra orthodoxen beperkt zich niet tot kleine meisjes die er niet kuis genoeg bijlopen. Ook christenen in de oude stad van Jeruzalem moeten het ontgelden. En dit is geen uitzondering.

Father Goosan and other Patriarchy members are trying to walk as little as possible in the Old City streets. "Once we walked from the [Armenian] church to the Jaffa Gate and on that short section four different people spat at us," he says.

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Ultra-Orthodox spitting attacks on Old City clergymen becoming daily

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/ultra-orthodox-spitting-attacks-on-old-city-clergymen-becoming-daily-1.393669

Clergymen in the Armenian Church in Jerusalem say they are victims of harassment, from senior cardinals to priesthood students; when they do complain, the police don't usually find the perpetrators.

By Oz Rosenberg

Ultra-Orthodox young men curse and spit at Christian clergymen in the streets of Jerusalem's Old City as a matter of routine. In most cases the clergymen ignore the attacks, but sometimes they strike back. Last week the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court quashed the indictment against an Armenian priesthood student who had punched the man who spat at him.

Johannes Martarsian was walking in the Old City in May 2008 when an young ultra-Orthodox Jew spat at him. Maratersian punched the spitter in the face, making him bleed, and was charged for assault. But Judge Dov Pollock, who unexpectedly annulled the indictment, wrote in his verdict that "putting the defendant on trial for a single blow at a man who spat at his face, after suffering the degradation of being spat on for years while walking around in his church robes is a fundamental contravention of the principles of justice and decency."

"Needless to say, spitting toward the defendant when he was wearing the robe is a criminal offense," the judge said.

When Narek Garabedian came to Israel to study in the Armenian Seminary in Jerusalem half a year ago, he did not expect the insults, curses and spitting he would be subjected to daily by ultra-Orthodox Jews in the streets of the Old City.

"When I see an ultra-Orthodox man coming toward me in the street, I always ask myself if he will spit at me," says Narek, a Canadian Armenian, this week. About a month ago, on his way to buy groceries in the Old City, two ultra-Orthodox men spat at him. The spittle did not fall at his feet but on his person. Narek, a former football player, decided this time not to turn the other cheek.

"I was very angry. I pushed them both to the wall and asked, 'why are you doing this?' They were frightened and said 'we're sorry, we're sorry,' so I let them go. But it isn't always like that. Sometimes the spitter attacks you back," he says.

Other clergymen in the Armenian Church in Jerusalem say they are all victims of harassment, from the senior cardinals to the priesthood students. Mostly they ignore these incidents. When they do complain, the police don't usually find the perpetrators.

Martarsian left Israel about a year ago. He was sent back home by the church, as were two other Armenian priesthood students who were charged after attacking an ultra-Orthodox man who spat at them.

The Greek Patriarchy's clergymen have been cursed and spat on by ultra-Orthodox men in the street for many years. "They walk past me and spit," says Father Gabriel Bador, 78, a senior priest in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. "Mostly I ignore it, but it's difficult.

Sometimes I stop and ask the spitter 'why are you doing this? What have I done to you?' Once I even shouted at a few of them who spat at my feet together. They ran away," he says.

"It happens a lot," says Archbishop Aristarchos, the chief secretary of the patriarchate. "You walk down the street and suddenly they spit at you for no reason. I admit sometimes it makes me furious, but we have been taught to restrain ourselves, so I do so."

Father Goosan Aljanian, Chief Dragoman of the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem, says it is often difficult for temperamental young priesthood students to swallow the offense.

bout a month ago two students marching to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre beat up an ultra-Orthodox man who spat at them. They were sent away from the Old City for two weeks.

"I tell my students that if they are spat at, to go to the police rather than strike back" says Goosan. "But these are young kids who sometimes lose their cool."

A few weeks ago four ultra-Orthodox men spat at clergymen in the funeral procession of Father Alberto of the Armenian Church. "They came in a pack, out of nowhere," said Father Goosan. "I know there are fanatical Haredi groups that don't represent the general public but it's still enraging. It all begins with education. It's the responsibility of these men's yeshiva heads to teach them not to behave this way," he says.

Father Goosan and other Patriarchy members are trying to walk as little as possible in the Old City streets. "Once we walked from the [Armenian] church to the Jaffa Gate and on that short section four different people spat at us," he says.

Ultra-orthodoxe joden vergelijken Israël met nazi's

Dit is uiteraard fel veroordeeld door Joden binnen en buiten Israel. Het is in een woord schandalig. Het laat ook zien hoe antizionistisch deze Joden zijn. Net als radikale antizionisten zoals Thomas von der Dunk en Richard Falk vertegenwoordigt Israel voor hen het kwaad, al wonen ze er en genieten ze er talloze privileges zoals het feit dat ze niet hoeven werken of in militaire dienst. Toch menen sommige ultra orthodoxen nu de kritiek die er is op gewelddadige incidenten en religieuze dwang te moeten vergelijken met de jodenvervolging door de nazi's. Overigens meende de spiritueel leider van Shas, Ovadia Yosef, een paar jaar geleden dat de holocaust een straf was voor de Joden omdat zij zich niet aan de regels van de Torah hielden. Op een van de spandoeken op de demonstratie stond: 'Jews are not Zionists; Zionists are not Jews, they are racists.'

Verschillende Israelische politici veroordeelden het gebruik van holocaust symbolen fel:

"Prisoner uniforms and yellow badges with the word 'Jew' written in German are appalling and shocking," leader of the Labor Party breakaway party Independence Barak said in a statement issued Sunday morning. "The use of the yellow badge and young children holding their hands up in defeat is crossing the line."

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Orthodoxe joden vergelijken Israël met nazi's

http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4496/Buitenland/article/detail/3101081/2012/01/01/Orthodoxe-joden-vergelijken-Israel-met-nazi-s.dhtml

ANP/Redactie − 01/01/12, 08:36

Ongeveer 1500 ultraorthodoxe joden hebben zaterdag in Jeruzalem geprotesteerd en de Israëlische staat vergeleken met Nazi-Duitsland. Dat meldde de Israëlische krant Jerusalem Post.

'Wat hier gebeurt, is precies wat er in Duitsland is gebeurd', aldus een van de deelnemers. De mannen en jongens, zogenoemde haredim, zijn boos over de vermeende 'onderdrukking en opruiing' door de seculiere gemeenschap in Israël. Tientallen droegen kampkleding en de gele Jodenster, het symbool van de Jodenvervolging.

Protestmars
De onenigheid tussen seculiere en ultraorthodoxe Israëliers is de afgelopen tijd een paar keer aan de oppervlakte gekomen. Zo deden duizenden Israëliërs dinsdag mee aan een protestmars tegen religieus fanatisme en discriminatie van vrouwen in de plaats Beit Shemesh.

President van Israël Shimon Peres riep op om mee te doen aan dat protest. 'Iedereen, religieuzen, seculieren, conservatieven, moet het karakter van de staat Israël verdedigen tegen een minderheid die onze nationale solidariteit probeert kapot te maken.'

In Beit Shemesh ontstonden eerder rellen nadat een 8-jarig meisje tegen een tv-zender had gezegd dat ultraorthodoxe Joden haar hadden bespuugd en uitgescholden voor hoer. De haredim eisen dat meisjes en vrouwen zich in 'gepaste' kleding hullen en zich niet mengen onder mannen.

Sommige ultraorthodoxe joden vinden echter juist dat de staat Israël hen belet om te leven volgens hun geloof. Ze zeggen dat ze gemarginaliseerd worden.

Protestaktie tegen gescheiden buslijnen in Jeruzalem

Er is in Israel groeiend protest tegen de ultra orthodoxe religieuze dwang. Er is altijd een spanningsveld geweest tussen de seculieren en de ultra orthodoxen. Deze laatsten waren fel tegen een Joodse staat omdat alleen de messias de Joden naar onafhankelijkheid kon leiden, maar hebben hun verzet opgegeven in ruil voor een aantal privileges. Vandaar dat je in Israel alleen orthodox kunt trouwen en begraven worden en de orthodoxie de enige officiele Joodse religie is. Hun aantal groeit echter gestaag en orthodoxe partijen hebben onevenredig veel invloed in de politiek omdat zij bij bijna iedere coalitie onmisbaar zijn. Veel ultra orthodoxen werken niet en dienen niet in het leger, en dit legt steeds meer druk op de rest van de bevolking. De combinatie van intolerantie en agressie met privileges terwijl velen met moeite de eindjes aan elkaar knopen, zet kwaad bloed en zou tot meer confrontaties kunnen leiden. Bij rellen tussen Joden en Arabieren in Israel wordt er vaak overlegd tussen vertegenwoordigers van beide gemeenschappen en brengen zij de zaak weer tot rust; ook nu is het van het grootste belang dat er een dialoog komt en begrip en tolerantie voor elkaars levensstijl. De volkomen gescheiden levenswijze van de ultra orthodoxen werkt dit bepaald niet in de hand. Bovenal zal echter duidelijk moeten zijn dat iedereen zich aan de wet te houden heeft, en bijvoorbeeld niet zelf borden kan plaatsen die het vrouwen verbieden om op een bepaalde stoep te lopen.

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Hundreds board segregated bus lines to protest ultra-Orthodox exclusion of women

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/hundreds-board-segregated-bus-lines-to-protest-ultra-orthodox-exclusion-of-women-1.404961

Men and women launch demonstration against segregated bus lines and against exclusion of women from public sphere.

By Ophir Bar-Zohar and Oz Rosenberg

Hundreds of men and women boarded gender-segregated buses in Jerusalem and Ramat Gan on Sunday, in protest of the exclusion of women from the public sphere and against the segregation of men and women in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods.

Despite the friction between the two communities, the protest on board the buses went over relatively quietly.

The organizers of the demonstration requested that the protesters gather in central points in Jerusalem and Ramat Gan so they would not be drawn into provocations.

Throughout the evening, there were two incidents in which bus drivers refused to allow the activists to board the buses. In line 354 from Ramar Gan to Be’er Yaakov, the problem was only solved after police intervention, and on line 402 from Ramat Gan to Jerusalem, the bus driver threatened the activists and journalists that he would break their cameras.

On Ben-Gurion street in Ramat Gan, several ultra-Orthodox men flung insults at police officers, saying that “the country helps protesters in their struggle.”

An ultra-Orthodox passenger on one of the buses in Bnei Brak said, “We suffer from exclusion more than secular people, but once the media creates a fight between secular people and Haredim, then we have no choice – we have to pick a side.”

“Extremists from both sides do not allow a discussion to take place on this subject,” he said, blaming the media and ultra-Orthodox extremists of anti-Semitism.

The event, which was created by Jerusalem resident Alon Visser called on people to put an end to the apathy and changing the status quo. Visser said that he has gotten used to seeing gender-segregated buses run through Jerusalem’s central bus station.

“This is not the society that I want to live or raise my children in,” Visser wrote on the event’s Facebook page. “We cannot continue to be silent on the issue of gender segregation on bus lines – it is against the law and against human rights.”

According to Visser, the event was not meant to protest against or hurt the religious Haredi community, but rather “to eradicate the ugly phenomenon of the exclusion of women.”