[RBS] to anyone I might have offended

[Phil'n'Chanie Rosenfelder]

here is some historical /political background

There is a group who call themselves "tag mehir" (price tag) who respond to
piguim by burning arab cars, etc.  Whenever they do something, "right-wing"
 rabbanim, politicians and people on the street rush to condemn their
actions.
For two reasons:
1.  there is an issue fo Hiluul HaShem
2.  in order to discourage others from joining.
This called responsible leadership (even if you disagree with them)
, and the lay-people who join are , in a way, taking a leadership role.
This week's parsha mentions a few times "lo tuchal l'hit'aleim".  Ignoring
things is not the Jewish way.

With regard to extremist violence in Beit Shemesh, it is most important
to know the history of Beit Shemesh in this regard:

once upon a time, Beit Shemesh included only one  Kirya Hareidit (Nahala
uMenuha neighbourhood).  While they are right next door to migdal hamayim
and rehov rashi, there was never any tension.  The residents  moved to Beit
Shemesh knowing that there are other type so Jews (and even some non-Jews)
in Beit shemesh, and everything was fine.  People from other neighbourhoods
shopped in Nahala Umenuha, people from Nahala uMenuha used services all
over the city.  Everyone was happy.  No one
demanded anything of anyone else.
Then, when RBS B was built, with projects mainly for the tzibbur
Hareidi and some for the tzibbur dati-leumi, and RBS A was built with
projects for every type of Jew, something changed.  Some groups moved to
these mixed areas with the intention of "taking them over".  And they used
much violence and destruction in order to accomplish their goals.

The Resido shopping centre suffered 8 million sheqel in damage before the
Resido company cut its losses an stopped building (note: that was where
Terem would have moved to....)
(with that, the area near Orot was re-zoned, as it was originally  slotted
to be an extension of the already-planned areas of Ramat Neria and the
existing Sheinfeld neighbourhood.  However, the plans to build the Orot
campus were not changed, as this was still the most appropriate place for
the schools.

Etrog school, which was initially in the building on Nahal Gilo suffered
much vandalism until the  city built them a new building and handed over teh
building - even though at the time the new school did not yet have the legal
number of students to get a building

As RBS A was built for the general population, and Nehar haYarden street is
teh main artery connecting BS to RBS, peopel did drive there on Shabbat.
Such si life in the big city.  Some of the offending vehicles were hasaot
for hospital workers, police and army vehicles on duty, people headed to
hospital or Terem, and yes, there were people who were mehalel shabbat.
 Anyone who bought on Nehar HaYarden knew they were not buying in Beitar or
Kiryat Sefer.  However, they threw rocks at cars , toppled garbage bins,
etc, and managed to scare away most of the " nonreligious" population of RBS
through acts of violence.

The saga of the 418 bus.  Someone decided that there must be a separate
-seating Egged bus.  This, for the record, is completely illegal (and when i
was a member of city council's traffic committee, Moshe Montag  of Agudat
Yisrael complained that the women seated at the back often feel sick,
especially those who are in the family way).  When the extremists started
rock-throwing and garbage burning, many many many neighbourhood children
joined in.

Youth and adults who do not dress hareidi have been harassed
and physically beaten walking through RBS B.  An RBS A resident who covers
herself completely was told off that her t-shirt makes her chest too
obvious.  Girls walkign on friday were beaten.  A man walkign with his wife
was beatne unconscious for holding hi s wife's hand. (Thsiis not hearsay, I
have spoken with the man.  They no longer live in RBS).

People shoppign in RBS in the month of Iyar will take the flags off their
cars, so that they don;t come back to their cars to find the stick
 broken and the flag removed.  Yes, it happened to me.


All these acts are done "in the name of Hareidi Judaism", according to the
perpetrators.

For the Hareidi rabbanim, politicians and people-on-the-street to NOT come
out against this violence is

1.  a Hillul HaShem, because people DO think to themselves, "If THIS is
Torah, I want  no part in it"

2.  a silent message to  people who might not instigate it but might join,
that vandalism and violence for these purposes  is okay.  It accomplishes
our goals, so why not do it?  Or at eh very least , why not let our
neighbours do it.

Lo tuchal l'hit'aleim.  Make it clear that YOU do not accept this type of
action, and you may just create a  snowball effect
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