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| Light Rail protester being detained by police a few days ago (TPS) |
There are two places in the world that makes this personal for me. One is here in Chicago, Although it is not happening anywhere near my backyard, it’s happening in the backyard of a lot of innocent - mostly black families in my city.
Drive-by shootings by gangbangers have become just about an everyday occurrence here. Rival gang members shooting at each other often end up indiscriminately killing innocent people in the crossfire – including very young children. Chicago’s revolving door justice system where repeat offenders that are arrested for – even for a violent crime - are released on their own recognizance - bail free. Free to continue doing as they please with impunity.
The other place where violence is a personal issue for me is Jerusalem. That city has its own version of gangs. Only these gangs tend to be observant Jews. Which – as an observant Jew - is what makes it personal. They are not only observant, but they are ‘ultra observant’. Well beyond the letter of the law.
But they are criminals nonetheless -Charedi extremists that have the same freedom to be violent as do the gangbangers in Chicago. The only real difference between the two is that these Charedi extremist don’t have guns. So they couldn’t shoot anybody. If they did, who know where that would lead! From the Times of Israel:
Ultra-Orthodox extremists have reportedly caused millions of shekels in damages to Jerusalem’s light rail during recent protests against a new planned route for the train.
Haredi extremists have been staging protests for months against efforts to expand the light rail in the capital, but they have intensified in recent weeks and have turned violent in many cases. An extremist minority in the ultra-Orthodox community oppose the light rail running through their neighborhoods, believing it will bring with it unwanted intrusions from the outside world.
The problems in both cities persist for only one reason, the lack of leaders doing anything about it. In Chicago it is the liberal justice system that doesn’t set bail for accused violent criminals in poor black neighborhoods. That amounts to a ‘get out of jail free card’ until an actual trial takes place which could be many months from now – with no guarantee that the accused will even show up.
The extremist Charedim in Jerusalem have a similar ‘get out of jail free card’ in the sense that Charedi politicians are asked by their Charedi leaders (like the ‘Eida HaCharedis) to intercede on their behalf when they are arrested. Thus avoiding any jail time at all!
I am all too familiar with the counterargument. Which goes something like this: Most of the Charedi world condemns these extremists - adding that they do not represent the vast majority of their peace loving members.
That is very likely true. What is also true is that the leadership in those neighborhoods could do something about it if they really wanted to. Like making sure that violent extremist are prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law. Especially the repeat offenders. Which I’m sure most of these extremists are.
Aside from working with the law, there are other means of dealing with these extremist criminals. There are sanctions their leadership could apply that would make life very difficult for them. For example they can be put in a state of Nidui which is a kind of Cherem (excommunication) where they would be shunned by their community; barred entry to any Shul or Mkiva; barred from accessing any of their communal charity funds; and their young children not being allowed into their schools. (I’m sure there is a lot more they can do but this is what I can think of at the top of my head.)
Instead these extremist criminals are more or less left alone thereby enabling them to continue being violent and doing damage whenever the opportunity arises.
The question remains, Why? Why do their rabbinic leaders not do anything? I have heard a lot of their defenders answer that question with the following rhetorical question: What are they supposed todo about it? They have no control over these hooligans! All the condemnations in the world will not stop them. So why bother even wasting their breath condemning them?
This isn’t about condemnations. It’s about taking substantive actions along the line I mentioned. Why they don’t can only mean that they sympathize with the goals of these extremists if not fully their actions. So they are not going to seek punishment against them.
Privately, they might actually see these extremists as modern day Pinchases - Kanaoim (zealots) for the sake of heaven. The dangers of secular world permeating into their needs to vehemently protested! Maybe not to the extent of the damaging property. But that’s just a matter of degree. After all, there is a constant harangue by their religious leaders and educators about the evils of the outside world. Why wouldn’t they protest the possibility of that entering into theirs?!
This makes the religious leaders of the Charedi neighborhoods in Jerusalem no different than the liberal judges in Chicago that sympathize with the black gangbanger from a poor neighborhood freeing them from bail they can’t afford.
The result is the same. And so is the lack of accepting any responsibility. Which means that because of the misguided approach by leaders in both, violence will continue in a Jerusalem Charedi neighborhood same as it will in Chicago’s poor black neighborhood.