Haredi soldier called ‘Nazi’ on Holocaust Remembrance Day
Throngs of ultra-Orthodox men verbally harass religious serviceman walking through Beit Shemesh
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An ultra-Orthodox soldier was threatened and called a Nazi by Haredi men Thursday in Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem, Army Radio reported on Friday.
Army Radio obtained footage documenting the attack, which occurred on Israel’s Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, or Yom Hashoah.
The footage shows a group of several ultra-Orthodox men confronting the soldier on the street. The targeted soldier serves in the Netzach Yehuda program, which facilitates the integration of Haredi troops into the IDF’s ranks.
מה קרה לחייל שהלך ברחוב בבית שמש?
מה קרה לחייל שהלך ברחוב ברמה א' בית שמש? התשובה המזעזעת בסרטון.
Posted by הקו החברתי של שמוליק טיאר on Thursday, April 16, 2015
“These actions of a radical fringe within the Haredi public cannot be tolerated,” Yonatan Barensky, a reserves colonel who used to command the Netzach Yehuda program, told Army Radio after the incident.
Barensky said “strong action” was needed against the perpetrators. He did not say whether a police complaint had been filed.
Traditionally a contentious issue, the enlistment of Haredi men in military service has evoked passionate resistance in ultra-Orthodox circles following the passage last year of a law designed to phase out the special exemptions given out of consideration for their religious lifestyles, which some believe precludes military service.
Even before the law’s passing, the government and the IDF encouraged haredi men to enlist, including by setting up programs like Netzach Yehuda. Last year, 2,068 Haredis enlisted in the IDF, compared to 1,858 and 1,447 in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
The Times of Israel Community.