2 arrested for assault while protesting indoor play center open on Shabbat

Ultra-Orthodox suspects in Harish allegedly attack woman, lightly hurting her; police say they expect to make additional arrests

By ToI Staff 20 May 2023, 11:04 pm Edit

Ultra-Orthodox men protest against an indoor play center in the northern town of Harish for operating on Shabbat, May 20, 2023. (Screenshot: Twitter; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Police on Saturday arrested two ultra-Orthodox residents from the northern town of Harish on suspicion of assaulting a woman while demonstrating against an indoor children’s entertainment center for operating on Shabbat.

The woman was lightly injured in the incident, a police statement said. The force said it received a complaint of a “brawl” and that officers separated those involved, without further elaborating.

Video from the city showed a group of Haredi men shouting “Shabbat” inside the facility, but no apparent physical altercations.

The suspects, both in their 30s, were arrested on suspicion of disturbing the peace.

“Additional arrests are expected. The investigation continues,” the police statement said.

Others who visited the entertainment center in the past weekends complained they were harassed by students of a nearby yeshiva, according to the Ynet news site.