Man in Meretz shirt held for hurting religious feelings, rubbing tefillin on his genitals

Police say they have arrested a Netanya resident on suspicion of “harming religious sentiment by making improper use of tefillin.”

Video shows the man, 61, in a Meretz shirt taking the traditional prayer phylacteries from a kiosk in the city and rubbing them on his genitals, outside his clothing, despite the protests of the volunteers working at the site

Tefillin, two black leather boxes containing parchments with passages from the Torah, are traditionally worn by Jewish men during morning prayers.

Religious activists often set up booths encouraging Jewish men to put on tefillin.

The incident occurred outside a school where voting was taking place.

מזעזע! פעיל של מפלגת מרצ ניגש לדוכן של חב"ד בנתניה ומבזה את התפילין הקדושות בצורה מחרידה. כמה שנאה!!! pic.twitter.com/av7HQWgTLg

— אריאל אלחרר (@ariel_elharar_) November 1, 2022