Church Flap In Jerusalem: Bad Blood â And Saliva By Eric J. Greenberg Published October 22, 2004, issue of October 22, 2004. Print Email Share Author Archive News It has been Jerusalemâs dirty little secret for decades: Orthodox yeshiva students and other Jewish residents vandalizing churches and spitting on Christian clergyman as they walk along the narrow, ancient stone streets of the Old City. Now, however, following a highly publicized fracas last week between a yeshiva student and the archbishop of Jerusalemâs Armenian Church, the issue is generating unprecedented media attention in Israel. The fight started after a yeshiva student at the respected Har Hamor yeshiva spat on Archbishop Nourhan Manougian during a Christian holy procession in the Old City. In the wake of the incident, a top Armenian Church official told the Forward that his church is calling on the Israeli government and on rabbis around the world to help put a stop to the offensive, decades-long abuse. âThese ultra-Orthodox Jews are the ones causing this scandal, those that live here in our neighborhood and the ones that come visit the Western Wall,â said the church official, Aris Shirvanian, in a phone interview Monday. He spoke from the patriarchateâs world headquarters in the Armenian Quarter, one of the famed four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. âWe would like to see the authorities⦠become more strict with the offenders,â said Shirvanian, director of ecumenical and foreign relations of the Armenian Patriarchate. âWe would also ask rabbis to get involved in educating this one sector of the Jewish society." Har Hamor is one of the leading institutions of religious Zionism, Israelâs equivalent of Modern Orthodoxy. Most sources interviewed for this article suggested that the abusive practices were more common in the ultra-Orthodox or Haredi community, which is characterized by greater insularity. The controversy comes as the Israeli government and Diaspora Jewish organizations have been viewed for this article suggested that the abusive practices were more common in the ultra-Orthodox or Haredi community, which is characterized by greater insularity. But sources told the Forward that the pratice has recently been picked up by other segments of the Orthodox world, including visiting American yeshiva students. The controversy comes as the Israeli government and Diaspora Jewish organizations have been attempting to focus international attention on what they describe as a surge in antisemitism across the globe. Beyond potentially undermining these efforts, the reports of anti-Christian harassment could weaken Israelâs claim to be an effective guardian of Christian and Muslim rights in Jerusalem. âProtection of everything sacred to other religions is one of the justifications for Israelâs sovereignty in Jerusalem, whose legitimacy will be undermined if this spitting becomes prevalent,â said a former Israeli chief rabbi, Israel Meir Lau. Lau condemned the harassment, and warned that such incidents could fuel antisemitism outside of Israel. âBesides the Armenian rite, clergy of other Christian churches have been targeted, Shirvanian said. âThis is not happening only to Armenian clergy, but also to the Catholics, Syrians, Romanians and Greek Orthodox.â Following the incident involving Manougian, numerous Israeli government officials and Jewish religious and organizational leaders have stepped forward to condemn the acts. Interior Minister Avraham Poraz called the yeshiva studentsâ behavior âintolerable,â and asked Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra to âtake all the necessary steps to prevent these incidents in the future.â The chairman of the Knessetâs Interior and Environment Committee, Yuri Stern, said the incidents resulted from ignorance and stupidity. He called for changes in how Christianity is taught in Israeli schools. Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupoliansky, the cityâs first ultra-Orthodox chief executive, announced that he would appoint an adviser to deal with the problem of Jewish harassment of religious minorities in Jerusalem and to provide recommendations to improve interfaith relations in the city. According to Shirvanian, church officials are frequently subjected to spitting, from yeshiva students as well as from ultra-Orthodox women and young children. He said ultra-Orthodox Jews also throw garbage on church doorsteps and break windows at churches and at Christian homes. Daniel Rossing, a former adviser on Christian affairs at Israelâs Religious Affairs Ministry, said there has been an increase in the number of such incidents recently, âas part of a general atmosphere of lack of tolerance in the country.â âI know Christians who lock themselves indoors during the entire Purim holidayâ for fear of being attacked by Jews, said Rossing, now the director of a Jerusalem center for Christian-Jewish dialogue. A spate of recent incidents has been reported in the press: ⢠A few weeks ago, an elderly man wearing a yarmulke spat on a senior Greek Orthodox cleric who was entering a government office in Jerusalemâs Givat Shaul section. ⢠Stars of David were spray-painted on the entrance to the Monastery of the Cross, not far from the Knesset. The Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral, near Jerusalem police headquarters in the so-called Russian Compound in downtown Jerusalem, suffered similar vandalism. ⢠Officials at a church located near several yeshivas complained that the students were watching them through binoculars and making offensive gestures when they passed by. Churches located in several Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem complained that neighbors had thrown garbage into their yards. The Armenian call for action comes several days after Manougian was spat upon while leading a procession marking the Exaltation of the Holy Cross near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City. In response, Manougian slapped the yeshiva student, Natan Zvi Rosenthal, 21, a resident of Beersheva. During the ensuing brawl Manougianâs cross medallion, worn by Armenian archbishops since the 17th century, was damaged. Police questioned both men. The Jerusalem District Court barred Rosenthal from entering the Old City for 75 days. Israelâs failure to impose a harsher penalty drew sharp criticism from Manougian. âWhen there is an attack against Jews anywhere in the world, the Israeli government is incensed,â the patriarch was quoted as saying. âSo why, when our religion and pride are hurt, donât they take harsher measures?â Rosenthal later apologized to Manougian during a special meeting at Jerusalem police headquarters late last week. In apologizing, he said he had been raised to view Christianity as idol worship, which is forbidden by the Torah. Shirvanian later said the church had accepted Rosenthalâs apology, as required by its religious tenets. âWe had to forgive him in the Christian spirit,â Shirvanian said, adding that the church now favors canceling Rosenthalâs punishment. On Sunday, Israelâs Knesset held an emergency meeting and launched an investigation into the apparently rising level of assaults against Christian clergy and churches. But by then, the incident was reverberating throughout the world, with more stories in the Israeli press of harassment and vandalism directed by Orthodox Jews against several denominations. Even as the Knessetâs Interior and Environment Committee was interviewing Christian leaders and Jerusalem officials, a 6-year-old Haredi boy spat on a young Armenian priest, Shirvanian told the Forward. In keeping with a long-standing approach, the church did not report the second spitting incident to the police. âWhen a little boy and little girl do this, they are being taught by their parents,â Shirvanian said. âShall we punish them? Itâs more a matter of educating them and educating the adults.â The spitting on priests has been occurring âsince the unification of Jerusalem in 1967,â Shirvanian said. Scholars contacted by the Forward cited several ancient rabbinic sources as potential sources of anti-Christian attitudes. At least one talmudic passage advises Jews to say pejorative things when passing the homes or graves of idolators, and while most rabbinic authorities have denied Christianity was intended, some medieval commentators seem to suggest that some Jews viewed it that way, presumably reflecting Jewish resentment of Christian persecution. With reporting from Haâaretz in Israel. http://www.forward.com/articles/4360/
Yes, The ultra-Orthodox Jews are a problem. They hate secular Jews and others as much as Muslims do. It was an Orthodox Jew who killed Rabin. It is all the same hate.
The ultra orthodox guys will set up barricades and beat the crap out of people that drive on the Sabbath and all sorts of stuff...