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Last update - 04:21 19/06/2007
Haifa police forcibly evacuate secular study group from synagogue
By Fadi Eyadat, Haaretz Correspondent

Haifa residents criticized police on Monday for forcibly evacuating secular locals from a synagogue where they were studying Judaism.

Bratslav Hasidim shouted at the study group Sunday for using the synagogue, although there were no prayer services under way at the time. Police removed the group from the premises and detained two of its members for questioning. One of the two, a 75-year-old man, collapsed while being taken into custody.

'The police evacuated from a synagogue Jews who want to fulfill their freedom of religion,' said Yisrael Bar David, who lives in Haifa's Romema neighborhood where the synagogue is located.

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This week's incident was the latest in a series of confrontations between the Hasidim and the study group members, who say the Hasidim have moved into Haifa from across the country and have taken over the synagogue - which they say was built with the contributions of neighborhood residents. The locals accuse the Hasidim of turning the synagogue into a Bratslav study hall, preventing area residents from praying there, and trying to get local secular children to become religious.

Haifa police chief Dudu Ben Attia said the study group members were to blame for provoking the Hasidim by infringing on their religious sensibilities, but said the police were not taking sides in the matter.

'Women are forbidden from entering the synagogue when there are men present,' he said. 'These are the religious rules.'
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  1.   Who owns the synagogue? 04:23  |  Hal 19/06/07
  2.   RULES ARE RULES, WE NEED MORE STUDY HALLS TO ACCOMODATE ALL JEWS 04:23  |  TO GREET MOSHIACH))) 19/06/07
  3.   Religious Freedom in Israel? Not for Jews! 05:49  |  Moderate Majority 19/06/07
  4.   A Jew 06:07  |  Edifice 19/06/07
  5.   Anyone posting on this one must be an idot.. oops look at me. 07:13  |  Mike 19/06/07
  6.   Haifa synagogue 07:30  |  AAron 19/06/07
  7.   More leftist hypocrisy 07:31  |  Binyamin Dissen 19/06/07
  8.   Bratslav & Habad - ignoramuses who dress like traditional Jews 07:50  |  Avi 19/06/07
  9.   To # 7 08:14  |  adi 19/06/07
  10.   chilonim: learn torah like youre supposed to 08:56  |  jo 19/06/07
  11.   Avi # 8 08:58  |  Philippe 19/06/07
  12.   response #8 09:18  |  sandra chitayat 19/06/07
  13.   Avi I`m afraid you`re the ignoramus 09:41  |  Allon 19/06/07
  14.   Sauce For the Gander 10:04  |  Rowan Berkeley 19/06/07
  15.   Allon #13 10:13  |  FOX 19/06/07
  16.   If taking land is no big issue... 11:49  |  moll 19/06/07
  17.   Something is amiss in this article 12:01  |  bbl 19/06/07
  18.   Get the seculars out 12:30  |  SJ 19/06/07
  19.   Why not have a shared timetable? 12:30  |  Motic 19/06/07
  20.   5: No, Mike, it does give enough info 12:43  |  David Teich 19/06/07
  21.   #1 Hal and #9 Sandra - on who owns the synagogues 12:44  |  Yonatan 19/06/07
  22.   if women upset the religious and were here first religious better 12:44  |  ralph 19/06/07
  23.   #13 Allon - What 3000 years? 12:54  |  Yonatan 19/06/07
  24.   JESUS MUST RETURN 12:59  |  Suad 19/06/07
  25.   no religious studies 13:33  |  reality bites 19/06/07
  26.   This should make news 14:23  |  Dan 19/06/07
  27.   David Teich, well said!!! right on! Stop this 14:30  |  Puhi 19/06/07
  28.   Didn`t take long for the left to quote jesus 14:49  |  Binyamin Dissen 19/06/07
  29.   The synagogue belongs to me 14:51  |  Yonatan 19/06/07
  30.   #21 reality bites ` Who are the "True Jews" 15:23  |  Yonatan 19/06/07
  31.   This article is not accurate 15:58  |  Victor 19/06/07
  32.   incredible way to treat a brother that wants to learn about G-D 17:36  |  yahn goodey 19/06/07
  33.   Yidden Shtayt Oif!! 17:59  |  Danite 19/06/07
  34.   #5 Us "idiots" are not the judges 18:06  |  Kate 19/06/07
  35.   Try OR HADASH Synagoge - on Hantke St. 18:06  |  Secular 19/06/07
  36.   Another Example of the Contradiction of Jewish and Democratic 18:07  |  Eyal 19/06/07
  37.   #29 is required reading 18:10  |  Taxpayer 19/06/07
  38.   Jesus main concerns? 18:29  |  Joan Stuchner 19/06/07
  39.   #38 Try re-reading from a Jewish perspective 18:44  |  Kate 19/06/07
  40.   #13 There were no Synagogues 3000 years ago 18:47  |  Kate 19/06/07
  41.   ARTICLE SUSPICIOUSLY MISSING KEY FACTS! 19:00  |  Aryeh 19/06/07
  42.   #41 Your "key" facts are perifrials 19:27  |  Kate 19/06/07
  43.   RELIGIOUS FREEDOM-HAIFA 20:03  |  BERNSTEIN 19/06/07
  44.   to everybody 20:55  |  puhi 19/06/07
  45.   Yonatan 21:00  |  Allon 19/06/07
  46.   Kate 21:07  |  Allon 19/06/07
  47.   allon in london 21:33  |  michael 19/06/07
  48.   Allon 21:45  |  Danite 19/06/07
  49.   Yonatan 21:46  |  Danite 19/06/07
  50.   Mechitsah, etc. 21:56  |  DJStahl 19/06/07
  51.   Haifa police chief is wrong! 22:39  |  William 19/06/07
  52.   Suad #24 - you`re an atheist? No kidding... 22:55  |  William 19/06/07
  53.   ISRAELI EMBARRASSMENT 23:19  |  tbart 19/06/07
  54.   Go to a mosque 23:37  |  manny 19/06/07
  55.   Michael from Canada 00:24  |  Allon 20/06/07
  56.   We had the same problem in London 02:22  |  Jebediah Springfield 20/06/07
  57.   #7 Binyamin-you make no sense! 03:06  |  Mike 20/06/07
  58.   Thanks, Yonatan of Kfar-Sava 04:48  |  Hal 20/06/07
  59.   They should sue 05:36  |  Eli 20/06/07
  60.   it makes sense allon 05:50  |  michael 20/06/07
  61.   Michael from Canada 07:20  |  Allon 20/06/07
  62.   Kate #34 -- that`s far from helpful 08:18  |  bbl 20/06/07
  63.   Secular. vs. religious, Israel`s gays........ 08:40  |  Steve Kay 20/06/07
  64.   Joan Stuchner 18:02  |  Chaval 20/06/07
  65.   More detail 08:09  |  B.A. 05/08/07
  66.   Yaron`s account 21:48  |  B.A. 06/08/07
  67.   More on the topic 22:28  |  BA 01/10/07
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