Haredi teargases woman for using 'men only' sidewalk
The ultra-Orthodox activist was conditionally released from prison a day after his arrest.
By Yair Ettinger and Liel Kyzer Tags: Orthodox Jews Israel newsAn activist in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Eda Haredit community was conditionally released from prison Monday, a day after his arrest for allegedly spraying an ultra-Orthodox woman with tear gas in the capital's Mea She'arim neighborhood.
Yoel Kraus was arrested after the woman filed a police complaint. The alleged attack occured about two weeks ago, during the Sukkot holiday, as the woman was walking on a "men only" sidewalk, and refused Kraus' demand that she move to the women's side.
The woman did not require medical attention.
According to an agreement reached with the police, Kraus is to spend five days under house arrest at a location outside of Jerusalem and will not be allowed to return to the city for two weeks. He will then be prohibited from participating in public protests or public events for 30 days.
Although Kraus is not the Eda Haredit's official spokesman, he often grants interviews, leading the media to dub him the "operations officer of the Eda Haredit."
The alleged incident occured during the interim days of Sukkot, when the streets of Mea She'arim and adjacent Geula neighborhoods are packed with hundreds of thousands of visitors celebrating the Simchat Beit Hashoevah festival.
Because of the crowds, community leaders decided three years ago that to preserve the community's standard of modesty, men and women would walk on separate sides of the street. Parents were permitted to walk together with their children on one of the side streets.
A special pedestrian interchange was set up on the street to lead men and women to their separate sidewalks. The neighborhood leadership and the various Hassidic groups hired dozens of security guards to maintain the gender-specific arrangement. Kraus reportedly did not trust the guards, and set out to inspect the arrangement himself.
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Never mind the Palestinians - the Isreli's gravest threat comes from within.
An Arab kid teargassing someone on the sidewalk would have been shot. This criminal walks with a slap on the wrist and will be regarded as a hero by his community. Dear God, I am raising my daughters in a country where violence against women is practically rewarded by the system.
Incredible, but true, this are the same people that in 1948, at start of the war of Independence, in Jerusalem went to the then King Abdulla of Trans Jordan to BEG him to take the city, the Messiah has not arrived, so jews should not have their own contry. How you tolerate those people? This is a true fact that I witnessed when I voluntered, all the way from Mexico to the IDF.
This is the 21st century! A democratic modern country which even allows gay pride demonstrations should not tolerate this kind of backwards discrimination towards women! NO where in the world, not even in Islamic Iran, are women forced to walk on separate sidewalks! This is a shame and it is not acceptable. The government should act as soon as possible to ban these kind of backwards ways in modern Israel.
Again - a minority of fanatic Hareidis blackening the name of God & Jews.
Right from the start, the item alleges that something happened. In English allegations have to be proved by facts. However, for some odd reason, the text continues to "allege" that this "incident" occured. Which side is up guys, or, maybe this another attempt to trash Haredim based on a hearsay that cannot be backed up with facts.
I think the sepeartion of men and women is just another tourist trap. "Oh John look at that. I ve never seen something like that before. Men and wmoen on different sidewalks-not like at home, they still stick to their traditions".
I don't know which is more infuriating. A man who gets a slap on the wrist for teargassing a woman, or a democratic country that tolerates separation of men and women in public places. Wake up, it's the 21st century!
the government should re-educate these people, forcibly if they must, starting with their children. they need to learn about modern science, paleontology, archeology, biblical criticism, history, zionism, civics, sex education, literature and philosophy. this is the only way to prevent that growing segment from being a radical, fanatic, threat to the government and people of Israel and the region as a whole..
where is the outrage.
Tolerance, Where is the tolerance that is preached in religion? Did it disappeared when ?man? thought that he is better than G,,D, is this what Israel has become?
Enuff is enuff - who gives this man the right to anything let alone a sidewalk - throw him in prison, after teargassing him. This kinda thing infuriates me so much. Where does the blame start?
men only sidwalk??? then it will be whitemen only sidwalks....then it will be whitemen from this synagogue sidwalks...then it will be whitemen from this synagogue close to the rabbi sidwalks...then it will be whitemen from this synagogue close to the rabbi who contribute $10000 to his bank account sidewalk....and on and on and on.....but wo will clean these sidwalks?? god forbid the white rabbis son....
You mad frummies Stop this nonsense you give all jews a bad name
During Simchas Beis HaShoeva many men drink as part of simchas yom tov and therefore the separation protects women from being face to face with inebriated men. The arrangement has a rationale, but spraying mace at people has no rationale. Shouldn't these crowds have a police presence as a security precaution?
stop those who want to turn israel into a haredistan.whatever the political cost.
Is this the future of Israel? Just another Middle Eastern fundamentalist society? Wake up!
Israel's going backwards with these "people"