Despite a police and Shin Bet gag order on the investigation and arrest of a suspect who damaged and set fire to Rav Yitzhak Yosef’s shul in Jerusalem on Sunday morning, some details have emerged.
The suspect, from a chareidi family with rabbinic ties, is believed to have been working for the Iranian government, possibly unknowingly. The Shin Bet suspects others are involved, but the individual has refused to provide additional information. Sources tell YWN it’s possible he was unaware of his Iranian ties.
As YWN has reported, numerous arrests have occurred in recent months of individuals unknowingly paid by Iran to commit vandalism, including starting fires, spray-painting graffiti, photographing specific targets, and other disruptive acts.
Sources indicate the Iranians may be attempting to sow discord between Israel’s right and left. Given Rav Yosef’s outspoken opposition to chareidim joining the IDF and the draft law, the Iranians reportedly aimed to incite the right to blame the left for this attack.
As YWN had reported, an arsonist broke into the shul of the former Rishon L’Tzion, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, on Rechov Yam Suf in the Sanhedria Murchevet neighborhood of Jerusalem and set it on fire in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday morning.
Security camera footage shows the arsonist entering the Ohr Chaviv shul around 3 a.m., approaching the Aron Kodesh and setting it on fire.
A nearby residential apartment building was found vandalized with graffiti, including crosses and other Christian symbols, and it is suspected that the arsonist carried out the vandalism before setting fire to the shul.
The fire caused extensive damage to the shul, HaRav Yosef’s office and his magnificent chair, as well as his sefarim and those of his illustrious father, HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef, z’tl.
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14 Responses
This what happens when you have “only Toyreh” instead of listening to chazal and teaching our children an occupation. This turns Torah into saam hamaves not saam chayim R”L.
This is frightening; how bad can a person get for some money. Whether it’s in business, within the family, in the community; money can blind a person to ruin his live the live of others R”L – the only antidote is: learning Mussar regularly!
Why would any “chareidi” draw a xtian cross?
People in israel are living very poor and desperate people who need to feed their families will do such things. Not surprising.
That was a no-brainer – the minute it happened it was blatantly obvious that it was just another couple of hundred shekels job paid by Iran
I can guarantee you most of Kaplan, ‘rak lo Bibi’ etc etc are also nothing more than paid agitators by Iran/the EU/Biden/the New Israel Fund etc etc take your pick
And then when Bibi asked Ronen Bar to look into who is really behind those ‘protests’ he put on a look of shocked righteous indignation and shouted “democracy”
who cares whether he thought it was iranians, or martians?! for a jew, of any kind, to set fire to a shul, for any reason, is unthinkable! and to do it for money?! or is he mentally ill? what punishment could they impose, which would deter such things? (making him pay for all the damages, plus a 1/5 penalty, would be a start.)
@ Shalom-al-Israel: drawing some graffiti, even a cross, is much less terrible than setting fire to a shul. the only thing worse, it seems, is getting a job.
@KeyTov – For sure! And that’s why you have such a high percentage of Shomer Shabbos, full-time Kollel Yungerleit who commit acts of arson bein ha’sedarim.
I wonder how the percentages match up with the number of arsonists in Los Angeles.
@Shalom-al-Israel – Chareidi is defined as one who is charad (fears) the word of HaShem. It is NOT defined by his nusach ha’tefilah, color of his shirt or shoes, or by what material his yarmulka is made.
Not one single “frum” Yid EVER cheated on his taxes. A ganav is NOT a “frum” Yid.
@Heimisha guy – Again, by that standard, there should be so many more crimes being committed by “chareidi” Yidden, both in EY and in other countries as well.
Don’t blame the system. Don’t blame poverty. INSTEAD daven for Klal Yisroel (Taanis 23b the second opinion as to why the wife of Abba Chilkia was answered before he was).
For someone to do what was done here, they’re clearly not chareidi.
Chareidi is not a ‘dress code’ or a ‘look’ it is a way of life, living by the Torah and it’s laws.
He clearly isn’t that and shouldn’t be referred as that.
KeyTov:
It’s “sam”, not “saam”
No, that’s not it. If true, then that’s what happened after the Zionists oppress and impoverish the Jews there and don’t allow those Jews to go to work unless those Jews agree to first convert to Zionism from Judaism in the Zionist army.
Fake news this had nothing to do with Iran. Please get better sources next time.
Farbissen; So tell us, what did it have to do with?