The killing of a Chareidi boy, Yosef Eisenthal, z’l, who was run over by an Arab bus driver during a protest against the Chareidi draft law on Tuesday evening, was met with shock and consternation.
Shas chairman, MK Aryeh Deri, spoke on Tuesday evening with the Police Commissioner, Chief Superintendent Danny Levy, and demanded “to act with full determination to get to the truth and to bring the driver who ran him over to justice.”
Commissioner Levy said during the conversation that “the driver was immediately arrested and transferred for questioning; the police are treating the incident with the full severity of the law.”
The chairman of Degel HaTorah, MK Moshe Gafni, said on Tuesday in response to the incident. “The incident of the running over and killing of the boy at the demonstration in Jerusalem is shocking to the depths of the soul. We demand that the driver be brought to justice and punished with the full severity of the law. One cannot move on from such a horrifying act of killing.”
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said, “Those who demanded the conscription of Chareidim in one fell swoop received the image they wanted this evening. This is a time for cheshbon hanefesh and repentance. An attempt to ignite a civil war endangers the future of the state. It is tearing the nation apart from within and bringing about severe hatred toward the Chareidi public that will take many years to repair.”
UTJ MK Yisrael Eichler contacted the chairman of the Knesset’s National Security Committee and demanded that an urgent meeting be held to probe the circumstances of the case.
In his letter, Eichler wrote that “the shocking case of a boy being run over by a rampaging bus driver during the Chareidi demonstration in Jerusalem cannot be swept under the rug under any circumstances. I request that you schedule an urgent discussion in the National Security Committee to examine how this happened and how the bus was not stopped before it plowed into the crowd.”
“I request that all relevant authorities from the police, the Ministry of Transportation, and the transportation company be summoned for this purpose. In addition, I request to determine whether the police response against road blockers was similar to road-blocking incidents during the Kaplan protests in Tel Aviv.”
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said, “I am deeply shaken by the terrible disaster that occurred this evening in Jerusalem, in which a 13-year-old boy lost his life in such a tragic manner during a demonstration. There is no ideological dispute—no matter how difficult—that justifies violence or harm to human life. This is a dangerous escalation and a severe deterioration that we must not pass over in silence. I send my heartfelt condolences to the family.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said, “My heart bleeds following the killing of the boy Yosef Eisenthal, z’l, this evening, as a result of being run over by a bus driver in Jerusalem. I share in the deep sorrow of his family at this difficult time.”
“This is a serious incident that must be investigated thoroughly and comprehensively. The police informed me that all investigative directions regarding the incident are being examined and that it is being treated with the utmost severity.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Spitting at a bus driver for no reason chillul hashem.
Yes Chazal bring down that chillul hashem can sometimes get a punishment of misah. Boruch Dayan Emes
Stop the chillul Hashem please. 🙏
all these demonstrations are nothing but thuggery, whether it’s the leftists or the hareidim. if you want to “protest”, do it at the ballot box, not by intimidating people on the street. it’s painful to hear the same politicians who encouraged this demonstration now seeking to exploit this boy’s death for political purposes.
@shloime: You are 100% correct that the street riots are “nothing but thuggery” regardless if leftists or hareidim are involved.
Some questions for any honest Hareidim here:
Why was a 14 year old boy in a street riot instead of learning Torah?
Why weren’t the “rabbis” who called for these “protests” present and managing these “protests”?
If a person is killed after intentionally blocking a bus, is he perhaps a suicide who should not be idolized as a hero and he should not be buried in a Jewish cemetery?
“supreme ai” and “right jew” you are absolutely wrong how can you say that when an innocent child is nifter
1. The vast majority of protesters are peaceful.
2. Avoiding use of weapons or/and serving in the army is a right.
3. You should focus on the incident by racist Arab drivers ascwell as incitement by Haaretz and the like’s.
Ironically, the same hate site Haaretz invents blood libel on the IDF, yet, demands pious Haredim enlist in it. Hypocrisy.