Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement Wednesday morning following the tragic petirah of a yeshiva bochur who was R”L killed during disturbances in Jerusalem, an incident that has sent shockwaves through the Torah world.
“I feel deep pain over the death of the dear Yeshiva student, Yosef Eisenthal, of blessed memory, who was struck and killed yesterday during a protest in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said.
The Prime Minister stated that authorities will conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. “The circumstances of this tragic disaster will be fully investigated in order to learn all necessary insights and lessons,” he said.
Netanyahu also expressed condolences to the grieving family, who are now sitting in deep mourning over the sudden loss of their son. “I send my deepest condolences to the Eisenthal family,” he said.
Addressing the charged atmosphere surrounding recent events, Netanyahu called for restraint, stressing the need to prevent further loss of life. “At the same time, I call for restraint to prevent the mood from becoming further inflamed, so that, Heaven forbid, we do not have additional tragedies,” he said. “The value of the sanctity of life is engraved in our heritage, and we must safeguard it above all else.”
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16 Responses
The driver should be charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, can the “Ziknei haIr” who called for a protest where a tragedy like this was clearly foreseeable really say ידנו לא שפחו את הדם הזה?
Chazal say, “Eizehu chacham? Haro’eh es hanolad”. While in Dinei b’nei adam the driver may be the only one who is at fault, is that the case too in Dinei Shamayim?
an Israeli Yid
anIsraeliYid: you really should keep your smarmy mouth shut. we all know what you really want to say.
The posuk is: וְעָנ֖וּ וְאָֽמְר֑וּ יָדֵ֗ינוּ לֹ֤א שָֽׁפְכוּ֙ (כתיב שפכה֙) אֶת־הַדָּ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה וְעֵינֵ֖ינוּ לֹ֥א רָאֽוּ:
the headline is unnecessarily sensationalist – it was a tragedy, but the quotes from pm netanyahu didn’t use the word “murder”.
אבל אשמים אנחנו…
Why was a sweet 14 year old , probably an 8th grader, attending a hafganah that was likely to become unruly? And is there any justification for the wild behavior of the people surrounding the bus prior to the accident? The voice of the protesters is valid, the means questionable.
an Israeli yid a murder was clearly foreseeable?
since when is murder foreseeable? last summer on ayalon highway there were no murders not one
say what you really want to say just you are embarrassed to since we are dealing with a sweet bochur
you should be embarrassed
As soon as this tragidy happened, all the protesters walked home peacefully. No more throwing objects at cars and buses, no more wild fires, and no more blocking traffic. What suddenly happened to there determination? Well, this bus driver didn’t just yell at them, that what they’re doing is wrong, he explained it to them.
IsraeliShmuck why don’t you just say what you’re itching to say as usual that the rabbanim are stupid and that it’s their fault he’s dead? We know how you feel already and we also know that you have zero feelings toward that boy because he’s not from your shmad community
@doom777 and @lbj – please, enlighten me as to what I really wanted to say, as what I said was exactly what I wanted to say – no more, no less. The driver is clearly culpable – but to say that this was not foreseeable and therefore the protest organizers have no responsibility is as valid as saying that the ones who responsible for the Meron situation that led to the tragedy there had nothing to do with it.
@Tzadik in Peltz – thank you (really) for correcting the Pasuk.
an Israeli Yid
If a person is killed while intentionally standing in front of a moving vehicle, they have committed suicide, even though the driver may be guilty of negligence.
Suicide is a severe sin in Judaism, the deceased person is not a saint nor a role model.
Its time for the “rabbis” who promote these fatal street riots to be held accountable.
anIsraeliYid and BASESTHER and all the Zionists:
This savage murdered an innocent Jew with a multi-ton weapon, the bus he was driving.
@AnIsraeliYid
I’m not one of the Kannoyim. As a matter of fact I don’t mind at all stating (for what it’s worth using a pseudonym) that I’m a Zionist.
But, you bring to light something I once heard from the Brisker Rov R’ Yitzchok Zev ZL.
ווען איינער קומט צו מיר רעדען וועגן אהבת ישראל, ווייס איך ער האט פיינט דריי זאכען. דער אייבערשטער, די תורה און אן עהרליכא איד
The only restraint that Prime-Minister Bibi Netanyahu should be calling for, is for the wicked supreme court to be restrained & eradicated once & for all.
Until such time:- Any & all other restraints are meaningless.
You have to understand- without protests NOTHING changes in Israel. There is a reason why gedolim are supporting these protests.
Horrible tragedy though. Baruch Dayan HaEmes
@kinsler – bringing an unverified quote in Yiddish, whomever it might be from, (a) does not make the said quote true, and (b) reflects only one viewpoint. I don’t care if you or another person is a Zionizt or from the Eida – the bottom line is that a 14-year-old Jewish boy is dead – and while the driver was the direct instrument of his death, he was put into a situation where injury or death was foreseeable by those who called for this demonstration, knowing that it was highly likely to become a riot despite their instructions.
The Gemara assigns blame for the Churban Bayis Sheni at least in part not only to the Romans, who carried out the destruction, but to various great Jews (Zecharia ben Avkulas) and groups of Jews (the Chachamim at the party Bar Kamtza was accidentally invited to) whose actions led to the Roman siege and destruction, as they should have seen what their actions would lead to. So tell me – is it really so hard to apply similar reasoning to this tragedy??
Zionist, non-Zionist, anti-Zionist – I don’t care. A Jewish boy is dead – and all who have responsibility, whether those who called for this protest, the ones who were supposed to be supervising this child, or the police who were supposed to be se using the protest – need to to take a good look at how the dealt with the situation to make sure a tragedy like this doesn’t happen again. Shame on those who try to dodge that responsibility.
an Israeli Yid
RightJew, you are correct, but in this case that’s not what happened. The victim appears not to have been one of those who was deliberately obstructing the bus and attacking the driver. The driver tried to get away from his tormentors, turned a corner, and hit this kid.