Chareidi Woman Told: ‘You Spread Disease, All Of You Should Be Put In A Ghetto. I Hate You’
TEL AVIV (VINnews) — An unfortunate corollary of the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic is that many Israelis believe the source of the outbreaks to be from the Chareidi community. The lockdowns on Chareidi neighborhoods as well as Bnei Brak are enough to convince people that all Chareidim are carriers of the disease and should be segregated from mainstream society. Media reports focused on Chareidi violations of public health regulations while ignoring secular violations also give the impression that the Chareidim did not care if they were infected.
Chareidim have also been targeted for more fines over mask infringements. A Chareidi woman walking in Jerusalem with a mask which did not cover her nose was fined 500 NIS (150$) while numerous secular people continue to walk around in Tel Aviv without even wearing masks. Claims of selective enforcement have gone unanswered.
A Chareidi woman travelling on a Tel Aviv bus this week while returning from work was subjected to severe verbal abuse when she sat down. A woman sitting near her got up immediately and said to her “You spread disease, its forbidden to sit next to you. All of you should go back to the ghetto. I hate you.” The woman expected some sympathy from other travellers but a number of them concurred with the woman.
Another result of the incitement against Chareidim has been an increase in police brutality against them. During a recent demonstration by Chareidim police were photographed kicking and pushing people indiscriminately:
אין מילים. צולם ככל הנראה במוצאי שבת בשכונת מאה שערים. pic.twitter.com/T0QIbq44t9
— אבי גדלוביץ' (@avigad27) July 7, 2020
שימו לב לתיעוד המטריד הבא: שוטר בועט בעוצמה במפגין חרדי ששוכב על הרצפה, סתם כך ללא סיבה, כי בא לו. pic.twitter.com/rVBZUAjbYc
— אבי גדלוביץ' (@avigad27) July 8, 2020
A woman was handcuffed when she did not identify herself to police Wednesday. The woman felt bad but was not given medical attention and she eventually fainted: