Jerusalem – A 22-year-old young man from Jerusalem was arrested on Monday for assault and intimidation after he allegedly spat at two young women who he claims were not dressed modestly enough. The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court extended the man’s remand by three days.
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Police claim that Chananya Rabinovitz assaulted at least two women. One incident occurred six weeks ago at the Bar Ilan neighborhood in Jerusalem. The second incident also occurred several weeks ago.
The suspect was brought before the Magistrate’s Court on Monday and a police representative stated that two complaints were filed on Sunday, but he refused to give any details.
Attorney Yair Nahorai, who is representing the defendant, said that police have known about the complaints for quite a while. It was then revealed that the man was summoned for questioning on May 20 but only came to the station on Sunday where he was then arrested.
He expressed his surprise over the fact that police claim that he is dangerous even though he had been free to come and go as he pleases ever since he was summoned for questioning. At the end of the hearing Justice Hagit Mak-Kalmanovitz remanded the suspect and ruled that there were concerns over possible disruptions of proceedings and coordinating stories with additional people.
The suspect’s family said that this was a case of a neighborhood quarrel. The suspect’s uncle told Ynet: “It is regretful that this entire story is happening while the matter of the exclusion of women (from the public sphere) is making front pages and police are taking advantage (of the story). This is a pitiful neighborhood quarrel which, if it were any other case, the police would take no notice of.”
The suspect’s mother Raizi Rabinovitz also believes the matter was taken out of proportion: “My son did not spit on the neighbor, she spat on him and constantly yells ‘it’s a shame the Nazis didn’t kill you’. I filed a complaint against her. We live in a state of co-existence. That same neighbor wants revenge and is using the exclusion of women to get revenge. It’s what goes today.”
Rabinovitz’s wife added: “There is no way my husband hit or spat on women. He doesn’t hit women and he doesn’t spit on them.”
Mi k’amcha Yisroel. Unfortunately some of these pritzus still don’t get it. It’s unfortunate that it gets to the point where spitting on them is necessary.
tzviki- no question that there are those that, unfortunately, dress immodestly. but, spitting on our bnos yisroel, immodestly dressed or not, is clearly not an effective, nor mutar approach to solve this issue. kind, soft words of tochachah and encouragement will
certainly accomplish much much more!!!
Let’s not rush to judgement. No one here knows what happened.
Tznius is not exclusive to women’s dress. When I was in Bais Yaakov elementary school 30 years ago, my principal taught us that tznius is behaving like a mensch especially in the street, including not eating and speaking loudly. Calling attention to oneself by behaving like Mr. Rabinowitz and like the woman who may have provoked him is Pritzus of the highest order.
Both his wife and mother vouch for him – that should be the end of it.
As disgusted as we are with the looseness of today’s society and its lack of moral values, I simply can’t imagine R’ Yisroel Salanter, the Chofetz Chaim or R’ Chaim Shmulevitz advocating spitting as a way to give mussar.
A lesson in being Dan Lkaf zchus:
This young man is imbued with Ahavas-Yisroel and was concerned that these not-Tznius-dressed women can attract an “Ayin Hora”, so he spit at them, which, as is mentioned in the Talmud, is an antidote against “the evil eye”.
His sacrifice should be commended!
And Jewish women should stick to Halacha and not embellish their beauty in public. Or they might want to Shpatzeer in raincoats.
At other blogs, it is customary to include a {sarcasm} tag when making such posts because people might think you are serious!
Sorry, why are we believing one sde over the other? He claims that she spat at him and she claims that he spat at her. Do we prefer to vilify the more charedi of the two (and then say he is not a true charedi)?
If he does not like how they are dressed, let him not look!! He is not supposed to be looking anyways!! He has a wife at HOME!! What is he looking for?? I am not saying that her dress code is correct however, I am saying, yes, it should be corrected if possible and NO, he should not be spitting!! Where was he Brought up??
Spitting is the ultimate act of disdain. It has been reported here and in other newspapers that people spit on galochim in the old city. To so disgrace another human being cannot be part of a Torah lifestyle.
I have a friend whose daughter was doused with bleach while walking in Meah Shearim. She dresses like a NY Bais Yaakov girl. She is, however, quite beautiful even when she is fully covered. If being beautiful is now also a crime in ultra chareidi neighborhoods, we are experiencing something new. These “chasidim” are acting very much like the thugs in my old East NY neighborhood. They would attack a young woman because they could.
If good people stay quiet – these thugs will rule the streets. Is that what we want?
We cannot tell from this article what actually happened in this incident. But it sounds very similar to others that we have seen with our eyes.
G’d bless America becaUSE in the U.S. such [person would be charged with assault and battery
I regret I made aliah
Seven years ago, i decided to make aliah. I wanted my sons to live in a free and decent country. Today, we have decided to move back to our original country because live in Israel has become awful. My children watch scenes of racism against Arabs, blacks, modern women. Israelis are impolite and aggressive in the day by day. We feel the country is becoming fascist, radical and extremist before our eyes and nobody do anything. This is not the country we dreamt of. Why can I explain to my children that we cannot discriminate human beings when we see a march of Jews screaming against arabs and blacks? How can I teach tolerance when women are attacked in the street like the Iranian or Saudi police of vice prevention and modesty? How can i teach my children to be decent human beings when hate and violence is the way Israelis act on the day by day. I am very sad and frustrated.
the wife said hit and spit….who said anything about hitting women??? oifen ganif brent the hittel….let him move to an island with his mother and wife and they can dress like he wants them to and control em…
Has it gone so far that we need {sarcasm} as a note for people to realize it is sarcasm? Unfortunately the answer is yes because many here have gone so overboard that no matter what they say is looked on as legitimate (or illegitimate) statements. Spit away my friends…it certainly will help others realize their mistake. If that gentle persuasion doesn’t work move on to calling the person you are helping to correct a nazi. This will work especially well if he or she is a survivor or a child of a survivor. If this doesn’t work push up the heat and tell the person that he or she is not Jewish. Jonathan Swift would be impressed by your modest proposal.
To #25 Then you accept spitting? What are you??
Sounds like a made up story
I believe that this may be a long running argument between the neighbors and the immodestly dressed neighbor may be taking advantage, and possibly they spit at each other during these arguments and call each other names… But for a frum person there is NO EXCUSE for this type of behavior ! Yes, there is a double standard and frum people need first and foremost to act like super-mentschen while dealing with their neighbors frum or not frum or not jewish ! Time to take the black and white levush seriously, if you want to wear it, ACT IT !
impossible to know what happened, but spitting? come on now, that is no way to change some one. the person who spits is a hot head incapable of dealing with difficulties and obviously does not take the words of chazel as important, darchiho, darchi no’am.