Israel Government Lockdown Enrages Chareidi Towns

BNEI BRAK (VINnews) — Despite the easing of the lockdown in most areas of Israel, a number of chareidi cities including Bnei Brak, Elad and Beitar are deemed to be ‘red’ cities due to the high levels of infection in them and police sealed those cities off as well a number of chareidi Jerusalem neighborhoods, effectively cutting them off from the rest of Israel.

Hundreds of people were stranded in these towns as police clamped down Sunday and only allowed a small number of people to exit for essential activities. Schoolchildren who travelled into these towns and neighborhoods in the morning found that they could not return home in the afternoon as all public transport to and from these regions was halted. Youths who had prepared to return to their yeshivas found that they could not leave their towns and neighborhoods and returned home. In some cases police even told people to get off buses even when public transport was running.

אני נמנה על המקפידים ביותר בשמירת ההנחיות ומשום כך זכותי לומר שמה שרואים כאן הוא נטו סאדיזם. יש תחבורה ציבורית? אז למה מתעללים בנוסעים ומורידים אותם מהאוטובוס? באיזו עיר ראיתם בסגר שמתעמרים כך באזרח הקטן? זה לא סגר, זה שיא השבר! pic.twitter.com/b8S1t4N8bW

— יצחק נחשוני (@ynachshoni) October 18, 2020

Police remove chareidim from public bus, Bnei Brak

The chareidi community has reacted indignantly to these restrictions, claiming that they are unfair and do not reflect the true situation in these towns and neighborhoods. Many chareidim have even joined with the black flag demonstrations against prime minister Netanyahu.

Journalist Yisrael Cohen tweeted that “when there was a general lockdown including the secular residents, it wasn’t a real lockdown. They went out to celebrate, have a good time, swim and make cookouts. When there was a lockdown this morning just for chareidim- suddenly there was a curfew, roadblocks, stern policemen blocking the way. There is tremendous anger against Bibi. In Bnei Brak thousands of residents joined the black flags, they will soon join the demonstrations (against the prime minister).”