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Tuesday, November 24, 1998
The Immodest Squad
Ha'aretz Editorial
"The Modesty Squad," a secret organization that
settles accounts with ultra-Orthodox who stray
from the lifestyle of the sect, has launched
several attacks in recent weeks. Two days ago,
the squad set fire to an apartment rented by
former Haredi Karni Ben-Zion, who lives in an
ultra-Orthodox neighborhood. A few weeks prior to
the arson, masked Haredim beat Ben-Zion and some
of his friends so badly that they needed medical
treatment. Though the beating took place three
weeks ago, the police, who say they have "more
than a slim lead," have not succeeded in
apprehending the guilty parties.
Karni's landlord had received several threatening
letters from Haredim in recent months, warning
him that if he continued to rent to secular
tenants, he would "pay a heavy price." Despite
the warnings, the police did not succeed in
preventing the arson that took place this week.
Two weeks ago, dozens of Haredim broke into the
homes of four Christian women in Mea She'arim.
They burned and looted two apartments in broad
daylight, unchallenged by neighbors and
passersby. At the time, the Jerusalem police
arrested several suspects, but to date there have
been no signs of significant progress in the
investigation. Appearing before the Knesset
Internal Affairs Committee, police said they
suspected that some of the perpetrators have
"gone underground," probably outside of the city.
It looks like the increasing intolerance in
Jerusalem - which has also reared its ugly head
elsewhere in Israel and has led to injuries to
Ethiopians, Russians and Arabs - is symptomatic
of a broader social ill. If proper attention is
not devoted to treating the disease, violence in
Israeli life could become a daily occurrence.
Every indicator of latent violence in the Haredi
sector, and every blatant manifestation of
violence, has grown. In the past, the
ultra-Orthodox set fire to advertising posters
and threatened businesses. Now, they are breaking
into and burning private homes, attacking and
beating people. Their community does not condemn
these acts. Ben-Zion's neighbors warned him that
if he continued to live in their neighborhood,
they would enlist the aid of the "Modesty Squad."
Jerusalem police have not yet caught the
individual or individuals who last May placed an
explosive device on the doorstep of several young
Arab women living in the Musrara neighborhood.
This despite the repeated harassment of the women
by Haredi residents of Mea She'arim and repeated
complaints to police. As in the case of Ben-Zion,
the attack on the Arab women's home was evidently
intended to cause harm to people rather than to
property. In both cases, the action took place in
the middle of the night, when the tenants were
assumed to be asleep in their beds.
Because no one has been charged in either of
these cases - despite a rather small pool of
potential suspects - it is hard to give credence
to the statement of Jerusalem Police Chief Yair
Yitzhaki, who said that he "sees these incidents
as very serious, and the best detectives are
taking part in the investigation."
Given this, it is hard to imagine how a more
complicated investigation might turn out. We can
only hope that what looks to be a failure by the
police is not a product of the police taking
Haredi violence lightly.
However, the police are not the only ones
responsible for putting an end to hatred and
violence. It would certainly be appropriate for
more public figures to condemn the bullying and
brutality of the "Modesty Squad" and those who
send them on their missions.
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