Reply With QuoteSo these aren't regular Israeli Jews per se doing this, but the ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews?
Christians in Jerusalem want Jews to stop spitting on them
Christians in Jerusalem want Jews to stop spitting on them
A few weeks ago, a senior Greek Orthodox clergyman in Israel attended a meeting at a government office in Jerusalem's Givat Shaul quarter. When he returned to his car, an elderly man wearing a skullcap came and knocked on the window. When the clergyman let the window down, the passerby spat in his face.
The clergyman prefered not to lodge a complaint with the police and told an acquaintance that he was used to being spat at by Jews. Many Jerusalem clergy have been subjected to abuse of this kind. For the most part, they ignore it but sometimes they cannot.
On Sunday, a fracas developed when a yeshiva student spat at the cross being carried by the Armenian Archbishop during a procession near the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. The archbishop's 17th-century cross was broken during the brawl and he slapped the yeshiva student.
Both were questioned by police and the yeshiva student will be brought to trial. The Jerusalem District Court has meanwhile banned the student from approaching the Old City for 75 days.
But the Armenians are far from satisfied by the police action and say this sort of thing has been going on for years. Archbishop Nourhan Manougian says he expects the education minister to say something.
"When there is an attack against Jews anywhere in the world, the Israeli government is incensed, so why when our religion and pride are hurt, don't they take harsher measures?" he asks.
According to Daniel Rossing, former adviser to the Religious Affairs Ministry on Christian affairs and director of a Jerusalem center for Christian-Jewish dialogue, there has been an increase in the number of such incidents recently, "as part of a general atmosphere of lack of tolerance in the country."
Rossing says there are certain common characeristics from the point of view of time and location to the incidents. He points to the fact that there are more incidents in areas where Jews and Christians mingle, such as the Jewish and Armenian quarters of the Old City and the Jaffa Gate.
There are an increased number at certain times of year, such as during the Purim holiday."I know Christians who lock themselves indoors during the entire Purim holiday," he says.
Former adviser to the mayor on Christian affairs, Shmuel Evyatar, describes the situation as "a huge disgrace." He says most of the instigators are yeshiva students studying in the Old City who view the Christian religion with disdain.
"I'm sure the phenomenon would end as soon as rabbis and well-known educators denounce it. In practice, rabbis of yeshivas ignore or even encourage it," he says.
Evyatar says he himself was spat at while walking with a Serbian bishop in the Jewish quarter, near his home. "A group of yeshiva students spat at us and their teacher just stood by and watched."
Jerusalem municipal officials said they are aware of the problem but it has to be dealt with by the police. Shmuel Ben-Ruby, the police spokesman, said they had only two complaints from Christians in the past two years. He said that, in both cases, the culprits were caught and punished.
He said the police deploy an inordinately high number of patrols and special technology in the Old City and its surroundings in an attempt to keep order.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/S...&itemNo=487412
So these aren't regular Israeli Jews per se doing this, but the ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews?
I see there was no discussion of Jews spitting on Catholic Priests. Maybe the Orthodox should get Vatican Ninjas too.
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:27-31
Most of the identifible Christians in Jerusalem are clergy.
Clergy will most likely take this shameful abuse and not to report it as a matter of principle.
They just turn the other cheek.
After they get spat on the other cheek they have none left...can't they spit back?Originally Posted by Ordie
EDIT: explaining what I mean: Spitting someone in the face is plain bullying, sometimes it's better to react instead of continuously enduring it. Was not intended to start a flame war.
Last edited by Briggs; 11-20-2007 at 03:37 PM.
First, let me express myabout this topic in general.
Second, "Jews" do not spit on "Christians" in Jerusalem. This sounds like an average western tourist would be instantly spitted as soon as he enters Jerusalem... Whoever made up this title made it very misleading. There is a "rivalry" between orthodox Jews and the Christian clergy,which(the rivalry) based, as far as I understand, on the (imaginary or not) missionary aspect of the Christian presence in Jerusalem. That's it. A secular not modestly dressed girl walking(or a car driving on Sabbath for this matter) through an orthodox neighborhood will be spitted on with the same furiousness ...
Last edited by IDF_TANKER; 11-20-2007 at 11:13 AM.
I'm willing to bet that orthodox jews spit at everyone, fellow jews included, and not just christians.
stupid title for the thread, makes it seem like all jews there spit on christians, where this was i bet a single episode with some deranged orthodox jew guy.
on that note, haredim are assholes. they symbolically spit on everybody, by not serving in the army, imposing their stupid demi-god beliefs on everyone else, and consider anyone who doesnt follow their little fruity club to be inferior. Not everyone offcourse, but the mentality is prevalent. I've been given who knows how many dirty looks by them for not wearing a kippa. The biggest wrong is that they dont contribute to society in any way. Up to 70% of haredi males dont work. and dont serve the army. they are a parasite.
That's Southpark style yo!I see there was no discussion of Jews spitting on Catholic Priests. Maybe the Orthodox should get Vatican Ninjas too.
What good will it do?
The majority of Christian clergy are caretakers of holy sites, pilgrims and are educators.
The majority of Christian clergymembers are from other countries. They mostly stay above politics but have unfettered access throughout the region to the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon from Israel.
A large number of Roman Catholics are Italian Franciscan Monks (Terra Santa) or French / Lebanese Salesian Brothers (Bethlehem University). The Dominicans are at the Dormition Church near David's Tomb. The Roman Catholic Patriarch, Archbishop Michel Sabbah from Nazareth also looks after the Hebrew Catholic community in Israel.
There is a large number of Greek and Russian Orthodox as well as Armenians.
The majority of pilgrims to the Holy Land never had any problems with the locals. Israel and the PA are very sensitive about thier well being and security and are good hosts.
I think the clergy in this case are targeted because of thier visible attire.
Jews traveling between Mea Sharim and the Western Wall must go through the gauntlet via Damascus Gate (Muslim quarter), Via Dolorosa (Christian Pilgrim Route) and security checkpoints into the Western Wall area. This same route is also taken by Muslims to the Al Aqsa Mosque.
So we have a group of people who are "isolationist" being forced to deal with the Secular, Muslim and Christian paradigms on thier way to the Western Wall.
I'm willing to bet you have no idea of what an orthodox Jew is or how he lives. How 'types' of orthodox are there?
Nice attempt at dragging this thread into a flamer, but I'll just light my cigarette from it and hope you are inspired to do a little Google-fu....
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