Clashes between rival factions of the Ger Hasidic sect spread across the country over the weekend, exposing a growing and increasingly violent rift in Israel’s largest and most powerful ultra-Orthodox dynasty.
Street fighting erupted Friday in three separate places – the southern city of Ashdod, the predominantly Haredi city of Bnei Brak and Jerusalem. Tensions spiked after followers of Rabbi Shaul Alter – the former dean of the movement’s flagship yeshiva in Jerusalem – reportedly hurled insults at Grand Rebbe Yaakov Alter, the movement’s leader and Shaul Alter’s cousin, as the grand rabbi was visiting his mother-in-law’s grave in north Tel Aviv the previous evening.
The fighting, which continued through Saturday evening, comes after years of acrimony between the cousins, who both descend from previous grand rabbis and have competing power bases within the movement.
While Shaul Alter’s followers have not officially set themselves up as a new movement, they have largely been independent since 2019 when a small group of dissatisfied Ger Hasidim declared him their leader, joining him at his Simhat Torah services in defiance of their nominal rebbe.
This came after multiple attempts to limit Shaul Alter’s authority and influence, and to centralize control of the movement, which has dominated the ultra-Orthodox political scene in Israel for generations through the United Torah Judaism party [https://www.haaretz.com/misc/tags/TAG-ultra-orthodox-1.5598962].
The breakaway group “don’t call themselves by a different name and don’t refer to Rabbi Shaul as the rebbe because they are very cautious,” but in essence he “functions as a rebbe,” said Dr. Gilad Malach, who researches the Haredi community for the Israel Democracy Institute [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-opposition-within-ger-hasidim-declares-historic-split-1.8016767].
He noted that while Shaul Alter is widely seen as erudite and articulate, his cousin Yaakov has a much less impressive reputation in the wider ultra-Orthodox community.
- The split in Israel's biggest Hasidic court shows that no rabbi is immune: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-the-split-in-israel-s-biggest-hasidic-court-shows-that-no-rabbi-is-immune-1.8018434
- Opposition within ultra-Orthodox Ger sect declares historic split: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-opposition-within-ger-hasidim-declares-historic-split-1.8016767
- This Hasidic sect pushes dissenters’ children to run away from home: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.HIGHLIGHT-this-hasidic-sect-pushes-dissenters-children-to-run-away-from-home-1.10622764
Only several hundred families broke with the main branch of the movement, which numbers between 50,000 and 60,000 members. (The Israel Democracy Institute reported last year that there are about 1,175,000 Haredim in Israel.) However, they include some of its major donors, and their rejection of the grand rebbe’s authority is widely seen as an act of treason, Malach said.
The reaction of Ger – also known as Gur – Hasidim to the split in 2019 “was very tough, very harsh. They declared war against all people who leave the community,” he added.
This anger was evident in the fighting over the weekend, which led to multiple injuries on all sides after the police were forced to intervene.
In Jerusalem, a mob of hundreds of young men attempted to storm Shaul Alter’s yeshiva, breaking windows as the rabbi and his students hid inside [https://twitter.com/gerr_nayes/status/1528135370352865280]. Footage from inside the building showed at least one Ger Hasid with a bloody head wound.
Videos of the clashes uploaded to social media showed members of the rival groups attacking each other on the streets, vandalizing property and fighting with police.
https://twitter.com/kann_news/status/1528109386278780929The ultra-Orthodox news site Kikar Hashabbat quoted one source within the movement as saying the separatists had gone “too far” and that Yaakov Alter’s followers “do not intend to remain silent about the harm to the rebbe.”
However, by Sunday morning, Haredi media reported that representatives of the rebbe had called on followers to back down following a meeting with law enforcement, signaling a possible end to the current round of violence.
The Israel Democracy Institute’s Malach said he believed the violent scenes were viewed negatively within the wider ultra-Orthodox community.
“The majority of Haredim are not on the side of the bigger group of Ger Hasidim; they don’t like this behavior,” he said, predicting that while public opprobrium would do little to erode the movement’s leadership within the United Torah Judaism party in the Knesset, it could weaken its standing on the local level in the next round of municipal elections.
In which way have they gone "too far" that permits the disgusting violence ?
ReplyDeleteYou are very wrong the gerer Rebbe said you must wipe out reb shauls chasidim please can you correct it
ReplyDeleteThis Rebbe's election was the biggest mistake in the Gerrer movement's history. It happens when the movers and shakers see an opportunity to bring a weak leader to the top in order for them to gain influence.
ReplyDeleteThe whole Chassidus suffers, but the handlers don't care as long as they can enrich themselves.
A paralell story just developed in the Sadeger Chassidus, where the Gabboim pushed a young, inexperience and not too bright fellow to the top. Here again, it involves tons of money and lots of money talks a lot.
They weren't hurling insults at the cemetery. They used a loudspeaker to play a recording from a parent pleading with the Rebbe to be able to see his daughters, who because the parents had become Rav Shaul followers, were not being allowed to see him. The recording was
ReplyDeleteentirely respectful. Just a tearful plea.
Please look in telegram get the rebbe said you have to kill reb shaul and his followers.please have mercy on them
ReplyDeleteThere is a fascinating common denominator with all aggressors... EVERY SINGLE AGGRESSOR CLAIMS TO BE THE VICTIM!!
ReplyDeletePalestinian arabs, Putin, Ger, Hitler, you name it!!
It's as if, eveyone instinctively knows that it is wrong to start up with another human being, and that the victim is inherently correct... so all evil movements, find a pretext, and try to don the mantle of victim.
(And somehow, it works!! Many people say, There wouldn't be a conflict...If only Ukraine didn't want to join NATO, If only we give the PA land, if only there was no boycott on Nazi Germany, etc...)
just like Putin the strong authoritarian bully declaring war on anyone who is a threat to his corrupted regime has galvanized support from around the world for Ukraine, the smaller victim, so has the wider Charedi community rallied around the victim and stood up to dictator Yankel the real estate mafia boss
ReplyDeletejust hope this does not dissolve into nuclear war, which Ger would have used a long time ago if they only had...
As we learned in today's daf, קהל גרים לא איקרי קהל
ReplyDeleteNew Ger paid PR release - https://5townscentral.com/2022/05/24/thousands-of-gerer-chassidim-spend-uplifted-days-with-revered-guest/
ReplyDeleteFor some reason din is downplaying the her mafia 🤔
ReplyDeleteSomeone sent me a picture from Jay Schottenstein making a chassuna Sunday night. Sol Werdiger was not only up to his usual shtick of inserting his face into the photo ops, but the little Fresser was also running around to press the flesh with rich & famous gentiles, like African-American pro sports personalities.
ReplyDeleteSol is being asked to demand the Gerrorists stop the bloody violence but he seems to be too preoccupied to pay attention. Now we know what he's been busy with.
If you think that 5 Towns Central is hungry for paid press releases that they are happy to disguise as news, wait until you meet Chabadsker Tuna Beigel "Larry" Gordon at the competing 5 Towns Jewish Slimes, I mean Times. Gordon is a "bread & butter" guy if there ever was!
ReplyDeleteI am new to this site. Seems like all they do is to quote the virulent, anti- religious paper Ha'aretz, and answer amen to everything they write. You can do it the old way and just log onto haaretz yourself.
ReplyDelete7:12
ReplyDeleteI see you are new to this site, because I never read Haaretz and hardly quote them. But this is different, here they are spot on.
Gerer Chassidim using gestapo tactics on their fellow brothers and sisters, kidnapping children etc and the Chareidie press is totally quiet?