OTD Youth Terrorizing Bnei-Brak Residents ... "Afraid to leave the house"

 

The stabbing of a yeshiva student in the Kiryat Herzog neighborhood resurfaces the phenomenon

 of marginalized youths in the city "We've been complaining for a long time, but no one is

 doing anything," residents of the neighborhood claim. "It was only a matter of time before it 

came to a danger to human life"

The serious incident in Bnei Brak, in which a 23-year-old yeshiva student was stabbed in the Kiryat Herzog neighborhood – Bechdrei Chadarim – has resurfaced the phenomenon of marginalized youths in the city, which has intensified in recent times in the quiet neighborhood in the north of the city. Residents who spoke to "In the Ultra-Orthodox Quarters" express concern over the increase in cases of violence, and claim that the phenomenon has become a real threat.

Yaakov, a resident of the street where the incident took place, said in a conversation with "In My Ultra-Orthodox Rooms": "They walk around here at night, screaming, throwing bottles and harassing the residents. We've been complaining for a long time, but no one is doing anything. Now it's no longer just noise, it's an injury to a young man. It was only a matter of time before it came to human life."

According to the residents, some of the youths who roam around the city at night are involved in vandalism, theft and fights. "We are used to Bnei Brak being the city of the Torah, not a city of crime," said Rivka, a resident of the neighborhood. "Today I'm afraid to let the children leave the house in the evening."

According to Moshe, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, the stabbing of the yeshiva student was the culmination of the escalation that has been going on for many months: "Just two weeks ago, windows were broken near my house. Before that, we saw them cursing and threatening passersby. It used to be rare, but today it happens almost every night."

"Could end in disaster"

Some of the residents who spoke to B'Hadrei Haredim point an accusing finger at the police, which they say is not doing enough to eradicate the phenomenon. "The police's response comes too late, and even then they arrest two or three boys and release them within a few hours," says Haim, a father of four. "There is not enough punishment here to make them think twice before destroying property or harming people."

"A stabbing is not just another 'incident,'" Haim adds. "It's a sign that what has been until now – noise and breaking of property – is becoming much more dangerous. If it is not dealt with immediately, it could end in a bigger disaster. We are not asking too much – only to restore peace and security to the neighborhood. We can't live in fear in our city."

The Israel Police said in response: "The Israel Police is constantly working proactively to increase the security of the residents while maintaining continuous contact with the local authority. Upon receiving a report about the incident, police officers arrived at the scene quickly, conducted searches and opened an investigation that is still underway in order to reach the truth."

The incident began after a group of marginalized youths gathered in the street and created a noise late at night. A resident of the neighborhood asked the boys to stop the noise, but they responded by breaking his car with iron bars.

At the same time, the yeshiva student, who is not connected to the incident, passed by. Suddenly, one of the boys approached him and started punching him. During the attack, when the student tried to retreat, he felt a sharp pain and realized that he had been stabbed.

Medical teams from MDA and United Hatzalah gave the young man first aid at the scene and evacuated him to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, suffering from a penetrating wound and his condition is described as moderate. At the hospital, the doctors had to operate on him due to the serious injury.