The Charedi soldier vs. the extremists at the Kotel

Mendel Roth

Mendel Roth, a haredi soldier in the Hashmonaim Brigade, shared today (Monday) a personal story that took place last night at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Rata explained that after arriving to say Selichot prayers, about ten Hasidic boys gathered around him, showing interest in military service in the brigade. He said, "Over time, a few extremists noticed and started causing trouble. They tried to pull the boys away, but they refused to leave."

Later, Roth said, the extremists approached a rabbi sitting in the inner plaza and returned with a claim that there is a halachic ruling to expel him from the area. "At that moment, the boys stood around me, hugged me, and stood firm against the extremists," he wrote.

Roth added that he approached the rabbi himself, "I went up to the rabbi and asked him, is it true that you commanded to expel a soldier who is going to defend the people of Israel from harm? He probably didn’t expect to see a Hasidic soldier with a beard and sidelocks, and he told me, 'I didn’t say to throw you out... I just said to talk to you... not to talk to the boys.' I told him, the Hashmonaim Brigade is a holy brigade that operates according to the ways of the Torah and holiness. But he was surrounded by the extremists who hurried to listen to the conversation. He answered me, 'I can’t talk to you about this now,' turned his back, and sat facing the Western Wall. I went to sleep with mixed feelings."

"I don’t think all the extremists are liars," Roth continued. "Some of them mean well and are genuinely convinced that the whole purpose here is to secularize and lead people away from the Torah of Israel."

In conclusion, he wrote, "Despite the storm that happened there, I came out much strengthened. I met a young Hasidic generation that knows how to listen to another voice, is moved and excited by a Hasidic soldier, and doesn’t get confused by the screams of zealots. This is our next generation."