Shauli Spitzer an exception? Weisberg doesn't think so
Celebrations of the release of the "igniter" from Skvira angered you? • Moshe Weisberg chooses to throw his truth in the face and without masks
- Moshe Weisberg
- כ' חשון התשע"ו
Shauli Spitzer at his trial. Screen photo: NEWS12
On Tuesday toward evening Israel time, I reported on the verdict of Shauli Spitzer. His sentence - sitting in an American prison, was shortened and he was released. Almost four years he served in prison, after pleading guilty in a plea bargain that in the middle of the night he threw a Molotov cocktail at a house inhabited by an entire family in Skvira suburb. The background to his act: the landlord was charged in the local community of "breaching the local regulations."
When news of his release became known, joyous celebrations broke out in the community. The truth is, I was glad for that matter. After all, the punishment for what he had done, he had already received, besides just sitting in jail, the shame is the greatest – it is shameful! And suffering atones, as known.
But in fact, it turns out that if I thought about shame, then I was basically wrong.
In the Hasidus in which he was raised and educated, with his release – he will continue to grow. He was received there with open arms. Soon we will likely hear that he became engaged just as one of the boys.
And here also, the documentation which stirred the different communities around the world - showing hundreds of Hasidim who broke out with sounds of singing and chanting, opened bottles of 'lechayim', and boxes of cookies which were eaten as after the fast of Tisha B'Av, has shown there is no shame here, in fact from a boy with handcuffs he became a hero and celebrity.
Many turned to me in recent days demanding: "Moishe, you must write a column against this horrific dancing," and as they put it: "What is the dancing there in Skvira about? A corrupt fellow went, put a house on fire, burned a person, what are the celebrations about? Other boys from different places see it, what does it teach? It's a disgrace."
Another acquaintance approached me, saying: "How disgusting, what a shame. One should denounce it, we'll get to a situation that everywhere there will be guys who want to be 'Shauli Spitzer."
I paused here. I placed the point on the real question, and I really ask you: If someone thinks in the wake of these celebrations, that there is a chance that he would be followed by others who want to be "Shauli Spitzer" - an inner voice tells me that another question lurks here, even bigger: that we all might have a little Shauli Spitzer, or large one, inside our heart.
After all, what really did Shauli do, unfortunately and to great absurdity he "merely" served as emissary of the establishment in the Hasidus, against those who disobey the Rebbe and regulations of Hasidus. But actually, he did not innovate anything, everything exists and existed before him too, unfortunately.
True, in another Hasidus, in the present age it would not happen. Everyone is now aware that in the era of technology, everything is instant and published worldwide. But Skvira is a cut-off village, it has no magazines and even technology is relatively eliminated, certainly among the youth of the Hasidus. So Shauli Spitzer if he had been aware of the publishing effect and the great damage of such a terrorist act, even if he was not caught – would have quit the idea in advance.
It also appears that critiques of all sorts, who expressed amazement and shock at the great joy in Skvira, did not criticize and barely heard the beautiful side of the picture: a mighty kingdom, an empire of Torah and Hasidus that is gloriously perched in Kiryat Skvira, under the leadership of the Rebbe.
In my capacity as reporter of events of Hassidus and Rebbes, I have been often acquainted with this mighty empire, managed in an amazing and astonishing way, under a clear and organized leadership, with the Rebbe standing at the head of the community leading it strongly and powerfully. There is no breach in his community.
I did not get to see anything as powerful in any Hasidus. The community of Skvira is subject to the leadership of their Rebbe who navigates and steers its way. I think it is the most preserved town, with hardly any magazines and without external media, technology there as stated is almost completely eradicated. A precious corner of a holy community run smoothly and pleasantly in the calm of holiness.
To judge and weigh all this against the full picture, about a two-way exception - a single incident, according to sources in the Hasidus, where one of the locals breached the regulations, and as far as they are concerned "dared to ignore the regulations of the Rebbe in front of all, openly" and by his actions actually to ruin and break what is accepted for everyone in the community, was seen as undermining the leadership of the Rebbe. Perhaps this was done by an act which appears to be little and marginal, but it sufficed to ignite the spirits of the Hasidim who heartedly cleave to the local regulations.
In the heat of things, at a time when the spirits of the youngsters in the group who are unaccustomed to hear such things, and do not know when their position is the red line, one stood up, from a burst of uncontrollable zeal, and did something terrible. One against the other - exceptions in relation to what I know of in this wonderful community.
I can not refrain from adding a small but poignant comment and to the depths of the soul, a small mirror against all those amazed and astonished at the dancing on the release of a young boy swept away by a youthful whim. Are there really none among us who identify with violence that sometimes could kill, those who do not think on the Rebbe's side, or the Rabbi of the attackers. Were friends of the attackers shocked even then? [And my words are directed to all parties in all communities and streams, to you and your community too, honorable reader...]
Have we not seen this sort of thing in our streets? Is there a single community whose leadership will be different in a matter like this? If it's good or not, I do not know, nor is it my role to go into this, but let us place a mirror in front of our eyes, do the different communities not act in exceptional cases like that, in one way or another?
When a Jewish resident of Tifrach stood up against the leadership of the Rosh Yeshiva there, were Molotov cocktails not thrown at his house? Were things then also received with the same intensity of shock? When those boys from Tifrach were released, were they not accepted with singing and dancing at their yeshiva?
I shall not continue with examples, for there are hundreds and thousands of them...
The celebrations with the release of Shauli Spitzer
When news of his release became known, joyous celebrations broke out in the community. The truth is, I was glad for that matter. After all, the punishment for what he had done, he had already received, besides just sitting in jail, the shame is the greatest – it is shameful! And suffering atones, as known.
But in fact, it turns out that if I thought about shame, then I was basically wrong.
In the Hasidus in which he was raised and educated, with his release – he will continue to grow. He was received there with open arms. Soon we will likely hear that he became engaged just as one of the boys.
And here also, the documentation which stirred the different communities around the world - showing hundreds of Hasidim who broke out with sounds of singing and chanting, opened bottles of 'lechayim', and boxes of cookies which were eaten as after the fast of Tisha B'Av, has shown there is no shame here, in fact from a boy with handcuffs he became a hero and celebrity.
Many turned to me in recent days demanding: "Moishe, you must write a column against this horrific dancing," and as they put it: "What is the dancing there in Skvira about? A corrupt fellow went, put a house on fire, burned a person, what are the celebrations about? Other boys from different places see it, what does it teach? It's a disgrace."
Another acquaintance approached me, saying: "How disgusting, what a shame. One should denounce it, we'll get to a situation that everywhere there will be guys who want to be 'Shauli Spitzer."
I paused here. I placed the point on the real question, and I really ask you: If someone thinks in the wake of these celebrations, that there is a chance that he would be followed by others who want to be "Shauli Spitzer" - an inner voice tells me that another question lurks here, even bigger: that we all might have a little Shauli Spitzer, or large one, inside our heart.
After all, what really did Shauli do, unfortunately and to great absurdity he "merely" served as emissary of the establishment in the Hasidus, against those who disobey the Rebbe and regulations of Hasidus. But actually, he did not innovate anything, everything exists and existed before him too, unfortunately.
True, in another Hasidus, in the present age it would not happen. Everyone is now aware that in the era of technology, everything is instant and published worldwide. But Skvira is a cut-off village, it has no magazines and even technology is relatively eliminated, certainly among the youth of the Hasidus. So Shauli Spitzer if he had been aware of the publishing effect and the great damage of such a terrorist act, even if he was not caught – would have quit the idea in advance.
It also appears that critiques of all sorts, who expressed amazement and shock at the great joy in Skvira, did not criticize and barely heard the beautiful side of the picture: a mighty kingdom, an empire of Torah and Hasidus that is gloriously perched in Kiryat Skvira, under the leadership of the Rebbe.
In my capacity as reporter of events of Hassidus and Rebbes, I have been often acquainted with this mighty empire, managed in an amazing and astonishing way, under a clear and organized leadership, with the Rebbe standing at the head of the community leading it strongly and powerfully. There is no breach in his community.
I did not get to see anything as powerful in any Hasidus. The community of Skvira is subject to the leadership of their Rebbe who navigates and steers its way. I think it is the most preserved town, with hardly any magazines and without external media, technology there as stated is almost completely eradicated. A precious corner of a holy community run smoothly and pleasantly in the calm of holiness.
To judge and weigh all this against the full picture, about a two-way exception - a single incident, according to sources in the Hasidus, where one of the locals breached the regulations, and as far as they are concerned "dared to ignore the regulations of the Rebbe in front of all, openly" and by his actions actually to ruin and break what is accepted for everyone in the community, was seen as undermining the leadership of the Rebbe. Perhaps this was done by an act which appears to be little and marginal, but it sufficed to ignite the spirits of the Hasidim who heartedly cleave to the local regulations.
In the heat of things, at a time when the spirits of the youngsters in the group who are unaccustomed to hear such things, and do not know when their position is the red line, one stood up, from a burst of uncontrollable zeal, and did something terrible. One against the other - exceptions in relation to what I know of in this wonderful community.
I can not refrain from adding a small but poignant comment and to the depths of the soul, a small mirror against all those amazed and astonished at the dancing on the release of a young boy swept away by a youthful whim. Are there really none among us who identify with violence that sometimes could kill, those who do not think on the Rebbe's side, or the Rabbi of the attackers. Were friends of the attackers shocked even then? [And my words are directed to all parties in all communities and streams, to you and your community too, honorable reader...]
Have we not seen this sort of thing in our streets? Is there a single community whose leadership will be different in a matter like this? If it's good or not, I do not know, nor is it my role to go into this, but let us place a mirror in front of our eyes, do the different communities not act in exceptional cases like that, in one way or another?
When a Jewish resident of Tifrach stood up against the leadership of the Rosh Yeshiva there, were Molotov cocktails not thrown at his house? Were things then also received with the same intensity of shock? When those boys from Tifrach were released, were they not accepted with singing and dancing at their yeshiva?
I shall not continue with examples, for there are hundreds and thousands of them...
The celebrations with the release of Shauli Spitzer
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