Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Reform, has been a long-time progressive-style activist. In Israel, he has been a comrade of Arabs, which doesn't have to be bad.
Except that the Arabs he plays around with usually seem to be violent.
Ascherman, of course, is not violent.
No, not him.
His role, it would appear, and he has done this in the past, is to provide cover. (see here, Sept. 2, 1998 for the Maon episode; check this story;)
This morning, he showed up with three fellow activists at Shiloh, together with four Arabs. There is a plot of land which is in dispute. For the past three decades, no Arab has worked it and it is being worked by two Jews, Yaakov Sharvit and Moshe Moshkowitz. I do not know the legal standing but the legal system has kicked in and we'll know soon.
Arik can't wait. So, this morning, he and comrades invaded the area seemingly with the intent to uproot saplings (he's done this before in 2007 and again, earlier) and as a result, one Arab loaded off, without provocation, with a punch to Sharvit who needed medical attention at a hospital. (*Update)
He was violently assaulted.
The Arab was detained and is at the Shaar Benjamin police station.
The report I received was that while Ascherman did not shout or encourage the violence and I do not know what was previously planned, he was completely apathetic to what happened.
He did not intervene to separate the two, although I understand it was over quite quickly, but more importantly, he did not offer any aid to the wounded Jew.
I remind you: he's a Rabbi.
Except that the Arabs he plays around with usually seem to be violent.
Ascherman, of course, is not violent.
No, not him.
His role, it would appear, and he has done this in the past, is to provide cover. (see here, Sept. 2, 1998 for the Maon episode; check this story;)
This morning, he showed up with three fellow activists at Shiloh, together with four Arabs. There is a plot of land which is in dispute. For the past three decades, no Arab has worked it and it is being worked by two Jews, Yaakov Sharvit and Moshe Moshkowitz. I do not know the legal standing but the legal system has kicked in and we'll know soon.
Arik can't wait. So, this morning, he and comrades invaded the area seemingly with the intent to uproot saplings (he's done this before in 2007 and again, earlier) and as a result, one Arab loaded off, without provocation, with a punch to Sharvit who needed medical attention at a hospital. (*Update)
He was violently assaulted.
The Arab was detained and is at the Shaar Benjamin police station.
The report I received was that while Ascherman did not shout or encourage the violence and I do not know what was previously planned, he was completely apathetic to what happened.
He did not intervene to separate the two, although I understand it was over quite quickly, but more importantly, he did not offer any aid to the wounded Jew.
I remind you: he's a Rabbi.
And it's written in Leviticus 19:16:
16 ...neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
He's director of Rabbis for Human Rights.
His email seems to be: ravarik@actcom.co.il or info@rhr.israel.net
================
UPDATE
Seems this is the real blackhearted Ascherman:
All of a sudden a group of settlers and their supporters comes to the Ghawi home amidst cat calls and insults hurled by Palestinians seeking an outlet for their seething anger and pain. The settler group moves closer and wants to come in to congratulate those within. Everybody jumps to their feet and the gate is slammed shut, but there are settlers already inside as well as outside. I am amazed that no fights break out. The taunts get louder and more vicious. Some spit at the settlers. In similar situations I have urged Palestinians to calm down, but here I felt that I had no right and that it would do no good. The only comment I responded to was when somebody said in Arabic that they wished Hitler had finished the job. I tried to think of what I could do if things escalated further, and didn't come up with any answers.
That was about an incident earlier this month at Shimon HaTzaddik neighborhood.
__________________________
P.S.
Notice how the story is media-treated:
Report: Palestinian arrested over clashes with settlers near Shilo
Published: 12.16.09, 10:03 / Israel News
Palestinians claim that the IDF and the police arrested a Palestinian resident of the village Kariot following clashes that broke out between residents of the village and settlers from Shilo. According to the Palestinians, the settlers tried to block them from working their nearby land. (Ali Waked)
(*) Update:
Settler injured in clash with Palestinians, leftists
A residents of the West Bank settlement of Shilo was lightly to moderately injured in a clash between settlers and left-wing activists and Palestinians, who were trying to work a piece of land near the settlements. According to the settlers, the activists began uprooting plants in a plot belonging to one of the settlement's residents. The injured man was evacuated to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Earlier, Palestinian reported that a West Bank village resident had been arrested in the clashes. (Efrat Weiss)
Posts
1 comment:
why do you even call him rabbi?
Post a Comment