Jerusalem Pride Mass Stabbing by Haredi Repeat Suspect
July 30, 2015 2:16 PM   Subscribe

Six people have been stabbed at Jerusalem's Pride Parade following threats from both a Haredi man just released from prison for a similar knife attack at the 2005 Jersusalem Pride parade, and from Lehava, a right-wing Jewish supremacy organization that also held a protest away from the LGBTQ parade route. These knife attacks are unfortunately not the first time LGBTQ Jews have been killed by other Jews; there was a gun attack on the Tel Aviv LGBTQ youth center in 2009 (previously).

It appears the suspect struck both female and male marchers randomly, after breaking through the police and volunteer security line. Plainclothes and uniformed police subdued him almost immediately, with civilian parade attendees helping the wounded until medics arrived. Two people have life-threatening injuries, and the remaining four are expected to recover fully.

More links (trigger warning for video and stills of actual attack):
Joe.My.God.
Ha'aretz general coverage
BBC general coverage
Ha'aretz on suspect's previous threats
Failed Messiah - do read the comments if you have a strong stomach and want to understand the attacker's background
posted by Dreidl (42 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
My error - I meant to say "not the first time LGBTQ and ally Israelis and Palestinians have been attacked by Israeli Jews."
posted by Dreidl at 2:18 PM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]


As a Jew, I would say these people are an affront to my religion -- but I don't think we share a religion, really.

Awful, awful, awful.
posted by saturday_morning at 2:25 PM on July 30, 2015 [27 favorites]


Before the 2005 incident, Shlissel reportedly shouted, “I came to kill in God’s name.”
The fact that this man and I supposedly have anything in common is horrifying.
posted by zachlipton at 2:31 PM on July 30, 2015 [14 favorites]


Before the 2005 incident, Shlissel reportedly shouted, “I came to kill in God’s name.”

Tell him he sounds just like an ISIS member and watch the cognitive dissonance turn him incandescent.
posted by chimaera at 2:35 PM on July 30, 2015 [17 favorites]


Rightwing extremists really have much more in common with each other the world over, be they Haredi, Southern Baptist or ISIS, than with the mainstream varieties of the religions they purport to follow.

I'd say it's a shame they can't all get along together and leave the rest of the world alone, but it's probably good that they're diluted around the world instead of all concentrated together.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:36 PM on July 30, 2015 [51 favorites]


Oh G-d. :(

Israeli Chief Rabbi Yosef and Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Stern sharply condemned the Jerusalem Pride stabbing attack. Yosef has been a consistent ally of Israel's LGBT community. Rabbi Aryeh Stern is against the pride parade and gay clergy. It's good that he's condemning the attack, but perhaps if he and his fellow Orthodox leaders would stop fucking Othering his fellow Jews and fanning the flames of hatred, tragedies like this would be less likely to happen.
posted by zarq at 2:45 PM on July 30, 2015 [27 favorites]


I haven't seen this called terrorism anywhere yet, but I'm sure lots of LGBTQ folks in Israel feel pretty terrorized.
posted by nevercalm at 2:46 PM on July 30, 2015 [12 favorites]


Stabbing in the back -- stabbing that slender young woman in the back.

I don't know if the Israeli police have legal mechanisms to follow or restrain individuals like this, known threats with known targets, but they sure as hell fell down on the job if they did.
posted by Countess Elena at 2:48 PM on July 30, 2015


I've been in America too long, because my first thought was "at least it wasn't a gun".
posted by Artw at 3:31 PM on July 30, 2015 [5 favorites]


Mod note: comments removed. If you have a problem with a linked site, contact us, don't derail the thread over it.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 3:33 PM on July 30, 2015 [5 favorites]


I came to kill in God’s name.

So that's two commandments broken...
posted by Sys Rq at 3:38 PM on July 30, 2015 [47 favorites]


How awful. Terrorism, by any reasonable definition. This should never happen anywhere, ever.
posted by Sticherbeast at 3:41 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


I've got nothing to say but to express my sadness, and I hope we don't get to the point where we're leaving dots. How about six arrows pointing upwards, for the six victims who I hope will come back from this insane attack?

^^^^^^
posted by benito.strauss at 4:50 PM on July 30, 2015 [5 favorites]


Despicable act hopefully everyone has a full recovery. Unfortunately my first thought was along the same line as artw in that at least he was only armed with a knife and not a bomb or gun. My suspicions are that while he's willing to kill in god's name he's not willing to die in god's name.
posted by vuron at 5:13 PM on July 30, 2015


And it's erev Tu B'Av, the holiday of love.

:,(
posted by Westringia F. at 5:33 PM on July 30, 2015 [6 favorites]


Ugh. Who knew there was a loophole in hilchot negiah of you want to stab a woman.
posted by atomicstone at 5:42 PM on July 30, 2015 [14 favorites]


atomicstone it's probably okay since the knife touched her and not his hand? Or he closed his eyes or something. Or she's a horrid slut who... I can't even. This is horrible.
posted by prettypretty at 6:08 PM on July 30, 2015


When I saw the news I couldn't believe that they would let a person out of jail right before the event he last committed a terrorist attack at.
posted by srboisvert at 6:42 PM on July 30, 2015 [5 favorites]


This.. I can't I can't. You lose the right to claim you're acting for g-d the moment you're fomenting hatred and trying to kill people.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:49 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


Rightwing extremists really have much more in common with each other the world over,

I thought I agreed with this and then I saw Sweden is having a Far-Right Gay Pride parade, and now I'm utterly confused.
posted by BinGregory at 7:36 PM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]


When I saw the news I couldn't believe that they would let a person out of jail right before the event he last committed a terrorist attack at.


It's like a terrible, real life version of Sideshow Bob.
posted by Flashman at 7:40 PM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]


BInGregory, we discussws that here already. That's rightwing shitbags using sexual minorities as catspaws to (hopefully, from their POV) piss off Muslim immigrants.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:40 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


I think these are reports on the assault in '05 for which he received his original conviction:
Violence erupts at Gay Pride Parade
Gay Parade stabber gets 12 years in prison

So, obviously the guy was not sufficiently rehabilitated during his sentence if he thought it was okay to do again what he originally went to prison for.

No, and you would think that he should have been subject to a restraining order at the very least.
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:17 PM on July 30, 2015


"A small number of protesters from the extremist Lehava organization, including the group’s leader Rabbi Bentzi Gopstein, were present at the march"

He sounds like an asshole. What does he have to say for himself?

“This is the holy city of Jerusalem and there is no place for such [a parade], and no reason for people to be proud about it,” Gopstein told The Jerusalem Post. “If such people can have a pride march, then soon pedophiles and anyone else with such inclinations can hold a march.”


Wow! Huge asshole. And then . . .

"Despite Gopstein’s vitriol, he released a statement following the stabbings stating that the organization “is opposed to the stabbing of Jews.”

YOU GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME. YOU COULDN'T SAY ITS WRONG TO STAB PEOPLE?!?!?!? THE ONLY BIGGER ASSHOLE TODAY WAS THE GUY WITH A FUCKING KNIFE.
posted by nestor_makhno at 12:58 AM on July 31, 2015 [10 favorites]


So, obviously the guy was not sufficiently rehabilitated during his sentence if he thought it was okay to do again what he originally went to prison for.

No, and you would think that he should have been subject to a restraining order at the very least.


I have a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't obey such an order. As for the timing of his release, it makes me wonder--seriously, actually wondering--what the political leanings of whoever makes such decisions are, and whether they played a factor.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:21 AM on July 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


the organization “is opposed to the stabbing of Jews.”

The part that especially bothers me about that statement in relation to the attack is that I don't think it's even a condemnation of it; possibly quite the contrary. Notice how he doesn't say these Jews. If you were to follow up on it by asking Gopstein if he considers gay Jews to be Jews at all, he seems very likely to answer in the negative. Heck, the pre-parade statement calls them enemies of the Jewish people.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:16 AM on July 31, 2015 [4 favorites]


No, and you would think that he should have been subject to a restraining order at the very least.

Moreover, you would think that 1/1,000,000th of the effort that Israel puts into its intelligence operations could go to a general "hey look out for this guy" during the parade.
posted by zachlipton at 9:55 AM on July 31, 2015


The part that especially bothers me about that statement in relation to the attack is that I don't think it's even a condemnation of it; possibly quite the contrary. Notice how he doesn't say these Jews. If you were to follow up on it by asking Gopstein if he considers gay Jews to be Jews at all, he seems very likely to answer in the negative. Heck, the pre-parade statement calls them enemies of the Jewish people.

Yes. The distinction was likely quite deliberate.

Some Orthodox Jews refuse to acknowledge that anyone they disapprove of as Jewish, including members of other sects. In some cases including members of their own sect. There are streams to Orthodox Judaism. Modern or Hareidi divisions, etc. From a religious standpoint, an Orthodox Jew's refusal to acknowledge that Reform or Conservative Jews are in fact Jews is an attempt to fight against those they feel are diluting the traditional purity of the religion. In the same vein, homophobia is rampant in many Hareidi communities. And even in some Modern Orthodox ones.

All of this is the worst kind of fundamentalism, and it's easy to dismiss them all as insanely clinging to irrelevance until something like this happens.
posted by zarq at 10:02 AM on July 31, 2015 [8 favorites]


Moreover, you would think that 1/1,000,000th of the effort that Israel puts into its intelligence operations could go to a general "hey look out for this guy" during the parade.

It's very, very, hard to defend against things like this. A whole bunch of people have been killed/wounded by stabbings in Jerusalem over the past couple of years. It has a weird historical resonance, because the Sicarii ("knife guys") were a militant group based in Jerusalem that went around stabbing Romans in the period leading up to the First Revolt.

As for the timing of his release, it makes me wonder--seriously, actually wondering--what the political leanings of whoever makes such decisions are, and whether they played a factor.

The USA is an outlier when it comes to political interference in the criminal justice process. He was convicted ten years ago for a stabbing that took place on June 30th, and he received a twelve-year sentence. Most people receive parole (which is usually a good thing!) and two years off is actually less than I'd expect in, say, Australia or the UK. I presume his eligibility for parole was reviewed annually, which is why he'd been out on parole for "a few weeks". In retrospect ...
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:44 AM on August 1, 2015




.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:26 PM on August 2, 2015


.
posted by benito.strauss at 6:50 PM on August 2, 2015


Now there are wall posters in Jerusalem in support of the killer. link1 link2 (both Failed Messiah)
posted by Melismata at 10:32 AM on August 6, 2015


Sickening.
posted by zarq at 11:57 AM on August 6, 2015


A day after posters appeared in Jerusalem praising Yishai Shlissel, who attacked marchers at last week's Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem – with one, 16-year-old Shira Banki, dying in hospital as a result of wounds inflicted by Shlissel – new posters angrily denouncing Schlissel appeared in religious neighborhoods throughout the city.

Wall posters, known as “pashkevillim” (a Yiddish word for proclamation), are an old tradition in Jerusalem's Orthodox neighborhoods, where few watch, listen to, or read news in the popular media. The posters are used for everything from informing residents of community events to warning them from associating with criminals and avoiding the company of “undesirables.”

In new posters anonymously plastered throughout Orthodox neighborhoods overnight Wednesday, Shlissel was called “a non-Jew” and “a disgusting creature. Loyal Jews totally reject the evil and cruel acts by this murderer last Thursday.”

The pro-Shlissel posters, which were place anonymously Tuesday night, congratulated him for his actions in “giving honor to the Name of Heaven.” They were likely placed by a small group of extremist, anti-Zionist haredim known as "Sicarii," who have been blamed for a campaign of intimidation against haredi IDF soldiers and other moderate haredim.

But Shlissel's claim that he had stabbed marchers in the parade “to avenge the name of G-d” was rejected by the new posters. “The hareidi public is strongly opposed to marches such as these in Jerusalem, the 'palace of the King,' but we are just as loyal to the direct and clear commandment in the Torah of 'thou shalt not kill.'

“Now we see that some empty and useless individuals have posted messages in the city, spreading libel about Jerusalem's holy population, as if it supports this man's evil. We say clearly and with no opportunity for misunderstanding: Hareidi Jews have no part in these acts and we reject the evil of this man and his supporters, which will bring a great destruction on all of us.”

posted by zarq at 11:59 AM on August 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


Pashkevils are like blog comments.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:53 PM on August 6, 2015


Ah, so the only reason why they condemn him is because he killed people. If he'd still stabbed them but they lived, that would be fine. Great.
posted by Melismata at 2:55 PM on August 6, 2015


Ah, so the only reason why they condemn him is because he killed people. If he'd still stabbed them but they lived, that would be fine. Great.

Doubt it. When Orthodox & Hareidi rabbis condemned Schlissel's actions, they referred to the stabbings. The entire attack.
posted by zarq at 3:19 PM on August 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


Zarq's right. In fact this poster (the only one I can make out so far) actually refers to Shlissel's "hateful deeds" as well as the murder.

Here's a news report, with a fascinating video of an anti-Shlissel poster being put up - I suppose I presumed that people stuck up posters themselves, but this guy is obviously doing it on behalf of someone else. Incidentally, the pro-Shlissel ones are signed "true Judaism" and the anti- Shlissel poster was signed "really true Judaism". They're both anonymous, but I thought the escalation was interesting.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:51 PM on August 6, 2015


Pashkevils are like blog comments

That's a weird comparison, no?

For the curious, they're actually flyers/posters posted by various groups in Hareidi communities which exhort the reader (in very aggressive language) to live by religious doctrine. More here.
posted by zarq at 4:18 PM on August 6, 2015


That's a weird comparison, no?

No! It's a very very good one because I came up with it myself!

In that literally cloistered milieu there's no TV or Internet or newspapers - typically not even Haredi newspapers. Community organisations and public figures can address the community directly, through books, newsletters, and public addresses - of which there are many, due to a lack of TV, Internet and newspapers. But private people can't, e.g., write a letter to the editor or start a blog. So how do they make public comments on public issues? Pashkevils.
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:21 PM on August 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


State indicts alleged gay pride parade stabber Schlissel for murder
– The indictment comes following a psychiatric evaluation that deemed Schlissel mentally competent to stand trial.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:45 PM on August 23, 2015


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