[YNet] - Police over the weekend cracked down on a number of illegally-run synagogues in the ultra-Orthodox communities of Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, leading to several violent clashes.
In Bnei Brak, officers shut down two illegal synagogues on Saturday, operated out of yeshivas while the students are away on holidays. One of the synagogues was run by the fanatical Jerusalemite faction inside the prestigious Ponevezh Yeshiva.
The sect is known for its civil disobedience and frequent clashes with security forces over conscription as well as state and religious affairs.
Officers also raided two mass gathering in the area, celebrating the Sukkot holiday, one organized by a confirmed virus carrier and another, a Tish (a gathering of Hasidim around their Rebbe), organized by the Zotshka group.
A total of 22 illegally operated prayer houses were closed by the police in Bnei Brak, with dozens of fines handed out to local businesses and residents for violating lockdown rules.
|