It is clear beyond a reasonable doubt that each of the above instances has done incalculable harm to kavod shamayim. When taken together, it is clear these horrible actions have destroyed any possible chance that others will see haredi Jews as anything but mindless, violent, even cruel religious fanatics who represent everything evil and reprehensible about religion.
If one investigates closely, one can find this rabbi or that one who has decried this or that demonstration as beyond the pale. But loud, public, across-the-board condemnations? They are nowhere to be found.
Where is the unified voice of our great rabbinic leaders demanding an end to the toleration of hooliganism and savagery in the name of the haredi community? When will this terrible desecration of God’s name be halted?
Where are the pashkevils, the protests, and the cherems that ought to be pronounced against the hooligans? Surely this is worthy of at least as much attention as books on science few had read before their banning or concerts deemed injurious to the spiritual health of the attendees.
What will it take for the silent majority of haredi Jews to once and for all stand up and spit the violent ones from their midst, and clearly and publicly reject and repudiate them?
When will we make sure that impressionable young yeshiva students cannot be influenced by the hooligans? I know of several cases where American bochurim were swayed by extremist rhetoric and joined forces with the out-of-control protesters, only to be punished severely by the Israeli police.
If ever there was a time to speak out for the honor of Hashem and His Torah, it is now. It is time for the majority of haredim to declare:
“We decry the terrible violence that has gone on for too long in the name of haredi Judaism. We wish to make it clear that we, the great majority of those who are called haredim, have deep fundamental disagreements with the perpetrators of these crimes. While we are not Zionists, we recognize that the State of Israel is the homeland of the largest community of Jews in the world and we pray and hope for its continued success in providing peace, security and basic services for its citizens.
“As citizens of Israel, we pay taxes, engage in business, and are grateful for the protection of the IDF and the police and recognize that with all its faults, the state has made it possible for a tremendous renaissance of Torah learning and observance. For this we are grateful.
“Please know the terrible hooligans represent only themselves and are a source of painful embarrassment and anguish to us, and that we pledge to do all we can to ensure they are marginalized and ostracized in our communities. For us, authentic Judaism means living in a way that sanctifies Hashem at all times, and that is what we seek to achieve, above all else.”