Posted to Chabad News on

No Dogs, No Jews: Chosid Refused Entry to Israeli Mall

A Lubavitcher chossid who arrived at the Ramat Aviv Shopping Center was prohibited from entering by the security guard. The guard explained to the man that he received orders “from above” and he cannot permit him to enter since being dressed in chareidi garb will make visitors “uncomfortable.”

From Yeshiva World News:

Famous singer Yehoram Gaon was at the mall entrance when the incident occurred, and he confirmed the events during his erev Shabbos radio program ‘Gaon on the Radio,’ telling listeners “the treatment of the man was worse than the treatment of Jews in Berlin in 1939.”

He went on to explain what he saw: “I was astounded when I saw the chossid arguing at the entrance because he was being barred from going inside. He was simply blocked from coming in like the rest of us because of his beard, peyos and black clothing.

“I asked the guard ‘Why isn’t he permitted inside? He explained ‘I am just obeying orders.’ Did you hear this? This was the directive from the management of the mall, Ramat Aviv Mall. The guard was instructed to prohibit chareidim from entering because those seated in eateries will feel uncomfortable and lose their appetite. We must applaud the management for being so concerned with the appetite of customers.”

Many heard the story since it was aired by Gaon, but at least one person, chareidi businessman Chaim Ravaad, decided to do something. Ravaad, along with a number of “known personalities in the chareidi community,” announced on Motzei Shabbos that if the mall’s management does not fire the guard, along with others responsible for the policy, they will use all means at their disposal to take legal action against the mall.

“We will act in every legal way possible against the racist policy of the mall. We are demanding the dismissal of the manager and/or all those responsible for the decision,” he announced.

In addition, they are planning to organize buses of chareidim to visit the mall, to protest against the discriminatory policy.

To view video of the incident, click here.

Related Articles

34 Comments

  • meir

    i dont blame the mall…when you have charaidim make fools out of themselves….throwing woman off busses throwing rocks..what do you expect?? umfotunately most people can not differentiate a lubavitcher from a satmare…

  • Non

    It’s not bc he was wearing religious garb, it’s bc he was doing mivtzoim and spreading like/harassing people

  • melech b

    oh man what is this world coming to. moshiach seriously needs to come. once jews start treating other jews like 1933 germany then things are REALLY getting out of hand

  • CH Anon

    There are 2 sides to every story. Maybe they had bad experiences in the past of Haredim assaulting others. Effective journalism would provide both sides to the story, not one.

    By having a protest, that just feeds into the policy. If people can be discriminated for their gender and clothing by religious folk, then religious folk should expect discrimination back to them.

  • yes

    but this doesnt happen in the religious places in israel where they tell you which sidewalk to walk on or when you can or cannot drive on the street! you cant have it both ways ppl!

  • Taste of their own medicine

    Sorry but I don’t blame them. Chareidim will throw stones at you if you enter their neighborhood, which is public property, if you don’t dress to their accordance or walk on the “wrong” side of the street. This is a presumably a privately owned mall. Can’t have it both ways.

  • Menashe

    This appears to be a mivtza tefillin thing, not a charedi thing. It’s wrong but not racist.

  • chaim

    he is shneur schneerson from the family of 21 kids and is a mashpia in ramat aviv. he doesnt mean to hurt anyone but that yarlmuka is very attractive.

  • Sightseeing Tours of Left Hypocrisy

    Bring on the Busloads ,great for sightseeing , don’t buy anything.

  • Lessons

    Maybee Yad Vashem could make “Ramat Aviv Shopping Center” part of a exhibit on Anti-semitism.

  • The most anti-semitic country

    My Rosh Yeshiva, a Lubavitcher, once remarked that Israel is the most anti-semitic country in the world.
    Another friend, not chasidic, told me,“if you would know some of the things that go on there, you would be siding with Neturei Karta!” I never thought I would go that far until I saw that there was a funeral home doing cremations! Can you imagine, Israel, which was born from the blood and horrors of the Holocaust, would stoop so sick as to cremate Jewish bodies?!
    I demand stronger than “Moshiach now”

  • Joe Amit

    The guy in the black T-shirt is Joe Amit. Remember him roaming around CH?

  • Andrea Schonberger

    This is so not cool that I wonder if this is not one of those candid camera type set ups?

  • it sounds worse then it is

    i think its the fact that he is doing mivtzoim that they didnt let him in. not because he is charedi

  • Yukel

    I just left Israel after an extended stat there. There is more ant-semitism there than anywhere else I have been. You can not do business, or interact with anyone without religion coming up. This incident is common in Israel right now. There is a war in Israel against any frum Jews within the regular sector. Wake up. They tell the frum to work, but wont hire any frum workers, they tell the frum to serve the amy, but deny frum people promotions or positions they are suited for.

  • Ashamed

    I know this mall very well. There are frum owned stores there and many frum pepole there. It also has a shul on site with many minyanim etc.

    The only issue here is that young maschstin come here and bother pepole owners and customers. Many times they post stickers and other items that are not pleasant. They also push there moshiach flags etc.

    There are Chabad bochrim (normal ones) that go there evrey Friday and have no problems.

    It is obvious from this guys yarmulke why he was rightfully not allowed in.

    Having been in Israel lag boimer I saw first hand these tzefatim making massive chilul hashem.

    So thank you mall for keeping this guy out and normal chabadnicks in

  • S. Sobel

    While some have likened this event to Nazism, there are differences: The order came from one stupid individual (or small group), not the government; the error will be corrected quickly; those who erred will apologize; and they might even have to pay for their mistake.

  • Scott

    Sorry, he is not a Lubavitcher Chosid, but a mental patient who belongs in a home.

  • Lie

    The story is a lie. He wanted to go in to put tefilin on people and they didn’t want shoppers to be bothered.
    PS: By pesach time there was a story where charadim did not allow secular people in to a public zoo.

  • Shkoach!

    I know that mall very well, and they did a good job! It was a crazy meshichist who comes with his crazy ideas and drives everyone mad to say Yechi. They do let other chareidim in no problem.

    It’s time the tzfatim of Ramat Aviv get a grip.

  • Hashem Hu Malkenu

    The fact that everyone defended him shows that most people do NOT mind. Besides, the guard did not make it clear that only he was being excluded.

    Leviev (Africa Israel) was forced to sell this mall a while ago to the shady Ofer (Kofer) brothers concern, and it is no longer shomer Shabbos. The shul remains from his time, and the frum stores probably came in when Africa Israel owned it and davka wanted frum tenants.

    In any event, seeing someone who is not Jewish (the Ethiopians have no Jewish DNA and were brought over for political reasons) throw a Jew out of a mall in Eretz Yisroel is disgusting. The management could have made a deal with Chabad in Ramat Aviv to let him use the shul for mivtzoim. This is just the new secular owner’s attempt to show which side of the Ramat Aviv dispute he is on.

    And the owner will lose in the end.

  • Lie tells the Big Lie

    By pesach time there was a story where charadim did not allow secular people in to a public zoo.
    —
    The group RENTED the zoo and the GUARDS did not let others in.

  • Reuvan Nuchem

    The mall issued the following statement to Behadrei Haredim:

    “Ramat Aviv mall is open and welcomes the general public regardless of religion, gender or race. Mall are hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, from all walks of life. Important to stress that the mall is a synagogue open continuously at all hours of activity as well as the mall, the mall does not work on Saturday.

    ”Following the intense activity of Chabad throughout the mall, we received numerous complaints from customers and business owners in it, who feel disturbed by this activity. Therefore, we asked members of the Chabad coming to the mall to respect and to avoid activities in the mall.”

  • awacs

    Perhaps someone can approach Lev Leviev, and ask him to intercede. He owns the mail, after all.

  • 5532

    ok from all this, we understand that media often botches up stories for sensationalism which is the cause of much media corruption. Lets get the straight story somehow

  • CR

    Only in Israel has the comment “We don’t serve your kind here” ever been directed at me. I heard it from the uber-leftist who didn’t like religious people, the aged Palmach fighter who resented the Orthodox not fighting in the army, the litvish-misnaged who hates chassidim, the “geborener” chassid who thinks the “gevorener” are cheapening his brand. The country and society have a lot of introspection and internal house-cleaning to undertake to be truly welcoming to the global Jewish community.

  • Updated information

    Perhaps someone can approach Lev Leviev, and ask him to intercede. He owns the mail, after all.
    —-

    Leviev (Africa Israel) sold the mall a few years ago when the crisis hit. The new owners are very secular.

  • No thank you

    If they had turned away anybody else doing missionary work for other religions, would you feel the same? Do you enjoy going to Atlantic Mall and having people loudly preach? I certainly don’t and it applies to every religion.

    There is a time and place for everything. You assume that someone is secular because of how they dress, because they don’t do the same things as you but a lot of people prefer to keep their practice and connection with Hashem private for the sake of modesty and that should be respected.

    <b>#24, the guards in the ch.info link are CAUCASIAN.</b>

    From the other video, are you saying the guard is not Jewish because of his skin tone? Have you personally tested his DNA? Do you have any information on the history of conversion in his family? Do you even know him, if he converted or even identifies as being Jewish? All you know is that he appears Ethiopian and is a guard.

    Perhaps all conversions from the beginning of time should be invalidated while you’re at it since with DNA testing, you’d find plenty of Jews who do not have maternal lineage.

  • Go-ds right hand man

    No solicitors ! Simple ! The insult or complaint that it makes them sick to their stomach isn’t cool !
    It isn’t a new issue the places have laws, regulations and rules !
    If the malls managment chooses to insult and/or fight a solicitor it was their choice !
    Who controls the streets of modern day Israel is a good question ! Who controls The businesses in modern day Israel is simple !

  • No Dogs, No Jews?

    No Dogs, No Jews? they didn’t want JEWS shoppers to be bothered!not because he is charedis!!!!!!!! or jew!