Shades of Charles Bronson. This almost sounds like a segment from the movie “Death Wish”.
HaAretz this morning reports that a Ramat Beit Shemesh resident who is a 43 year old Charedi father of five was given a five jail year sentence and a huge fine of NIS 250,000 for: shooting three people with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and inflict permanent disability.
From HaAretz:
British-born Shraga Rosenberg, an ultra-Orthodox dentist and father of five children, was taking a stroll on a Friday night in Ramat Beit Shemesh in April 2005, when he encountered three young French immigrants and a fight between the sides ensued. Rosenberg fired three shots with his licensed CZ pistol, immediately fled the scene and then turned himself into local police on the following Sunday morning.
According to the article this fellow was an exemplary citizen. Delivering food packages to the needy, studying in a neighborhood kollel (yeshiva for older students) and volunteering with the local civil guard. The Charedi community is very upset with the verdict. They see this man as a victim of circumstances and savior of the community even if it was a bit through misguided means.
Ramat Beit Shemesh had its share of problems. As a mostly religious suburban enclave people there just want to live their lives in peace and tranquility in a community free of crime where children can play in the parks during the day and parents can take Friday night walks, without fear of being harrased.
But it was preciesly that tranquility and quiet seclusion that attracted a troubled and criminally inclined element from neighboring communities. It had gotten to a point that everyone was afraid to take a walk in that beautiful park for fear of what they might run into.
According to some residents of Ramat Beit Shemesh, where the incident occurred, Rosenberg was responding to the kind of violence that has become an everyday part of walking through their local parks. The (victims), they say, were known as neighborhood troublemakers, who terrorized anyone taking a Shabbat stroll.
So why did this civily minded individual take a walk in the park on a Friday night, drunk and with a loaded pistol? That question seems unanswered but my suspicion is that he was out to “solve the problem”. For one thing, community efforts to clean up the parks were of no avail. I don’t know if he ever intended anything more than scaring the off troublemakers or whether he actually planned to shoot them. But the bottom line is that he went into the park to take matters into his own hnads. He was going to take care of the problem even if it meant killing someone.
Now it is true that he was harrased first and that in the end it might have been self defense. But he aimed at their upper torso. One fellow took a bullet in the head and lost an eye.
So... in the end I have mixed feelings. On the one hand the parks have been cleaned up. The criminal element has learned to stay away and not mess with those crazy Ramat Beit Shemesh residents.
But... was the cost of cleaning up the mess worth it? Was Dr. Rosenberg a hero or a foolish vigilante that had no right to take the law into his own hands? Did he deserve what he got? Did he deserve much worse? ...Or did he deserve a medal?
I don’t know. But I’m glad for the Ramat Beit Shemesh residents that they have their park back.
