How quickly perceptions of a town can change. A short two and a half months ago. I was in Ramat Bet Shemesh for a wonderful Sukkos. My impression of the town there was then as it had always been… a wonderful community that was beautiful inside and out… both the physical beauty of the planned community there and the spiritual beauty I beheld of the residents there. I described it all in a post I had written on the way back home to Chicago.
Yes, Ramat Bet Shemesh had it’s share of problems. I knew that and even blogged about a few incidents there. But my impression never changed. I have always thought that these were anomalies that were symptomatic of the larger strife between the Charedi and DL communities.
But over the past few days… all that has changed. I don’t think I can ever go back to Ramat Bet Shemesh with the same sense of love I have always had for it. The kinds of stories about this town crossing the comments section have made an indelibly different impression of that community upon me than that which was made on all my previous trips there. And I am really sorry that has happened. That community had the potential to actually be the city I originally though it to be… a microcosm of mutual respect between the two Orthodox worlds of Datim and Charedim. Now, instead of that I see the exact opposite: A polarization of monumental proportion. And Charedi citizens whose vigilantism and Kaanaus has turned it into a very unpleasant environment and in some instance a very dangerous one full of “pogroms” for those who are perceived to not tow an extreme Charedi line.
Yes, these Kaanaim are paving their road with the best of intentions. They think all their activities are L’Shem Shamyim. It is all done in the name of God. Innocent people get hurt…? Too bad.
I hate seeing this happen to a beautiful city with so much potential. And in my heart I still believe that the vast majority of its citizens are the fine and decent ones I encountered on all of my trips there.
But there is a large presence of people paving a road that can only end up with disastrous consequences. Right now it’s “The Wild, Wild West”. Kaanaim are running around creating havoc at will with complete impunity. My hope is that various community leaders there, Rav Kornfeld, Rav Kirshenbaum, Rav Malinowitz, and others band together and do something to clean up the town. For starters Rav Perlstein should be asked to leave. That would be a great start.
