Whose Fault is it Really?

Yosef Eizental - run over by a bus and killed during a Charedi protest (VIN)

As must have been the case for anyone who became aware of this tragedy, my first reaction was one of profound sadness. Yosef Eizental, a 14-year-old Charedi boy, was killed after being run down by a city bus in Jerusalem during a recent protest by members of his community against the draft. A frustrated bus driver drove through a large crowd that was blocking the street and struck and killed young Yosef. I cannot begin to imagine what his parents are feeling right now.

This young man was simply acting on the directives of his religious leaders. Many of whom have engaged in truly over-the-top and deeply disturbing exaggerations about the supposed ‘evils’ of the IDF.

My sadness, however, quickly gave way to anger. Anger at those who are ultimately to blame for this tragedy (beyond the bus driver himself).

I don’t know whether any specific Charedi religious leader or group of leaders explicitly called for this protest. But it would not surprise me if they did since they have done so in the past. But even if they did not directly call for it, they certainly inspired it through their constant and vile anti-IDF and anti-government rhetoric.

One thing seems certain: they did not urge restraint, nor did they call for the protest to be halted once it began. They likely took pride in the fact that so many of their young protégés participated in what they viewed as a ‘just’ cause. Even though many non-Charedi religious leaders believe that cause is anything but just.

That said, they are certainly entitled to their opinion. As religious leaders – publicly addressing what they view as a religious issue is surely seen as an obligation to speak out forcefully on a matter they feel so strongly about, especially given the immense influence they wield.

But with the power to motivate tens of thousands of young students to act - comes responsibility. Responsibility that must be shared when the consequences turn tragic. And that is clearly the case here.

Of course, the primary fault lies with the bus driver, who panicked as a chaotic crowd began attacking his bus while fires were being set in the street around his bus. He is rightly being charged with manslaughter. There is no excuse for driving at an unsafe speed through a street packed with people. He had to know that someone would almost certainly be hurt or killed.

But the responsibility does not rest with him alone...

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