Please Do Not Stab Haredim. We Are Not Your Enemy

By Gldmeier @gldmeier
Mishpacha magazine (Hebrew) has come under fire today in both social media and on some news sites, and subsequently on the radio talk shows, for something they printed in the latest edition, distributed today.
Here is the image of the offending text:

This is being described as an ad by Mishpacha asking the Arab terrorists to not stab Haredi Jews becuase the Haredim are not a side in the conflict - they do not go to Har Habayit, "so please do not murder us".
Obviously that is a disgusting and offensive ad to run, an offensive request to make.
The problem with it is that the above is being taken out of context. While it itself is inappropriate, it is not an ad being run by Mishapacha asking Arabs to not stab Haredim. It is an excerpt from an editorial in Mishpacha that is being taken out of context.
The first line of the next paragraph after the above excerpt begins "Now, seriously,...". The writer goes on to explore why Haredim are targets, and why in a town like Beitar, with neighboring villages like Husan, things have been relatively quiet. He refers to a conversation he had with a Palestinian laborer in Beitar. He explores the possibility that it is because Haredim are the most easily identifiable as Jews. He explores the possibility that it is a religious war, and Haredim are [perceived as] the most religious.
While the opening paragraph is surely offensive and inappropriate, it is NOT an ad asking Arabs to not stab haredim.
The real purpose of the article is the conclusion. The entire issue of the stabbing and Haredim being targeted is in order to point out to the readers that the Haredim are more representative of the Jews than any other group. Even though he points out that now is not the time to argue over who is more Jewish than whom, he is basically patting himself on the back for the revelation via the stabbings that the Haredim are more Jewish than everyone else.
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