The obscene practice that is gaining momentum: Haredim walking through the streets of Jerusalem's Old City on Monday noticed Christians carrying out a crusade and spat at them. Among Yorkers - adults and children. The incident occurred at a time when tens of thousands of Jews were participating yesterday and in events and prayers on the occasion of Sukkot in the city.
According to an activist in the Christian Church in Jerusalem, there is evidence pointing to a long list of harassment, spitting and abusive behavior towards members of the Christian community in the city, but the Israeli authorities have downplayed the importance of the phenomenon and have not taken real steps to combat it.
Pilgrims in Jerusalem (Archive), Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"Only when there is a video that circulates on social media do Israelis begin to respond and show that they are addressing the issue," the activist told Israel Hayom. "But the truth is that there are quite a few records of attacks against Christians and no one really cares."
"Studying in educational institutions supported by the government"
In response to the "spitting video" published in the past 24 hours, Dimitri Diliani, head of the Jerusalem Union of Churches, told Israel Hayom that "the reason for these incidents is first of all racism. The explanation that it's a religious custom to spit on Christians is just an attempt to give a religious justification for racist behavior."
"The people who spit and do these things are giving a religious cover to racism, and it is the responsibility of Israeli society to deal with this," he added. "They go to educational institutions with support and budgets from the Israeli government, but no one comes to account with them and they are not punished. The Israeli government is the main sponsor of these people."
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