Haredi IDF officer exposes leaders of anti-haredi enlistment harassment campaign
Radical elements in the haredi community have in the past few years waged a vitriolic campaign of incitement and harassment against haredi IDF officers.
By JEREMY SHARONUpdated: SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 04:02Haredi soldier(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
An ultra-Orthodox IDF officer, who was one of numerous ultra-Orthodox military personnel subject to harassment by extremists in his sect, hired a private investigator to expose the people behind the harassment campaign.Radical elements in the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community have, in the past few years, waged a vitriolic campaign of incitement and harassment against haredi IDF officers involved in recruiting haredi conscripts, as well as against enlisted haredi soldiers.The campaign has taken the form of posters, pamphlets and booklets with cartoons and other images that incite readers against haredi officials involved in promoting IDF service. These publications routinely depict such people as pigs and malign elements attempting to corrupt haredi youth.In July, extremists published a booklet containing the names, photos and contact details of the most senior haredi figures who promote haredi enlistment, as part of efforts to harass and delegitimize them.One of the names published was IDF officer Yehudah Glickman. He, along with his wife, were the subject of ceaseless harassment by anonymous people who obtained their phone numbers from the booklet.The Glickmans received phone calls from people who said they hoped the Glickmans would die quickly, or warned them that they would face harsh justice in the afterlife for their deeds.Several police investigations were opened regarding the incitement campaign, but so far there have been no arrests or indictments.As first reported by Channel 2 on Wednesday night, Glickman became frustrated with the lack of progress and hired a private investigator to expose the people behind the harassment campaign.The investigator, David Gabai, who cost the Glickman and his wife tens of thousands of shekels, was able to gain access to the leaders of the campaign. He recorded four of them discussing efforts to stage protests at Glickman’s home.“We need buses and a bunch of other things,” said one of the extremists in the recording. “I’m thinking about buying a load of mice and filling up the houses of all these [haredi IDF recruiters] with them,” says another.
“Scorpions,” jokes one, playing off the similarity in Hebrew between the words mouse and scorpion.On the basis of the recordings, Glickman has filed a civil suit against the four extremists for slander, claiming NIS 2.4 million in damages.
