War in Beit Shemesh ?

B"H

Is or will there be a war between the national religious (Mizrachi) and the Haredim of Beit Shemesh ? Some national religious blogs and the Israeli press reported about an incident where national religious girls were beaten up by some Haredim in the haredi part of Ramat Beit Shemesh.

That Shabbat, when the incident seemed to have occured, I was in Ramat Beit Shemesh myself. After I received a comment and read some articles in the press, I started asking a few Haredim from Beit Shemesh. One had been visiting that particular Shabbat as well and the other one lives nearby where the incident may have occured.

When something like this is taking place, the whole haredi neighbourhood knows about it. Everyone has something to talk and to add. But about this specific case no one spoke. None of the Haredim even seemed to know about it. Furthermore, no Chassid wearing a golden coat on Shabbat (as the attacked girls claimed) would touch a woman anyway. Those golden Shabbat coats are mostly worn by the Toldot Aharon, the Toldot Avraham Yitzchak and Karlin. And believe me, none of them would jump on strange women and beat her up.

A few days later, I read in a haredi forum that at several occasions, national religious guys and girls came into the haredi neighbourhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh and started provoking tthe haredi population. The Haredim, on the other hand, warned the national religious but there was no reaction. Just the opposite, national religious girls were laughing out loud immodestly and the Haredim began asking themselves if this is not just a provocation in order to drive them mad. Why do the national religious have to hang around in a haredi neighbourhood and don't stay in their own aerea where they can laugh and scream as much as they like ?

Despite all the claims, I very much doubt that the incident really took place. There wasn't even any gossip in the haredi forums about it which actually is very unusual. A sign that it was only a set - up ?

For many parts of haredi society, the national religious are not religious or modest enough. Religion "light".
And it doesn't surprise that girls and boys stand around together. But why provoke a war with the Haredim and later on, run to the press and complain about haredi "violence" ?
When I was visiting Beit Shemesh over Shabbat, I was told that some secular and others only come to Ramat Beit Shemesh on Shabbat in order to provoke. The haredi side, on the other hand, fears a kind of revenge attack of the national religious. Not only a few of them would show up but hundreds.

Unfortunately, the Haredim don't have a positive press among the secular media and therefore, it is easy to make certain claims about their "violence".