$124 fine for Chabad hasid manning Jerusalem tefillin stand

Jerusalem supervisor slaps Chabad hasid with fine, orders him to close his tefillin stand.

Orly Harari, 22/06/18 13:44

A Jerusalem municipal supervisor on Friday fined a Chabad hasid for standing near Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station and offering passersby to don tefillin (phylacteries).

Arriving at the tefillin stand, the supervisor ordered the hasid to close his stand, which has been operating for the past four years, and slapped him with a 450 NIS ($124) fine.

Jerusalem Councilman Aryeh King arrived at the site and protested the municipality’s unequal enforcement.

“The Jerusalem municipality continues the policy dictated by radical left-wing organizations: Chasing every hint of Judaism in public areas, especially tefillin stands,” King said. “And all of this while the municipality allows missionary and messianic organizations a free hand.”

“Jerusalem is not Tel Aviv. I will ensure that this is a one-time incident which will not repeat itself. We will continue to see tefillin stands and other Jewish signs in the public domain in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel.”

Former minister Eli Yishai said, “The ‘religionization’ campaign which began in the media is slowly making its way to places we never dreamed. Who would believe that in Jerusalem, the holy city, a man helping others don tefillin would receive a fine?”

“We absolutely must not allow this reality to become routine in the State of Israel. I have turned to my friend [Jerusalem Mayor] Nir Barkat, asking him to immediately cancel the fine and change the guidelines supervisors receive.”

Source: Israel National News