The big news of the day here in Israel has all the ingredients of a popular soap opera, including forbidden lust, revenge, power. It even has some Arab-Jewish cooperation thrown in for good measure.
Here’s the story: Ayala Amar, the 18 year-old daughter of the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, reportedly met a 17 year-old Charedi boy boy over the internet three months ago. They subsequently went on a few dates, where, Ha’aretz reports, “they did no more than talk.” (and assuming that this left-leaning, religious-hating newspaper would have besmirched the Rabbi’s daughter if they could have, chances are they really did no more than talk).
After Amar’s family found out about the relationship, they asked that Ayala desist from seeing the boy. She refused, prompting a family member (possibly the Rabbi’s wife) to approach the Rabbi’s eldest son Meir, to “take care of the problem.”
Now this is where the story gets even more interesting, for it seems like Meir is a troubled dude. He left his parent’s home at the age of 13, and has not been religiously observant for approximately 20 years. He also has a criminal record, no fixed address, and friends in both Israeli “settlements” and Arab villages. Not to mention the fact that he looks a bit like Sixties radical activist Abbie Hoffman.
About 10 days ago, Meir and his Arab buddies Ahmed and Abdallah went over to the boy’s house. After being enticed out of his house by Ayala, the youth was pushed into the car and kidnapped at knifepoint. He was taken to an Arab village and subjected to “Clockwork Orange style abuse” (not my words but the words of the Chief Police Superintendent). This involved being beaten, having his sidelocks and skullcap cut, being spat on, kicked, and verbally abused. The next morning, he was taken to the Rabbi’s house for more of the same, while the Rabbi’s wife (and possibly even the Rabbi himself) were sleeping in the next room.
The affair has raised alot of questions, including:
Stay tuned for the answers to these, and more, questions.
Update: The beaten youth is claiming that the Rabbi was aware of the incident “in real time”.
Update: Mobius of Jewschool, the winner of the bronze medal for Best Israel Advocacy Blog in the JIB Awards, has this to say on the affair.
Shades of familiarity, anyone? Oh, I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.
You bet it was. Comparing this isolated, inexcusable incident with the systematic “honor killings” of the PLO Arab world is totally uncalled for. But not entirely unexpected.
