Israel Deutsch, a participant on the Israeli dating show "Wart" who found his wife Me'ayan Ruth Shalom through the program, unleashed a passionate condemnation on Monday of the violent attack on IDF female soldiers in Bnei Brak by extremist Haredim. Dressed in his IDF combat uniform, Deutsch uploaded a video to Instagram, titled "They are not Haredim," in which he decried the assailants' actions as a profound desecration of Jewish values and prayed for their swift repentance.
The incident in Bnei Brak, a hub of ultra-Orthodox Jewish life, saw Haredi protesters assaulting female IDF soldiers, sparking widespread outrage. Deutsch, visibly shaken, addressed his followers directly: "Dear brothers and sisters, I see the videos and I'm shocked every time anew. This is not religion, not Torah, not Judaism. It hurts me so much to see the crimes they commit, and the most painful is the great desecration of the name."
Emphasizing that the perpetrators do not represent the broader Haredi community, Deutsch clarified the true meaning of the term. "It's important for me that you remember one thing: they represent nothing. True, they have a large community, but they represent nothing. They are not Haredim. Haredi is from the word 'fear of the Lord,'" he stated firmly in the video.
Drawing on religious teachings, Deutsch highlighted divine aversion to division within the Jewish people. "The Holy One Blessed Be He hates, simply hates division in the people. This is the most serious sin," he said, referencing the Talmudic story of Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students. "They were great righteous men, but they died. Why? Because they did not act with respect to each other."
Speaking as an observant Haredi himself, Deutsch underscored his personal credentials to critique the extremists. "All this I say as a Haredi, studying Torah, keeping commandments and fighting in the IDF," he affirmed, urging viewers not to judge all Haredim by appearances. He invoked the sages' wisdom: "Don't look at the jug, but at what's inside it. And whoever can do such acts—he is not Haredi."
In a call for unity, Deutsch concluded his video with a heartfelt prayer: "I am all prayer that they return to repentance quickly and that we unite and soon the Messiah will come and we will merit complete redemption, amen." His message, blending righteous anger with hopeful spirituality, has resonated amid rising tensions between Israel's religious and military communities.
