Three ultra-Orthodox men were arrested after a woman was attacked and injured while trying to put up posters in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh on Tuesday. An angry mob of ultra-Orthodox men allegedly attacked Natali Mashiach, 26, cursing her, spitting at her, hurling stones at her, stealing her car keys and causing extensive damage to her vehicle, including puncturing the tires and breaking the windows. The incident occurred in broad daylight in Hillel Street in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh after Mashiach, who works for "Shaveh Shaveh" ("It's Worth It") a company that enhances a person's chances of winning the state lottery went there to put up advertising posters. "Suddenly, an ultra-Orthodox man approached, tore down the advertisement, and shouted, 'Gentile, prostitute, get out of here, whore.' He then spit in my face, Mashiach recounted later. I shouted back that I would not remain silent about this incident, and called the police, who instructed me to stay where I was. Ten minutes later, I called them again and they said they were on their way. At that point I called my brother. I noticed several ultra-Orthodox men running towards me with cement blocks and stones in their hands. I shouted to my brother, 'Omri, they are murdering me.' They came from all directions, surrounded me, began throwing stones at me, and shattered the windows of my car." Weeping as she spoke, Mashiach continued, "I was absolutely panic-stricken and was sure they would murder me and I was going to die. I begged for my life, but they continued throwing stones at my car. Then someone came and spilled bleach on the car. I was sure it was gasoline at first, and I thought he was going to burn me. I ran and hid behind the car, but someone came and threw a stone at my leg, after I was already hit in the head. I felt as if they were trying to lynch me. I had only once before seen such a look in someone's eyes -- when our soldiers were lynched in Ramallah. All throughout the incident, there were 50 onlookers and no one did anything to stop it." Even after Mashiach was hurt, the abuse continued. "I ran to a nearby building and heard some shouts from inside the building: 'Gentile, prostitute, whore.' One of those who had attacked me earlier was in the building and spit in my face. I ran from there and saw a police car approaching. The ultra-Orthodox ran away in every direction. My brother, an officer in the Givati Brigade, arrived, and, together with the police, chased the men and caught a few of them. This was a traumatic experience that I don't wish even upon my worst enemies." She concluded, "What I can't understand is that Jews are doing this to Jews. This is the act of top-level criminals. They are totally heartless." The three men who were arrested were expected to be brought before a judge in the Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday for a remand hearing. Police said others involved in the incident were known to the police and were expected to be arrested soon. Rumors abounded in Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet on Tuesday that Mashiach had been dressed immodestly and had entered a synagogue, and that after she was asked to leave, she raised her shirt defiantly, and only after this was she attacked. Beit Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul said, "I am reiterating my condemnation of violence of any kind, perpetrated by a fringe group of extremists on both sides, and call upon the police to enforce the law stringently." Rabbi Dov Lipman, a moderate Orthodox rabbi and resident of Beit Shemesh, said, "I have no doubt that next time it will end in murder. We must do something immediately. This is not just a small group and this is something the municipality must take care of." The city of Beit Shemesh has for weeks been the focus of a storm of controversy over the exclusion of women from public spaces in Israel. Cameras recently installed throughout the city as part of the Public Security Ministry's "City Without Violence" program have documented incidents of gender segregation and violence toward women around the city, including spitting and shouting of insults. In a similar incident in December, police said a Channel 2 TV news crew filming in the city had been surrounded by ultra-Orthodox men who hurled stones at the team and incited a mini-riot.
