Hareidi men in Bnei Brak (illustrative)
Hareidi men in Bnei Brak (illustrative)Israel news photo: Flash 90

A fifty year old man is in critical condition in Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah after allegedly being beaten by a hareidi gang. The man, a member of the hareid community himself, is in a coma. According to reports, the gang attacked him, beating him until he was unconscious, for the “crime” of “looking” at a pregnant woman.

The man is a resident of the Kiryat Sanz neighborhood of Netanya. Police are looking for suspects in the incident, which occurred on Saturday night at a bus stop in the neighborhood. The man was waiting for a bus that would take him to Bnei Brak.

As we was waiting, a pregnant woman strolled by, eyewitnesses told the police. The group of Hassidic men, who were loitering in the area, apparently noticed the victim glancing at the woman, and set upon him.

Police have been unable to interview the victim because he is in a coma. Police are investigating reports that the gang was part of Netanya's “modesty squad,” a self-appointed group that keeps tab on the moral atmosphere in the town.