A day after posters appeared in Jerusalem praising Yishai Shlissel, who attacked marchers at last week's Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem – with one, 16-year-old Shira Banki, dying in hospital as a result of wounds inflicted by Shlissel – new posters angrily denouncing Schlissel appeared in religious neighborhoods throughout the city.
Wall posters, known as “pashkevillim” (a Yiddish word for proclamation), are an old tradition in Jerusalem's Orthodox neighborhoods, where few watch, listen to, or read news in the popular media. The posters are used for everything from informing residents of community events to warning them from associating with criminals and avoiding the company of “undesirables.”
In new posters anonymously plastered throughout Orthodox neighborhoods overnight Wednesday, Shlissel was called “a non-Jew” and “a disgusting creature. Loyal Jews totally reject the evil and cruel acts by this murderer last Thursday.”
The pro-Shlissel posters, which were place anonymously Tuesday night, congratulated him for his actions in “giving honor to the Name of Heaven.” They were likely placed by a small group of extremist, anti-Zionist haredim known as "Sicarii," who have been blamed for a campaign of intimidation against haredi IDF soldiers and other moderate haredim.
But Shlissel's claim that he had stabbed marchers in the parade “to avenge the name of G-d” was rejected by the new posters. “The hareidi public is strongly opposed to marches such as these in Jerusalem, the 'palace of the King,' but we are just as loyal to the direct and clear commandment in the Torah of 'thou shalt not kill.'
“Now we see that some empty and useless individuals have posted messages in the city, spreading libel about Jerusalem's holy population, as if it supports this man's evil. We say clearly and with no opportunity for misunderstanding: Hareidi Jews have no part in these acts and we reject the evil of this man and his supporters, which will bring a great destruction on all of us.”