Haredi Jews walk close to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (illustration)
Haredi Jews walk close to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (illustration)Garrett Mills/Flash 90

After arousing intense anger and derision by publishing a letter to terrorists, asking them not to target haredi Jews because most of them do not visit the Temple Mount, Mishpaha magazine has published an apology.

Under the headline "Sorry," Mishpaha Deputy Editor Aryeh Ehrlich wrote that the letter – which was published in Arabic and Hebrew – was a "gimmick" that spun out of control.

"None of the newspaper's readers deserves to think, even for a moment, even by mistake, that he is reading a column that asks lowly terrorists to point their weapons at other populations and only abstain from harming the haredi sector," he wrote. "And generally, no one deserves to think that the newspaper really writes to lowly terrorists and asks them for anything."

Erlich said that he had no idea that what he wrote would be understood the way it was, but that he does not intend to shirk responsibility.

He added: "It is precisely for cases like this that our Sages wrote: 'Wise men, be careful with your words.'"

Arab news outlet Quds Newsreported about the plea. It said that the letter was put out by “the settler group known as 'haredim,' and they asked not to be made a target in the intifada since they oppose ascending and breaking into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Nothing doing, wrote Quds. “The intifada continues.”