הפריצה באמצע השידורצילום: קול חי וכיכר השבת

Yoely and Ruli Dickman, two well-known haredi singers, decided to bring a bit of Passover joy to their neighbors in Bnei Brak, all of whom are confined to their homes due to the strict lockdown imposed in the haredi city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

They set up an amplification system in their home with a loudspeaker on the porch, and began to sing the Hallel prayer of thanksgiving with musical accompaniment - until police arrived.

Police claim they knocked at the door and received no response. They then climbed to the roof of the building and made their way down to the porch and entered the apartment, cutting off the music and claiming that neighbors had complained about “excessive noise.”

After receiving dozens of complaints at the heavy-handed approach of the police, Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan (Likud) promised that he would order police to investigate the incident.

“I have ordered police to look into this incident,” he said, “and the conclusions will be published. I do ask the public to bear in the mind that Israeli police are currently operating under extreme pressure due to bearing responsibility for enforcement of the country-wide lockdown … before judging them, wait for the details to be clarified. I don’t deny that mistakes can happen … but all the same, it’s advisable to count to ten before attacking those who work on behalf of all of us,” he said.

A police statement claimed that: “Police officers were called to the scene following repeated reports received by the local police call center about very loud noise through loudspeakers placed on the balcony of an apartment in the city of Bnei Brak. Police arrived at the scene and confirmed that the noise was loud and a violation of the law. They requested that the people concerned turn the volume down, and they complied.

“However, after police left, further complaints were received, stating that the music had resumed as previously. Police returned to the scene and knocked on the door … but those in the apartment who were making the noise ignored our requests to open and so the police had to enter the apartment via the balcony. Despite this, the police sufficed with issuing another warning, after disconnecting the amplification system. No fines were issued. We emphasize that this enforcement activity is not related to the emergency regulations or the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus at all.”