JERUSALEM (JTA) — Protests against a Jerusalem parking lot opening on Shabbat were peaceful for the first time.
More than 1,000 fervently Orthodox demonstrators gathered in their own Jerusalem neighborhood did not attempt to block streets or the entrance to the Carta parking lot on Friday night and Saturday, according to reports. The protesters did not clash with police or counter demonstrators, police said.
A letter from the Edat Haredit rabbinical court issued Sept. 3 warned protesters to rein in the violence that has been the hallmark of the past 11 weeks of demonstrating. Edat Haredit is the umbrella organization for several insular Chasidic organizations including Satmar, Breslav, Toldot Aharon and Dushinsky.
The letter stated that "in protests for the dignity of heavens, and against those seeking to overrun the fortifications of religious wisdom, one must still conduct himself by Torah law and spirit, not to carry out acts of violence like stoning, burning and spitting or to cause any damage to any property."
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