MK Michal Waldiger Blames State Failures Following Murder of Bnei Brak Yungerman
Michal Waldiger sharply criticized Israeli government agencies and welfare authorities on Wednesday following the murder of yungerman Rav Yishai Por z”l in Bnei Brak, arguing that the tragedy reflects a deep systemic failure in the handling of severe mental-health crises.
Reacting to the shocking stabbing attack inside Kollel Chazon Ish, Waldiger described the incident as far more than an isolated criminal act and said the state bears responsibility for failing to properly address the suspect’s condition.
“The horrifying case in Bnei Brak gives me no rest. The death of Yishai Por z”l is first and foremost a failure of the state,” the Religious Zionism lawmaker wrote in a public post.
She questioned whether the suspect — described in reports as a homeless individual with a known psychiatric background — had received proper treatment or oversight from government agencies.
“‘The background is criminal,’ the headlines will scream. But what do we know about the background of the stabber?” Waldiger wrote.
She continued with a series of pointed questions aimed at the country’s welfare and mental-health systems: “Did he receive a proper support framework from the ministries? Was he under any supervision? Who sees him during the days of madness? Who takes him to the police station — a police officer in uniform or a social worker? And who will be able to say, ‘Our hands did not spill this blood’?”
As previously reported, Rav Yishai Por z”l, 50, was stabbed to death Tuesday afternoon while learning alongside his son inside the Chazon Ish kollel on Rechov HaAri in Bnei Brak.
According to reports, the suspect fled immediately after the attack. Authorities later arrested him near Beit Shemesh.
Investigators say the victim and suspect were involved in a heated verbal confrontation several days earlier inside the kollel, during which the suspect allegedly threatened Rav Por, saying, “I’ll deal with you yet.”
Waldiger concluded her remarks with a broader warning about the state of mental-health care in Israel.
“If mental health remains in the backyard of the State of Israel, we will not be denying the problem — on the contrary, the neglected garden will grow thorns into the main street for all of us,” she wrote.
Her comments reignited the longstanding public debate over how Israeli law enforcement and welfare authorities handle individuals suffering from severe psychiatric crises, particularly those who may pose a danger to others.
The discussion has increasingly centered on whether existing government systems provide sufficient supervision, treatment, and intervention for mentally ill individuals before situations escalate into violence.
Several months ago, the Knesset marked World Mental Health Day for the first time during an event led by Waldiger herself. At that gathering, Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso stated that “during the war year, the State of Israel is treating hundreds of thousands” of citizens suffering from anxiety and emotional trauma.
Waldiger’s latest remarks drew widespread attention and shifted much of the public conversation from the specific crime itself to the larger unresolved questions surrounding Israel’s mental-health and social-service systems, as calls grow louder for broader reform and earlier intervention by trained welfare professionals.
{Matzav.com}
