Yosef Fleischman, who was pulled out of bed in the dead of night and arrested in vain, is still hospitalized at Shaare Zedek Hospital | Tonight, the Minister of Internal Security visited him together with retired Chief of Staff Arik Yekuel: “I expressed to Yosef my deep sorrow for what happened.”
Minister of Internal Security Amir Ohana, together with the head of the Haredi society’s team, retired Arik Yekuel, this evening (Saturday) visited the room of Yosef Fleischmanf, a resident of the Mea Shearim neighborhood who was wronged and found long hours later in the mud and suffering from hypothermia. Thus, tonight the Jerusalem District Commander, Superintendent Doron Yedid, announced that he would appoint an investigating officer to investigate the affair.
“I expressed to Yosef my deep sorrow at what happened,” Ohana said at the end of the visit, “I sent him on behalf of many citizens who appealed to me a strengthening hug and good health wishes. The Israel Police will investigate the incident and draw lessons from it to reduce recurrence of such cases.”
After the visit, Deputy Minister Uri Maklev spoke with Ohana and described the visit as a ‘noble act’. “We are happy to see the taking of responsibility, Minister Ohana is a minister who balances the work of the police. It gives light and hope in the face of these difficult acts,” McLean said. Minister Ohana informed Maklev that he had appointed an investigating officer to investigate the case and that he would insist that the investigation be thorough and in-depth until the matter is clarified and lessons learned.
As reported in Behadrei Haredim, on Thursday around 10:00 PM, Fleischman was located in an open area in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood by volunteers who searched for him. According to testimonies obtained by Behadrei Haredim, Fleischman is in a state of severe, exhausted hypothermia, with no ability to communicate with the environment.
He was evacuated by ambulance to the hospital with his condition defined as moderate. “He was lying in the mud in an open area and shaking all over,” one of the volunteers described it.
Police have made it clear that they intend to investigate the case and draw lessons accordingly. Currently, the police have not addressed the release of a sick man in the Jerusalem cold without making sure he is able to return to his warm home. Since the publication in Behadrei Haredim, a number of Knesset members have sent letters to Minister Ohana demanding that the issue be investigated.