Honenu Attorney Eladi Weisel; Photo credit: Honenu
Thursday, July 25, 2024, 11:38 In March 2023, a Yehuda and Shomron resident was detained on suspicion of vandalizing Arab property. He was held in remand for many months, and his tefillin were confiscated. Honenu Attorney Eladi Weisel, who represented the resident, repeatedly wrote letters to the police requesting that they return the tefillin. Weisel explained that the tefillin have great religious and monetary value to his client. All of the requests were refused. A court decision demanding the return of the tefillin was also disregarded by the police.
Six months ago, Attorney Weisel appeared before the Jerusalem Magistrates Court and sued the police on behalf of the resident. He demanded that they return the tefillin and compensate his client for his great distress. In a compromise agreement, the court awarded the resident NIS 2,500 in compensation for the lengthy time the tefillin were not returned. It is shameful that it took over a year and a lawsuit for the police to return such a valuable, personal item.
Honenu Attorney Eladi Weisel commented on the case: “The disparaging manner in which the police safeguard religious articles confiscated from detainees is infuriating. The denigration is two-fold: The property of detainees is neglected, and the police disregard the legal obligation incumbent upon them. There is no reasonable explanation for why the police did not diligently search for the tefillin immediately upon request or at least in response to the court order, but took the trouble to do so only after we sued for compensation. The disrespect is blatant and humiliating. On one hand, we are pleased that the needless saga is over, but on the other, we regret the situation in which only filing a suit succeeded in rousing the police out of their indifference. And if someone does not have the wherewithal to pressure the police with a suit, do they not have the right to have their possessions returned by law?”