Shalom to you my Charedi brothers

This afternoon, I came across a letter written in Hebrew by a policeman who was called to be present at the demonstrations this Shabbos held by Charedi protesters against Intel employees working on the Sabbath.
I was taken by his spirit of unity to his fellow Jews and was educated into the mindset of a policeman, as well.
Here is a very loose translation of what he wrote.

Shalom to you my Charedi brothers
I'm Yoel, a Jerusalem Special Patrol Unit policeman, aged 32, married with two children.
With these words, directed to you the ultra-Orthodox public, and especially to the protesters who came from within that sector, I want to impart to you a very important lesson, and I hope you listen to me, because I come for your benefit. I come for your benefit as a believing Jew who is traditional and someone who respects religion. I'm coming to you as a person who can appreciate the true quality of the ultra-Orthodox public.
It is important for me to refute the stigma attached to the Special Patrol Unit cop that they are bad and tough and that are really looking to beat people up and act wildly. So, like everywhere, like in any community, there are bad people and kind hearted people. Most of the Special Patrol Unit are ordinary people and hate violence despite the gray uniforms.
Now is the time to understand our side in the demonstrations.
A cop like me, who works hard all week (There is no rest in police work, always something to do), awaits the Sabbath like all the nation of Israel. Saturday morning, I usually go to the synagogue in the neighborhood, and then enjoy spending time with the children. These are my only leisure hours of the week. But it hasn't been like that the past few months as there is no more peace and quiet.
These are the facts: Every cop who comes to a Charedi demonstration on Saturday, the district commander, etc. are already angry that there went the Sabbath for them. But still, how do you say, we're cops, you demonstrate, these are the rules of the democratic game, there's nothing to do about it and we do not complain.
Believe me, when we go to the demonstrations, we say to each other 'Come on - let it be over with', hoping that it ends soon and that we could return home quickly. No, we don't come prepared for battle, but rather we are calm.....
Okay, we are at a demonstration, suppose with Intel....It starts calmly. First come respected Orthodox Jews shouting "Shabbos" in a dignified manner. You know what? Sometimes I want to shout with them, I support it.
Then, without warning, a 15-year-old boy, no more, spits in your face. You must understand. Someone like me, most cops like me, I'm honest and respectable, the family breadwinner and wonderful father, a man who served in Lebanon, a full service of 3 years and even got injured lightly once, I get spit on by a child with a skullcap?
At first you go into complete shock. Then comes anger. It's not just a personal insult, something also breaks inside and you ask yourself, who, who raised a child to spit on someone, even if he's a cop. Then you ask yourself, what do I do if my children or my wife will see on the evening television how I was spit upon?
I'll tell you the truth. At once all calm disappears. It happened to me last Saturday, at the demonstration against Intel, and if I was not an adult in control of myself, I have no idea what would have been the fate of the child that I allowed to escape. I wiped the spit off my face, I told myself at the first moment that the ultra-Orthodox leaders have simply lost control.
Then I calmed down and then began calls of "Nazis" after the policemen caught a demonstrator who was acting wildly.....
The calls and abuse against us did not stop, though it was really a handful of some 15 guys who enjoyed annoying us, including adults, with whom I really got angry. Believe me, I know to hit when needed but this Saturday I didn't hit anyone. I could not. I went to the commander and asked him to release me from the demonstration.
I returned to headquarters, and went home early, while my friends were still subject to confrontations. On the way I felt bad and went home in low spirits. I do not like to desecrate the Sabbath, I hate to leave the kids at the weekend, I have no interest in hitting, I hate even more for someone to throw a stone at me, but mostly, I hate to be spit in the face by my brother.
What shall I say to you, my Charedi brothers? We still remain brothers. I love you, and I even identify with your struggle. Too bad the way you carry out the struggle makes me desecrate the Sabbath.... You are right, but take my advice: Go demonstrate for whar causes you pain, but, but only if you can control your public 100%.
Yours,

Yoel

To read the full letter in Hebrew, click on the link below.
http://www.haredim.co.il/ViewArticle.aspx?catID=3&itmID=5418