May 9th, Victory Day is the most important holiday in Russia. It is bigger than Easter, Christmas, New Year, etc.
With Arad being 50% Russians and the chess club 99% Russian, Lura and I decided to show some respect.
The night before Victory Day, Lura made and strung together a Victory Day banner. As I was hanging it around 9:45 a.m. of the next day, 2 Datim appeared loudly ridiculing the holiday and shouting viciously at me.
Being shuk (market) day, I simply ignored them and began setting out free clothes, books, etc. But these 2 Datim seemed determined to desecrate this Russian holiday!
One began spitting on the clothes and in a Russian translation of the Torah which sent a shockwave throughout the entire shuk (marketplace).
Someone call the police, who took the Datim down to the station where the incident was recorded and charges were pressed.
Edwin Beckford
May 9, 2005