Chaos erupted last night outside the Yerushalayim residence of Brisk rosh yeshiva Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik after an individual allegedly released pepper spray and other irritants as hundreds of bochurim arrived for the rosh yeshiva’s weekly Chumash shiur, forcing the gathering to be canceled.

Witnesses said numerous participants began coughing and choking after the substance was sprayed in the stairwell of the building on Rechov Gesher Hachaim in the Mekor Boruch neighborhood.

According to attendees, the disturbance did not end there. The suspect allegedly sprayed additional gas toward the residence itself and hurled garbage and liquids onto the balcony of the home where the shiur was scheduled to take place.

Volunteers and participants distributed water and attempted to calm the situation as the effects of the spray slowly wore off. Despite those efforts, the disruption was severe enough that the weekly shiur could not proceed.

Those familiar with the situation said that the individual is a neighborhood resident who has repeatedly objected to the large crowds that gather each week for the shiur. They claimed that previous understandings had already been arranged, including the use of a separate private entrance to minimize disturbances, but alleged that the resident has continued to threaten and disrupt the gatherings periodically.

{Matzav.com}