A Lubavitcher bochur and bereaved brother was arrested last Friday in Chaifa, Eretz Yisroel, amid heavy police presence, for setting up a tefillin stand in memory of his fallen brother, who was killed in combat during the war last year.

Menachem Cohen from Yitzhar launched a personal memorial initiative in honor of his brother, IDF soldier Sgt. Schneur Zalman Cohen HYD. Together with several friends, he set up a tefillin stand on a Chaifa street, displaying a sign with his brother’s photo as a zechus for his neshama and as part of his own effort to cope with the loss.

According to reports, the activity was entirely peaceful, with many passersby stopping to put on tefillin.

At a certain point, a municipal enforcement vehicle arrived at the scene, soon followed by reinforcements that included six police cars, giving the appearance of a response to a severe crime. Cohen was arrested, the tefillin stand and memorial sign were confiscated, and reportedly, he was assaulted during the arrest. Only after significant public pressure was he released.

The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media, particularly given that Cohen is a bereaved brother whose sole intention was to memorialize a fallen IDF soldier by helping fellow Jews put on tefillin.

“For more than 50 years, Chabad chassidim have gone out across the city of Haifa to help Jews put on tefillin,” said Rabbi Yehuda Ginzburg, the Rebbe’s shliach to Chaifa. “It has always been done in a positive atmosphere, and unfortunately, there are those who are trying to inflame tensions.”

He added, “We are pained by what happened here. We expect the Chaifa Municipality to apologize and to work in coordination with this important activity. We are confident that this was a one-time mistake by the city and not something ongoing.”

Israel Police later issued a statement disputing parts of the public narrative. “Contrary to what has been alleged in publications that may mislead the public, this was a brief detention of an individual following a confrontation with municipal inspectors at the scene,” the statement said.

“To clarify, the police have no interest whatsoever in harming tefillin stands, and the incident had no connection to the tefillin stand itself. Rather, it related to a noise violation and heated behavior toward inspectors, who summoned municipal policing to the location. The individual was released after several minutes following a police inquiry, and the matter will be examined with the municipality.”

Despite the police clarification, the images and accounts of a bereaved brother being detained while memorializing a fallen soldier have left many shaken, raising broader questions about the city’s treatment of those seeking to engage the Rebbe’s mivtzoim.

VIDEO: