The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court last week responded to a City Hall request and issued an order prohibiting residents in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood from davening in an area apartment since doing so is zoning violation. The residents on Friday, represented by attorney Yoel Shtub turned to the court seeking an emergency order canceling the prohibition. The hearing began at 3:30pm and continued until candle lighting time. A new ruling was not issued as the petitioners hoped would be the case, prompting residents to take to the streets, holding tefillos Shabbos at Singual-Burkov Square in the neighborhood. The sight of some 200 mispalalim became an attraction as many non-frum residents looked on, some unaware and wondering why they were davening in the street.
Baruch Hashem, following the tefillos the residents all joined in and danced, singing Yismachu B’Malchuscha. The occurrence was truly a Kiddush Hashem and represented true achdus between the Shomer Shabbos and non-frum communities.
The hearing was scheduled to continue on Sunday afternoon since the start of Shabbos compelled the erev Shabbos adjournment.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
5 Responses
why is this such a big kiddush hashem? maybe it would be a kiddush hashem just to keep a low profile
I’m surprised. Such generousity by the Police. Why weren’t they arrested for parading in the streets without a permit?
Who knows the ways of HaKadoshBaruchHu? Maybe the reason for the (hopefully temporary) ban on davening in the apartment was DAVKA to bring the shomrei Shabbat in contact with the non-shomer Shabbat in a friendly way. Maybe as result of this encounter one or more of these non-frum will have his pintele Yid fanned into a flame!
#3 And one or more frummies will have a different outlook at the secular residents of the city.
#1, publicly serving Hashem is by definition a kiddush Hashem, and acting as if one is ashamed to be Jewish is by definition a chilul Hashem. This is our land – how can it be tolerated that a shul is closed down by the authorities?