Rabbonim have taken an active role in the battle to prevent the opening of a non-religious senior citizens’ facility on Jabotinsky Street opposite Rabbi Akiva Street in Bnei Brak for fear of the Chilul Shabbos that would be associated with such a facility.
Among the rabbonim who have signed against the new facility are members of the Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael Shlita, Rabbi Ba’adani, Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, Rabbi Chaim Meir Halevy Wosner, Rabbi Silman, Rabbi Luria, and Rabbi Baruch Weisbecker. The rabbonim explain a large non-religious facility of this size will bring many visitors on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim and result in major Chilul Shabbos.
Askanim in the city blame the city’s local planning board for bringing this project forward. Planning board officials explain that the project was approved by the mayor long before they were brought into the picture. They explain the mayor is working to have the facility become a medical facility treating the geriatric population.
City officials explain they do not have the authority to halt a project that was approved years earlier, but they are working to minimize the problematic issues that would accompany a non-religious senior care facility.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Fine. But then don’t complain when chilonim rise to oppose charedim who want to move into their neighborhoods and towns.
I have to voice my agreement. While the rabbonim (as this article calls them) don’t want a facility that might lead to visitors from elsewhere coming in who would not conform to their standards, the chilonim also have their concerns about the charedim moving in to their locations.
Because it is clear from experience that along with the moderate charedim come the extremist charedim to make the life of the chilonim unlivable. So if the “possibility” of visitors not to liking of the rabbonim is reason enough to keep the facility out, then the probability of extremist charedim hiding among (and thus protected by shear numbers) within moderate charedim is clearly sufficient reason to keep the charedim out.