Perhaps the Three Weeks should be accompanied by an increased willingness of both sides to exhibit respect and tolerance, but there does not seem to be any relaxation of restrictions for the frum-yet-growing minority of Jerusalem’s Kiryat Yovel community, with Jerusalem City Hall issuing an order prohibiting mispallalim from congregating in a private home for shabbos davening.
Residents of Kiryat Yovel Illit, some 200 families, last week received the latest decree from City Hall, this time, prohibiting shabbos tefillos in a private home located on Anilvitz Street despite the fact the occupants of the private dwelling decided to make his home available for shabbos tefillos.
This makeshift shul is another location, different from the controversy surrounding the storefront shul located in a community shopping center. That shul is operating under a grace period, the result of a 45-day temporary order halting the closing of that facility as well.
Members of the area’s frum community are using words such as “obsessive” and “unrelenting” in their description of Jerusalem City Hall’s determination to halt the growth of the shomer shabbos chareidi community, adding in this case, Jerusalem legal officials declared davening in a private home is illegal despite the fact it does not disturb anyone and is taking place in a single dwelling private structure. As a result, the residents this past shabbos held tefillos in another private home.
Askanim quoted anonymously by HaMevaser lament City Hall’s determination to prevent yidden from davening with a minyan on shabbos, adding it reminds them of dark times of history in the former communist USSR.
They add that a compromise offer to use an area bomb shelter as a temporary solution must be turned down since the shelter is currently used for another purpose, stating someone is trying to “dupe the mayor, his deputy Yitzchak Pindrus, and us”.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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5 Responses
interesting…now we arent allowed to have private gatherings in our own home? Is that what just happened?
They should publicize a major protest against the chilonim by davening publicly on the street.
Why, why are the charedi people I voted for still sitting in and assisting the coalition of a Jerusalem government that breaks Shabbos, bangs people who defend it, and forcefully denies people the right to daven?
What do they need, handwriting on the wall??
Charedim out of the Jerusalem government coalition!
#4 – in the next elections, don’t vote. This is exactly why the Edah doesn’t vote (though it isn’t the only reason). Our rabbonim have seen that one who joins in with reshoim, becomes one of them. One cannot sit together with them and not expect to be influenced by them.
Daniel, Well put.