Last motzei Shabbos, Jerusalem Deputy Mayors Yossi Deutsch and Tzvika Cohen were summoned to meet with HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen Shlita, a member of Shas’ Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael. On the agenda is the machlokes surrounding the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim and Purim, observing one or two days.
The rosh yeshiva called on the deputy mayors to do their utmost to position a caravan home in the Sanhedria Murchevet Forest that connects to Ramot. Rav Cohen wishes to create contiguity between the capital and this neighborhood with the caravan towards bringing an end to the ongoing machlokes if Ramot observes Purim as Yerushalayim or not.
Many Ramot residents, those adhering to the psak of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L observe Purim on the 14th while the others two days. The rosh yeshiva feels that if there is a caravan creating continuity from the undisputed area of the capital, then all Ramot residents can observe Purim on the same day and on only one day.
A number of city officials accompanied by rabbonim visited the forest to find a suitable area, but it did not take long for the haters of religion to state their objections, this time shouting environmental concerns. They proclaim the placement of a caravan will compromise the green area. It remains to be seen if a caravan will be in place for this Purim.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
5 Responses
preserving the green area is certainly very important. Maybe instead of a caravan home they can build a tree house and everyone will be happy!
Time to rid Eretz Yisroel of haters of religion.
They’ve been trying to get those caravans placed there for years and the environmental people stop it each time.
The absurdity of this proposal and the clearly adverse effect it will have on scarce green space should end the argument. If some erhlich yidden in Ramot want to hold by 2 days of Purim, certainly there is nothing stopping them. Indeed, for most yidden, finding an excuse to have two consecutive days of “ad shelo yadah” would be something to hold on to rather than something they would try to evade with some contrived RV solution.
We have some well off friends who live at the bottom of Bet on the edge of the forest and they told us they were informed developers are already planning to put a block of new apartment buildings there so looks like either way the forest is out of the picture pretty soon – not sure what the fuss would be in that case over a caravan but if the price is right I’ll certainly volunteer to live in it!!