Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat is calling on chareidi members of his coalition to exhibit sensitivity and understanding for the other sectors in the city regarding the planned Sport Tech facility, promising there will not be chilul Shabbos in the facility.

The chareidi leadership is opposed to the complex, which is supposed to be in the Ramot neighborhood. City officials insist the new sports complex is not large, not an arena, but a modest complex, calling for chareidi cooperation in the matter.

The city has been battling to pass the budget for the project during recent months, facing formidable chareidi opposition.

The chareidim absented themselves in the Tuesday 13 Tammuz city council vote, permitting the motion to pass in a 14 to 9 vote. Councilmen from Agudas Yisrael and Bnei Torah were ‘no shows’, eliciting the ire of Degel Hatorah, with the latter pointing out the Moetzas Gedolei Hatorah of Agudah announced its support for the fight yet its representatives did not attend the vote. In the Wednesday edition of Yated the term “צלם בהיכל” is used, pointing out that Degel councilmen were present for the vote unlike the other chareidi representatives. Shas officials are no more pleased, as they too were present but lacked the necessary numbers with Agudah and Bnei Torah not attending the vote.

The HaPeles newspaper affiliated with Bnei Torah tells a different story, that Councilman Chaim Epstein did not attend because an understanding was reached with Mayor Barkat, who promises the center will not be Mechalel Shabbos.

For the opponents of the Sport Tech center the battle is not over and they promise to continue opposing the new Ramot neighborhood project.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)