Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is declaring war on Arad City Hall, which he accuses of actively discriminating against the chareidi community of the city, which hr says is about 1,200 families.
When Kol Chai Radio host Betzalel Kahn spoke with Arad Mayor Nisan Ben-Hamo on Tuesday night 13 Kislev, the mayor (Yesh Atid) painted an entirely different picture. For one thing, he insists he is not against the chareidi tzibur and the only issue is with Gur, which continues demanding more than entitled to by law. The mayor insists that the dispute with Gur is “political and not in any way religious”.
Kol Chai:
You are accused to telling Gur that you do not want any more of the chassidim in your city. can you confirm this please?
Ben-Hamo
It is not the way it appears. I told Litzman and others that the Education Ministry is not funding us. The city has not more money available so we cannot build the educational institutions they are seeking. If I cannot accommodate the number of children from this sector today, why should I want more to come and live here?
I point out that the issue has been misrepresented, and City Hall does not have issues with chareidim, but only with Gerre. We are getting along fine with Shas, the dati leumi and Chabad and they are receiving buildings and other services which Gerre will also receive when there is money.
The Shabbos Incident
According to Litzman, basing his information on those who were present, a group of secular Jews entered the shul Shabbos and began vandalizing and throwing siddurim while disrupting the davening. This according to Litzman is a “red line” and he fears similar insistence will occur in Yerushalayim and elsewhere if the response if not a strong one. He wants all shuls around the country to daven musaf this Shabbos in the street to identify with the Gerre tzibur in Arad. This is of course pending the approval of Gedolei Torah he explains.
May Ben-Hamo disagrees – so much so he insists there was no ‘incident’ this past Shabbos and Litzman lied to Police Chief Roni Alsheich when filing a report with him, demanding the opening of an investigation. He points out Litzman was not there and he was lied to and in turn, passed false information to Alsheich.
Yesh Atid leader MK Yair Lapid released a statement condemning the incident if it occurred, adding if it is learned that a party member was involved, that person will be ousted from the party.
The mayor adds police on the other hand have video evidence of Gerre chassidim breaking windows of the shul and vandalizing the building as part of their forced take-over of the city’s central shul. He explains the veteran of the shul have begun fighting back. They want their shul back and wish to oust Gur. The mayor adds that Litzman also exaggerates regarding the size of the frum community, which he places at 900, admitting this is still significant, but only 15% of the city and the remaining 85% of the population is not interested in becoming a new Gerre community. The mayor adds all other chareidim continue to live harmoniously in the city and the issue is only with Gur, which is trying a power play to take over.
Ben-Hamo insists political differences are indeed legitimate, but for Gur, which is in opposition today, it is about take-over and nothing less. The mayor has rabbonim from the dati leumi, Sephardi and Chabad communities on his side, as their seems to be a combined feeling that Gur is trying to take control of many services in the city.
Clearly, Litzman and Ben-Hamo have no common ground and a meeting between them four months ago did not yield any good will and the same with other meetings between city officials and Gur representatives.
Kol Chai also interviewed former Arad Mayor Tali Ploskov. Her view of events seems to be more in line with Litzman, explaining during the former administration, the chareidim were in the coalition, not the opposition and for her, it was always about keeping an open channel of communications. She feels this does not exist today.
There are reports from within the Gerre community in Arad that Ben-Hamo and his Yesh Atid party are working to make life miserable for the chareidim until they leave. He issued an emphatic denial, insisting it just is not so.
Minister of Religious Affairs (Shas) David Azoulai told Kol Chai the current situation is unacceptable and he has turned to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to get police more involved.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
The MAYOR IS TELLING THE TRUTH.
This shul belongs to the residents of Arad and the Rav until recently was Rav Bentzion Lipsker. MK Litzman is a nice guy EXCEPT completely biased in this case as he was aware since day one of the issue and let it play itself out. Residents of the city have been assaulted, chased out, & screamed out by the Ger group who have set their eyes on this beautiful, large, community Ashkenazic shul.