Head of the Israel Government’s Housing Staff, Avigdor Yitzchaki explains the chareidi tzibur erred by deciding not to move into Kasif, which he feels would have been an ideal housing solution. Yitzchaki interviewed with Kikar Shabbos following a visit to the site of the newest planned chareidi community, Shafir, vising the site with Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Deputy Minister (Shas) Meshulam Nahari and Yahadut Hatorah MKs Menachem Eliezer Moses and Yaakov Asher.

“The Shafir Regional Council is one of the solutions we produce for the chareidi tzibur,” he says.

“As long as the chareidim want to live together, in my distant view, we will have to do mixed settlements as much as possible, but here we are producing a solution of more than 9,000 housing units The plan is ready, and we are already working on planning the development, and we hope to market a few more units this year, and in the end I believe that the settlement here is entirely Haredi. ”

We heard the same regarding Charish [which became an integrated community, not exclusively chareidi]. How can we be certain this will not occur again?

The problem for the chareidim with Charish is the chareidim created it,” Yitzhaki says, “the state had a very strong will, we put Nissim Dahan to manage this project with the intention that Charish would be chareidi city. Regarding Charish, I think the chareidi public is guilty of this sin, just as the chareidi public will one day be guilty of sin for not going to Kasif. ”

Here it depends only on the chareidi community. From our point of view, we are giving this land that is state land and giving all the means to finance and develop it and market it and let contractors build it out of the full will of all the possible factors in order to reach a situation where it will be a chareidi community. I hope that this time, too, we will not be sabotaged for it is not a matter of the government.

At Charish is was not a matter of the government, because Kasif is not a matter of government, because we are definitely willing to give this community. Around Kasif, there are settlements like Metar, which is one of the strongest communities in the State of Israel. A very big mistake.

Will you prevent the same mistakes from being made at Shafir?

I will do all I can do to prevent the mistakes and that the chareidi community comes here.

Regarding the price, Yitzchaki estimates the price will be similar to Kiryat Gat, expressing optimism that the marketing will begin this year.

Is there a solution to the price of apartments in chareidi cities?

I thing that the prices are beginning to drop. The wise thing is to build enough apartments to meet demand [and this will drive down prices]. We are working on all front, including planning, infrastructure, credit, and production. I hope in the coming two to three months that we can bring tens of thousands of Chinese construction workers to give the industry a boost.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)