Those among the many applicants for an apartment in the N’vei Shamir neighborhood of Beit Shemesh who were selected in the ‘affordable housing program’, were happy to learn of the news on Sunday. The overwhelming majority of the applicants selected are chareidim.

From the outset, the vast majority of applicants in that neighborhood were chareidim, and during the past year, many efforts were attempted to change that, to prevent it from becoming another chareidi neighborhood in Beit Shemesh.

The first suggestion by Beit Shemesh City Hall to the Housing Ministry is that the neighborhood should remain chareidi as the overwhelming number of persons who merited being selected for an apartment and wish to move to Ramat Beit Shemesh Daled are chareidim; and the new area was intended for them.

When the chareidim who were chosen for the area heard of efforts to change the character from an exclusively chareidi neighborhood they threatened to petition the High Court of Justice against what they call “transfer of the chareidim”.

Attorney Natan Rosenblatt, who escorted the chareidim in their legal battle, is quoted telling Kikar Shabbos News “I am happy that the legal battle yielded fruit and the Housing Ministry understood it is impossible to have Apartheid in the State of Israel and the chareidim have equal rights”.

Rosenblatt added, “the chareidim do not have any problem with a secular family that might arrive, and it will be greeted with open arms. Beit Shemesh is a city for everyone”.

“That said” he clarified, “the Housing Ministry obligated to build chareidi neighborhoods in cities. For if not, the phenomenon that occurred in Beit Shemesh will pop up in every possible city”.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)