Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has given his approval for the continued construction of a Mikve in the city’s Bet HaKerem neighborhood, despite objections from residents. The mayor realizes the women’s mikve is required to provide services for the area’s female residents.
In his response to their protests, the mayor sent a letter to the residents of Bet HaKerem and Ramat Bet HaKerem, his neighborhood, indicating he will not halt the construction as they wish, but rather will permit the continued construction as planned since the mikve is needed in the area. (These Jerusalem neighborhoods are primarily secular).
The mayor explains at length that since taking office, he has investigated the matter in depth and prior to that, he followed the hearings in the neighborhood and the movement to halt the project. Barkat adds that he is aware there are many needs in the area, including additional kindergarten space, more parks and other issues, and he plans to address those as soon as possible, particularly the critical shortage of kindergarten and other classroom space.
Regarding the women’s mikve he explains, there is a need and the process towards obtaining the necessary permits was followed to the last detail and as such, there is no justification for seeking to halt the construction. He adds that the population that will use the mikve has already committed to maintaining the pluralistic nature of the community.
Seeking to avoid a conflict with neighbors, the mayor cited the need for tolerance and respect to permit neighbors who maintain different life styles to live side-by-side.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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7 Responses
Pashut,
You mean well, but intentions of past leaders are not determined by present day mayors. I’m curious how you extrapolate one from the other? Thanks.
“Will all those claiming that the Zionist state was created to destroy Torah and Mitzvos”
no one claims that was the zionastic PURPOSE in creating a state, but it has always been an extremely important part of their agenda, in making the state just like all the other goyim.
Jewish reshaim have always desired this (to be like the goyim)
it will be replaced by Hashem’s Eretz Yisroel, by the land of the Jewish People, Hashems people, the ones who have remained loyal to the Torah and the Mesorah and the Will of the Ribbono Shel Olam.
The division among non-Arabs in Jerusalem appears to be between Hareidim and “everything else”, and the “everything else” includes many who in America would be considered “modern Orthodox” or “Coservadox”, meaning not only is there a demand for a mikvah is a secular area, but the people there probably don’t want to share one with Hareidim.
This neighborhood is also near the Renaissance Hotel and will be an easy walk for any woman needing to use a mikveh locally. In recent years many frum people have begun to move in to this neighborhood, and more baalei teshuva as well, as it is a very gorgeous place. It is wonderful that the mayor approved the building plans.
purosh would neer be able to do such a thing w/o an uproar from the secular elment of the city causing more bad sentiment torward chariedim
BS”D
While he is doing the right thing, the fact is that this is just pragmatic politics. It is paying back the Gerrers for their support as well as making sure he will not have trouble with the many haredi representatives on the City Council.
##4
As predicable as ever you see the news from a myopic pair of glasses.
“but the people there probably don’t want to share one with Hareidim”.–Read about the machlokes going on in Ramat Bet Shemesh where the ‘ultras” are insisting on spending over 1 million dollars to build another mikveh since the one that is there has an ‘isha tzunea’ who is the mikvah lady who tends to be more mizrachit than charedit.
Each time you write PROBABLY, it probably is NOT.