A Jerusalem Administrative Court, at the behest of Jerusalem City Hall, issued a demolition order for Beis Knesses Nachlas Akiva and the Ganei Geula shtiblach, an order that will be carried out in 30 days. City inspectors visited the shul and shtiblach this week and posted the demolition orders in compliance with the court ruling.
The city took its case to court and emerged with a victory, with Justice Gad Erenberg, who sports a kippa according the daily HaMevaser, issuing the judicial demolition order.
One must realize this is not a case of a makeshift temporary shul, but a real building, one that is the result of the investment of NIS millions, two buildings in actuality. The shuls serve thousands of mispalalim daily from the Ganei Geula, Belze and surrounding communities.
According to chareidi Jerusalem Councilman Yosef Deutsch, the shul stands on public land, land that was designated for a playground area and shul. He feels the matter can be rectified administratively. He explains that it is simply unthinkable that a demolition order would be issued and carried out against a central area shul because of bureaucratic malfeasance. Deutsch announced he will not permit this injustice to occur.
HaMevaser reports that sources in City Hall point the finger at city attorney Chavilov, a long time opponent of the chareidi community in the city. He has personally undertaken the battle to undermine the efforts of city councilmen working to legalize the buildings by dealing with the bureaucratic realities that were ignored.
Deutch explained a decision was made that the demolition orders would not be affixed to the shul, yet Chavilov personally sent inspectors to make sure they were hung, in broad daylight, for all to see. The “sources” quoted by HaMevaser add, “Let them first take care of all the demolition orders hanging in the eastern capital, thousands of them, and then they can begin worrying about a single case, the shul”.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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9 Responses
Living in the area we must not let this happen!!
Thousands of mispalilim every day is not an exaggeration!!! Not to mention the many men that learn here every single day and night!
we can’t let this happen. I remember only 10 years ago, the ganei geula minyan used to be in a machsan in the kenyon of Ganei Geulah. Its now the main shul for the area and of great importance.
Unreal decision.
Can we still build a much needed playground along side the shul? There is a dire necessity for leisure and physical activity for young children, and parks are a must.
Welcome to the wonderful State of Israel where Jews are free! Make Aliyah NOW!
As for #3: I regret to inform you that chareidim don’t care about parks. If they did, why did Gur decide to buy the former IDF camp Schneller and turn it into housing? It looked like such a nice area, with many high trees, to turn into a beautiful chareidi city park. Volunteer patrols of adults could keep order there (throwing shababnikim out and watching over gidrei tznius). Instead it will be all built full with high apartment buildings. Big NO-SHKOYACH for the Gerrer Rebbe there.
Hey, my cousins live there. I remember them building this Shul. Chas V’Shalom for this to happen!!
BS”D
What good are parks when there is not enough housing? Or is Y-m to be Sdom where children sleep in parks? The right thing to do is to build parks at the periphery of the city and offer subsidized buses there.
As for Havilio, I hear he is running for city council on a new list – Machrivei Karta. However, had the haredim been beachdus, Nir Barkat who always was Havilio’s protector and who kept R’ Lupoliansky from removing him would not have been elected mayor.
Oh! I hope they don’t do that, I’m davening in this shul whenever I go to Israel, and I’m going in 2 weeks, I hope I will find it intact, there is also a Mikva there.
#6 – there is a housing shortage in NY as well; would you advocate destroying Central Park to build houses there, and move Central Park somewhere upstate?
There is already Gan Sacker, which is dirty (lots of dogs), doesn’t have a (reliable) eruv, has chillul shabbos on shabbos, and lies in between major roads.
The Schneller area should be a park freely accessible to all of the thousands of children – do you know how many children there are in the wide area of Geulah, Ezrat Torah, Sorotzkin, Kiryat Belz, Mekor Baruch, etc? Are you seriously suggesting they should get a park outside of the city somewhere, where they can only get by bus?!
BS”D
Well, sure, if you want to move Gur, Belz, the whole Malchei Yisroel area and for that matter the Kosel out to hmm…Atarot, move the Atarot industrial park to hmm..Maale Adumim etc etc then Schneller base could become a park. Meanwhile, the air quality in that area is not conducive to a park; too many cars, industrial plants downhill etc.
NY is full of industrial zones that don’t belong near homes and which can be used for development. Many are indeed being used for just this. There is also a slum population in NY that can be forced out by free market forces and condemnation to make room for proper housing; its Arab counterpart in east Y-m is ensured the right to live there regardless of the danger it presents.
The Schneller Army Base is now being used to allow frum Yidden the mitzvah of keeping the Torah population of Y-m growing, which prevents more disasters like the one described here.
What is more, Gur is known for keeping the cost of all of its housing projects reasonable. This is a great kiddush Hashem, among the many Gur is responsible for in EY.