Haifa City Hall appealed the decision of the city’s magistrate’s court, and emerged from the district court with a victory, overturning the lower court’s decision granting the local Belz community rights to the shul in question.

In December 2009, YWN-Israel reported (link below) that the court ruled in favor of the chassidic community, invalidating a municipal eviction order seeking to oust Belz from the shul which was vacant when the chassidus moved in. The local Belz shtiebel was simply too small, prompting the community to open the doors of the large municipal shul which was not in use, but City Hall objected to the move.

In essence the court directed City Hall back to the magistrate’s court, instructing the lower court to reevaluate Belz’s claims to the shul, restoring the status of the chassidic community to that of squatters and not rightful tenants.

December 2009 YWN israel article: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=43768

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)