Chareidi lawmakers are becoming increasingly concerned with the growing Chilul Shabbos in Jerusalem. Ministers Aryeh Deri and Yaakov Litzman along with MK Moshe Gafne will be meeting on Tuesday evening with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to discuss the situation. This will be their second meeting in about a month, this time to learn what was accomplished since they last met.

Jerusalem Councilman Aryeh King resigned from the city coalition in protest over the Chilul Shabbos, frustrated at the willingness of the chareidi parties to remain. It has since been learned the city is going to be funding well over NIS 3 million for chareidi bein hazmanim events in Nissan, perhaps one of the incentives preventing the chareidim from following King’s example.

As bein hazmanim gets underway, there will be a large event for talmidei yeshivos in Binyanei Ha’uma, with a price tag of NIS 300,000. There will be a second event in the same venue for women and girls costing an additional NIS 300,000. A third event will be sponsored by El HaMayan education network affiliated with the Shas party. The Kabolas Pnei Rabo event will be hosted in Teddy Stadium during chol hamoed, with an impressive price tag of NIS 1.5 million. There will also be local activities in chareidi areas of the capital during bein hazmanim under the auspices of local councils with a budget of about NIS 900,000.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)