Ramot Mall: Haredim boycott, the secular come

The struggle against Ramot Mall in Jerusalem: on Friday secular residents including Jerusalem' movement activists' arrived in order to strengthen the shopkeepers recently announced a boycott against them by rabbis in Ramot.

In contrast, almost no one could discern Haredim carrying out their shopping in the mall. One reason is the fact that recently the boycott, signed by neighborhood rabbis accelerated. Boycott campaign against the mall is conducted through ads, ads in local newspapers, flyers and other neighborhoods.

So, for example, a newsletter distributed every week in Ramot, an ad has been devoted in the publication, which stated: "Here was supposed to be an ad for a store in the mall and has been removed in light of the rabbis of the neighborhoods order. Do not go to Ramot Mall. In this fight we must win."

Another example is an ad published in a local newspaper a week before, where the rabbis of the neighborhood and its residents "thank and congratulate 'the company' Yaffe Nof - Feldheim Books on closing the branch at the mall. The ad stated that the store was closed "in protest of the atmosphere at the mall and by order of the neighborhood rabbis." B'Chadrei Charedim learned that the main reason that led to the closure of the branch is economic reasons.

A special bulletin, circulated in Ramot, explained fight-related factors the reasons for the boycott: "Most of the shops were sold to twins networks and / or working primarily with the secular community. When community representatives tried to meet with network owners they were forbidden to reveal the fact that 90 percent of the potential audience in the mall provides to the secular public. Most of the existing collection in the stores is appropriate for the secular public.

According to the leaders of the boycott, the products sold in stores have an impact on the haredi public, "they avoid opening discount stores and existing stores have no permission to open a 'surplus' department. Vast majority of windows only show a secular fashion. While trying to offer them to open a shop like Gal Paz or Noam Productions and the like –we were rejected because such a store is suitable only for the Haredi public. All events conducted by the mall during vacations were clearly secular in nature. All the mall stores music is secular music which is harsh and hurtful, many of the staff dresses in a most offensive fashion."

'Jerusalem' Movement activists explained the arrival of the secular in the shopping mall which is boycotted:

"A few weeks ago, extremists called for a boycott at the mall for modesty reasons. Boycott imperils co - existence in the mall and in particular in Ramot. We must not allow religious extremism to destroy the co - existence in the neighborhood."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!