Secular demonstrated in Arad: too many Hareidim are coming to town
Struggle in Arad: secular residents launched a campaign and demonstrated against ultra-Orthodoxy in the southern city • Leader of the struggle: "The Haredim are not considerate of the other side"
- Yaki Admaker, Behadrey Haredim
- ל' תשרי התשע"ג
Illustration photo: Moshe Holtzman
Over the last five years, many Hareidi families settled in Arad, particularly Chabad and Gur chassidim. That is due to the existing reasonable prices in town. Now, secular residents of the city declared a struggle against the 'phenomenon of haredization of the city'.
One of the leaders of the struggle, Shosh Rothman, a veteran resident in the city, explains to Behadrey Haredim why a group of local residents raised a black flag against the Hareidim: "In the last two years, I realized I get up in the morning to a city that is not mine. I moved here 46 years ago, to a secular city, and suddenly I realize that more and more Hareidim are taking over the city. "
• How is this expressed?
"The Haredim are building synagogues in homes, they are harassing families, backed by the police and municipality, buying homes and selling them at special prices to their Haredi friends ..."
On Saturday night there was a demonstration attended by about 300 people. "It was the opening shot," says Rothman. "We are willing to be considerate, to accept the other and be good neighbors with the Orthodox, but the problem comes when the other side is not considerate and does things which the police and the municipality ignore." During the conversation, she says: "Over the past two years the Hareidi immigration has become too large".
When we mentioned to her that the municipality claims that the struggle she and her friends lead is a kind of opening shot for the local elections to be held next year, she replies: "This is a populist reaction through which the municipality wants to cover itself."
The Chabad community in the city declined to comment, and hinted that the main struggle is against the Gurer Hasidim. "Even though we have our issues with them too, we do not want to add fuel to the fire, we are also Hareidi, and we also want to live here in peace and quiet."
The Gur Hassidus refused to comment officially, but one of the most senior factors in the city said: "No one bothers secular residents to live in Arad as they wish." He rejected the allegations of violence being waged between residents in the city.
One of the leaders of the struggle, Shosh Rothman, a veteran resident in the city, explains to Behadrey Haredim why a group of local residents raised a black flag against the Hareidim: "In the last two years, I realized I get up in the morning to a city that is not mine. I moved here 46 years ago, to a secular city, and suddenly I realize that more and more Hareidim are taking over the city. "
• How is this expressed?
"The Haredim are building synagogues in homes, they are harassing families, backed by the police and municipality, buying homes and selling them at special prices to their Haredi friends ..."
On Saturday night there was a demonstration attended by about 300 people. "It was the opening shot," says Rothman. "We are willing to be considerate, to accept the other and be good neighbors with the Orthodox, but the problem comes when the other side is not considerate and does things which the police and the municipality ignore." During the conversation, she says: "Over the past two years the Hareidi immigration has become too large".
When we mentioned to her that the municipality claims that the struggle she and her friends lead is a kind of opening shot for the local elections to be held next year, she replies: "This is a populist reaction through which the municipality wants to cover itself."
The Chabad community in the city declined to comment, and hinted that the main struggle is against the Gurer Hasidim. "Even though we have our issues with them too, we do not want to add fuel to the fire, we are also Hareidi, and we also want to live here in peace and quiet."
The Gur Hassidus refused to comment officially, but one of the most senior factors in the city said: "No one bothers secular residents to live in Arad as they wish." He rejected the allegations of violence being waged between residents in the city.
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