Haredim are concerned • 7 casinos will be built in New York

Rabbis and educators of haredi New York are worried: seven casinos, such as casinos in Las Vegas, will be established in New York - three of them in areas near haredi areas, two of which will be set up in Catskill's, a place to which thousands of ultra-Orthodox families come every summer, will be determined by the Special Committee for gambling.

New York State Governor, Andrew Como, responsible for the initiative, said that the construction casino will put the public coffers 430 million per year - of which 238 million will be allocated for educational institutions. Other income will be distributed to villages adjacent to the casino, they will finance amounts of added security and additional needs exaggerate proximity to gambling.

Como said that approval of the establishment of the casino is a great victory for the administration, schools and taxpayers.

The initiative to establish casinos, aroused strong opposition from the ultra-Orthodox, on the other residents of the places where casinos are up, it was brought to a referendum elections, voters returned yesterday.

Haredi activists and owners of summer homes and camps at the Catskills waged an aggressive campaign to prevent approval of the establishment of the casino. Huge ads and a call signed by rabbis were distributed throughout the haredi areas of New York, against the establishment of casinos.

Haredi concern is that quite a few will be tempted, because of the proximity of casinos to Brooklyn and cities where there are haredi concentrations to go out and gamble.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!