France – An Israeli resident who made a fortune in the European real estate business has decided to pay for the construction of a mosque in France for the benefit of the local Muslim community.
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Father of four Robert Harush, 58, grew up in Ashkelon and having completed his military service tried his luck in the real estate business in Europe. His success has won him many hotels and buildings and he is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of shekels.
Despite his success Harush did not forget his hometown and has returned to Ashkelon and invested in local building ventures. For the past 10 years he has been dividing his time between Israel and France. His four children all speak Hebrew.
The businessman even chose to stay in the southern city during Operation Cast Lead. He remained in Israel also after a Grad rocket landed near his house.
Surprisingly, he has not harbored any ill-feelings against the Arab side and is a strong supporter of co-existence. He was recently approached by the mayor of Montereau, a French city adjacent to Paris, who informed him of his difficulties in financing the renovation of a large mosque in the city.
“I told myself ‘here is an opportunity to bring the people together’ and decided to donate the money,” Harush said. “People were dumbfounded. What does a Jewish-Israeli man have do to with refurbishing a mosque? The answer is simple: I’m sick and tired of the hatred. A sane voice must emerge.”
Harush explained that he built the mosque in order to promote co-existence. “It wasn’t a cheap venture but I did with all my heart.”
Ashkelon projects
Leaders of the Montereau Muslim community have thanked Harush for the gesture and maintain a warm relationship with him.
The businessman, however, is not interested in supporting the Muslim community alone and has paid for the construction of one of the largest and most grandiose synagogues in Asheklon last year, which was named after his late father.
He is currently working on setting up a mikveh in the southern city to be dedicated to his late mother. “I myself am not a religious person but I feel that in the absence of upstanding politicians it falls on businessmen to bring together Jews and Arabs and seculars and the religious.
This shows how opend minded ang generous yidden are. Kol hakovod to Mssr. Harush. He understands that a mosque is as important as a shul or mikvah to the local muslim community and does his part to peaceful coexistence.
Meshugener, he needs to become a Baal teshuva, a yid without Torah is like a fish outta the water… Crazy
How naive can a Jew be? And we are supposed to be the smartest people on the planet. Wishful thinking doesn’t make it so!
Nice. Hopefully religious Jews will also become more open-minded with time.
Although its a tremendous kiddush hashem, I still think its a sheila if your halachacly alowed to build a mukem tiflis
If only more people acted and more importently thought like this man, the world would be a much better place in G-ds eyes.
If I’m not mistaken in Islam, their Allah is our Hashem… Just saying they are praying to the same G-d as us…
It is Equally distastful for muslims .
Liberalism is a mental disorder, Do you think building more places for them to preach hate against us is the answer??? The people from Gush Katif still don’t have homes I think they can use the money. Maybe he should he should pay for the one that they want to build on ground zero. I’m sure they will feel much better and love us so much more, how could they not???
Stupid man! Stupid are the people who comment that religious Jews should be more open minded (#5).
I am sure that if Yidden built a new house for Hitler YM”S and his minions, history would remain unchanged.
These Arabs are out for Jewish blood regardless of how many Minarrets Jews build! We are risking becoming a laughing stock in the Arab world. Stay Strong Am Yisrael. Build more Shuls and fill them up!
If he gave for disadvantaged Muslim children it would be one thing. I hope that Hashem quickly transfers Harush’s fortune to someone who serves Him so that this beis toeva and beis retzach is never built.
mah nishtanah hamosque hazeh mikol hamosquim?
she’bechol hamosquim michablim la’harog yehudim,
ve’hamosque hazeh bonim yehudim.
Hashem yerachem
Don’t be so open-minded that your brains fall out.
hello is any body home . we are talking about muslims . who kill for no good reason . who kidnap . i don’t get it . he built a house of worship for murder & a french mayer asked for it?
To build a place that will eventually preach and curse Jews is the insanity of it all. These individuals use their mosques to gather more murderers and terrorists and here is some knucklehead do-gooder Jew helping them along.Didn’t Jews show good faith to Hitler too?Oh how naive can one be?!!Gd help us…..!
These people murder their own children so he’ll accomplish nothing with his generous act. I’m sure they’re laughing at him behind his back. Peace can be accomplished between mankind not between man and beasts.
Too much of anything can lead to negative effects.
I’m surprised that the Muslim community that accepted the money from Harush wasn’t chastised by some Imam for violating shariah law by taking money from this “Infidel.” Of course, maybe that’s to come.
Remember what happened when that generous Jewish benefactor paid millions for the greenhouses in gush katif, to donate to the palestinians, so they could have a livelihood? Those animals destroyed them totally. I didn’t hear of them saying thank you. Another fool.
some jews dont learn from history and are forever trying to suck up to our unappeasable ennemies. when will we realize they hate us forever????
“A sane voice”? He is a typical naive Jewish liberal. He ignores what his eyes see. Muslims want to take over the world. Muslims want Jews dead.