Tel Aviv. – It’s a hot, sticky Friday night in one of Tel Aviv’s swankiest neighborhoods, and a battle over the community’s soul is about to erupt.
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On one side is a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews, in black coats and hats, celebrating the Sabbath by singing, praying, and drinking wine in a public courtyard. Attracted by the revelry and the wine, about two dozen teenagers and young men join in.
At the other end of the plaza is a squad of concerned parents, alarmed by what they see as an extremist religious group trying to get a foothold in their secular neighborhood. They try to persuade the teenagers to stay away from the ultra-Orthodox party.
The situation escalates. Shouting turns into shoving. By midnight police arrive to restore the peace.
Another Sabbath, a time intended for rest and religious reflection almost triggering a brawl in Ramat Aviv.
Clashes between secular and religious Israelis are nothing new. In Jerusalem, shifting demographics have led to an uneasy coexistence between the fast-growing ultra-Orthodox community, known as Haredim, and the city’s secular population.
Now, however, these tensions are shifting to other parts of the country as Haredi families move into urban, secular neighborhoods such as Ramat Aviv.
Last week, tensions between the religious and secular communities of Tel Aviv escalated to new heights when a masked gunman killed two people at a gay community center and escaped (the shooting did not take place in Ramat Aviv).
Although no arrests have been announced or evidence released suggesting a link, some civic leaders and gay activists are blaming ultra-Orthodox political parties, contending their history of antigay rhetoric might have been a motivating factor.
The friction is partly a matter of demographics. With birthrates nearly two or three times the national average, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community is expected to grow from 16 percent of the population to 23 percent by 2025, according to figures from the American-Israel Demographic Research Group.
But in Ramat Aviv, one of the more expensive parts of Tel Aviv, some residents say the arrival of the Haredim is not about expanding populations in search of affordable housing, but is rooted in a political and religious agenda not unlike that of Jewish settlers moving to the West Bank.
“They’re not coming here just to live,” said David Shulman, who is helping to lead a neighborhood group opposed to the Haredi expansion. “They are here to take over the neighborhood.”
Ultra-Orthodox leaders in Ramat Aviv dismiss such fears as unfounded. Yehuda Sheleg, who serves as a rabbi in a new synagogue in the area, said the controversy has been exaggerated by a handful of residents “who are bothered by anything Jewish.”
Butcher Rafi Aharonowiz, who has been selling pork, seafood, and other nonkosher foods from his Ramat Aviv shop for a decade, said friction is growing as Haredim become more aggressive. Haredi leaders opened a religious school a few yards from his shop, and its students sometimes spit on his front stoop as they pass. He started receiving anonymous phone calls asking why he sells nonkosher goods.
Haredim set up booths and tables in front of his and other stores to spread their message.
At one such table, Haredi student Rotem Hadad, 25, invited shoppers to stop and pray, persistently pursuing some of those who brushed him off to a sleek mall, where some stopped for a quick prayer or free Sabbath candles.
To Hadad, there is no harm in reaching out to other Jews. Like many of the Haredim in Ramat Aviv, he is part of a ultra-Orthodox sect known as Chabad.
Unlike most other branches of Judaism, Chabad followers are known for their missionarylike practices directed at other Jews.
“We are trying to spread Judaism outside the synagogue,” he said. “Jews need to be awakened. It’s like awakening someone from a sleep. Sometimes that person wakes up a bit grumpy at first.”
Secular leaders in Ramat Aviv say they are more than a little grumpy. They have organized a campaign to drive the Haredim out. In addition to sending teams of parents to confront the Friday night gatherings, they have filed zoning complaints about the Haredi kindergarten and other establishments.
And they have taken to filming the Friday night activities and sharing the footage with television stations and the police.
“There’s a lot of heat now coming from our side,” Shulman said. “The more extreme they’ve become, the more extreme the population is becoming.
Here in the northwest of the USofA when I’m dressed in dark suit and hat, my gentile neighbors are respectful; when I run into a Jewish neighbor they used to pass comments now they just look embarrassed. They are more accepting of the fellow down the street who has dreads (long hair that has gone uncombed until it matted) down past his waist and dresses like a 60s hippie. So much for the tolerance of the “progressives”.
surprise surprise!! charedim doing kiruv and being nonviolent but still hetd and unwanted.
The chareidim should dress like Arabs who are admired by these chilonim and the sale of pork will cease in order to honor the Muslims and shalom al yisrael.
Attention my chareidi brothers did you forget the famouse chazal ‘toofastoo meriboo loi toofastoo’
once again secular Israelis are proving how little they actually believe in democracy…
if you believe in democracy then what is the problem . a person should be able to live wherever they want to live without fear from anyone.
Wow! What a great story!
If liberals are getting upset, you know you’re doing the right thing. These Balad, Fatah, Labor, and Meretz supporters who occupy Ramat Aviv know that they are losing and that the yidden are winning. Maybe they can emigrate to the U.S. so they can vote for the Green party and go to pro-Obama rallies on Friday nights.
As Obama says: argue with ’em, get in their faces.
Liberals stand for nothing: Ramat Aviv will be frum in 10 years.
“Secular leaders in Ramat Aviv … have organized a campaign to drive the Haredim out.”
If a group of city leaders in any other “western” country organized a campaign to rid their city of Orthodox Jews the ADL and every other Jewish civil rights organization would rain down on them with utter contempt, scorn and legal action.
But for some reason in Eretz Yisrael (of all places) it is deemed to be entirely acceptable to freely espouse bigotry against Orthodox Jews without any negative repercussions.
Sadly this is yet another indication that the State of Israel which allows this type of behavior is hardly ראשית צמיחת גאולתנו.
#3 and what has that mama chazal got to do here?
33
Another provocation from the Ultra-Secularists.
I am not defending the selling of treif (obviously).
However, this does illustrate part of the problem. If Chareidim moved in and left everyone else alone, these problems would not be so explosive. If some xian missionary setup shop outside my office and pestered everyone coming and going, I would do everything in my power to force him out too.
If you come into a community like a bull in a china shop, expected to be treated like an animal. If you come into a community peacefully and properly… without confrontation and without trying to “change” everyone else who lives there, you will be treated more respectfully. We certainly have seen that over and over again here in the US, and it is no different in EY.
This is the right way to do things. Peaceful. Show the beauty of Yiddishkeit and the teenagers will come over to the right side. I hope this method spreads to Yerushalayim.
JD
very well said but no one is listening to you
I’m not for driving any Jew out of any community but after seeing what’s going on in Jerusalem, as a frum Jew, I don’t know that I would want certain people around in my community.
Two wrongs don’t make a right but I know that i would want to protect my neighborhood. Who is to say in a year or two they won’t start throwing rocks at cars driving on shabbos or have a “tznius police force” or throw rocks at the guy selling pork?
I don’t agree with driving people out of the community but just lok at where they are coming from.
Let us not forget Derache’ah Darchei No’am and if we can keep to it we will have shalom and vegam oyvav yashlim imo, they will not only tolerate charedim but came round too.
If the Hareidi want the freedom to “evangelize” and expand their communities in Tel Aviv without restrictions than Butcher Rafi Aharonowiz should have the same right to sell treifus in Meah Shearim or anywhere in yerushalayim. Under the law in EY both groups are entitled to pursue their lives as they see appropriate and without interference. I suspect, however, that a new shop selling chazerfleish in Yerushalayim would not be popular.
#13 you’re right because they know and it eats them up alive that the most baalei tshuva are from the Tel Aviv area.
#7 I speculate that it will happen much, much earlier than 10 years. Venizke venichye venireh be’ezrat Hashem Yitbarach.
please if anyone seriously thinks that by standing in a large crowd outside a secular club singing zemiros and davening is called kiruv,your dellusional,all they see is a bunch of extremists demonstrating,you wont win any over like that, also id like to know how you are supposed to be “mekarev” gay secularists if you call being gay a sin? be mekarev them into being straight?
i believe that any jew should be able to live wherever he chooses in the biblical land of israel.
with that said, i often hear the jerusalem chareidi decry a change in the status quo.
well, you know the old saying, whats good for the goose is sauce for the gander..
if you advocate a status quo imagine how the chilonim feel about change in their neighborhoods.
its time for for both sides to demonstrate respect and kovod to the other side and their neighbors or potential neighbors. we need unity in the jewish nation. as it says … hinei matov umah naim, shevet achaim gam yachad.
i c no harm in offering jews the opportunity to pray and to get free shabbat candles – its like any other table , shuk style, that is all over israel……….chabad is not one to “force” anything on anyone….just there to listen, and give the opportunity to do another mitzvah
with all the current tension in israel – with the issues of the shabbos parking lot, the lady with the sick child and the haraydim demonstrating etc….ALL of those charadim were NOT chabad people – they are the members of Maiya Shayarim….when in all these stories all we hear is “haraydim” it gets confusing and we must realize there are countless of different charydi groups
Fox News just showed photos of last night’s rally in support of gay and lesbian rights in EY and the speech by President Peres criticizing the culture of hatred the hareidim have created. These killings and the riots and the parking lot have galvanized the public and over the long term will do more to assure freedom in EY than anything the secular yiddin could have done on their own.
Long before riots shmiots the Chabad emissaries were doing their holy work with utter Ahavas Yisroel. That still didn’t stop anti observant Jews from trying to stop them. I understand that so called secularists are scared of observant Jews. They have every right to be. Observant Jews make them feel extremely uncomfortable in the lifestyles they chose. It makes them feel very inferior.
Too all haters of chareidim who have instituted a culture of hatred toward their fellow Jews, I want you to know that you have my full sympathies.
May Hashem send you all a Refuah Shleima Bgashmios and Brochnius.
well whatever chabad USED to do doesnt matter now,the secular community sees chareidim a certain way right now,and singing outside some friday night hotspots is not going to make them turn around and say”oh chareidi is awesome”,lets forget the fact that they dont agree with any part of our lifestyle,
no, people like rabbi uri zohar,who can say to them “been there done that” can influence them not some chabad shliach from crown heights….
Why do religious people have to live in a non religious area? Then they want to tell the chilonim how to live their lives. Everyone should mind their own business.
I raised a son and a daughter and have kyn ayin hora 11 grandchildren and none have chutzpa. Chutzpa has nothing to do with moshiach but rather with a home where the mida of derech eeretz was not observed or stressed. I wonder where the ten shvotim disappeared . Can the chareidim tell me,