Tel Aviv, Israel – Mayor Huldai slated to voice his opinion regarding ultra-Orthodox influence on northern neighborhood in city council meeting ahead of anti-Chabad protest to be held next week.
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After speaking out against the ultra-Orthodox community’s refusal to include core subjects in its study program, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai faces another challenge in respect to the haredi public.
Huldai will be asked to comment on a campaign led by Ramat Aviv residents seeking to prevent the neighborhood from becoming haredi on Monday, a week before a massive demonstration is scheduled to be held at the area.
Huldai appears to have won substantial support from Tel Aviv’s secular public after coming out against the haredi study program last month. His statements will be put to the test this week in a city council debate on the “haredization” of northern Tel Aviv.
A week later the Free Ramat Aviv foundation will hold a protest against the increasing activity of the neighborhood’s Chabad house and its influence over local secular teens.
Since the residents’ campaign was launched two years ago the mayor avoided making explicit statements endorsing any one side. On Monday he will be forced to comment on a motion filed by Councilman and Attorney Reuven Ladiansky from the Let Live faction.
“I intend to mention the fact that the Municipality is funding a bus line which maintains separation between male and female students in Ramat Hahayal,” Ladiansky told Ynet.
The councilman claims that Chabad has been engaged in a campaign reforming local teenagers into ultra-Orthodox believers.
“For over two years many of the residents feel threatened by the ever-increasing activities of the Chabad Hassidic movement,” he said. “This is demonstrated by a line of carefully thought-out and planned activities by the followers of Rabbi Milubavitch which include the establishment of religious institutes within the neighborhoods such as yeshivas, mikvehs and haredi kindergartens.”
Ladiansky further noted that one may frequently come across Chabad activists trying to recruit seculars into various seminars in an effort to “reform” them.
Monday’s council meeting is slated to be attended by the leaders of the Ramat Aviv campaign.
“We expect Huldai to stand by his statements and not chicken out because of a haredi macher in the Municipality,” Free Ramat Aviv spokesperson Sharon Becker said. “It is no longer a local or municipal issue, but a matter of principle of a national level.”
Head of the local Chabad house Rabbi Yossi Ginsburg claims that despite inviting the residents for talks the campaign leaders have never met with him.
Chabad sources also claim that the people opposing their activities comprise a small percentage of the neighborhood’s residents and that most of the locals are pleased with Chabad’s presence.
“Head of the local Chabad house Rabbi Yossi Ginsburg claims that despite inviting the residents for talks the campaign leaders have never met with him.”
Like the story of Unkelus, they are afraid of getting influenced themselves.
If this is the “biggest problem” facing this community, I would venture to say that they should be counting their blessings.
Gevaldig!! this is chabad at its finest! doing the rebbe proud. – Tikun olam and all…..
Something smells quite fishy in this article!
I highly doubt that ChaBaD has an interest in th chareidization of any community, as that is not its core mission. ChaBaD usually focuses on each induvidual performing more and more mitzvot.
About ten years ago, I got stuck in Ramat Aviv for Shabbos and had the zechus of spending Shabbos with this Tzadik Rabbi Ginsburg. He is a real lamdan and gaon.
I feel that had he been put in one of big yeshivos he be known as one of the greatest in our time
About ten years ago, I got stuck in Ramat Aviv for Shabbos and had the zechus of spending Shabbos with this Tzadik Rabbi Ginsburg. He is a real lamdan and gaon.
I feel that had he been put in one of big yeshivos he be known as one of the greatest in our time
They are right to be afraid, pretty soon the mayor’s son will be learning in a Lubavitch Yeshiva.
Besides, Chabad has zero to do with any mehadrin line. Sounds like that is a line that goes either to the small chassidishe (Gerrer) enclave near Sheinkin or connects TA with Bnei Brak.
You can be sure that if an Islamic or Chrisian organization engaged their youth (and Chrisian missionaries do this regularly), they would not object. This is typical liberal behavior. Preach tolerance, but be intolerant.
If their youth is influenced by Lubavitch, then it must be that they are not happy with what they are taught now.
The bigotry of these people is astounding.
shockand horror!!!!!! There are frum people living in Israel and OMG they are “reforming” the chalonim
This Tel Aviv Mayor’s recent comments are intended to polarize the secular and religious although he is correct about better education for chareidi children. If Israel is a democracy like US Chabad can go anywhere. They are influenced by the decades of hate instilled by Labor teaching them Charedis are “parasites and Leeches.”
Gideon Levy of Haaretz (and a severe leftist) recently wrote an article of the “racism being
committed by the Left and seculars when Hareidim move into a secular neighborhood.” They harass and protest and are vindictive to religious Jews and run away also. They are guilty of everything they are complaininf about against the ARabs.
The recent protests (as I pointed out in VIN comments ) are beginning to have an effect
which will affect the entire religious community in a detrimental lasting negative way. The
politicians like Livni and radio commentators are begginning the war against the religious
which they have brought on themselves by not loudly disassociating themselves from Violent protests. Chabad knows their business and will prevail but it shows you that it is the seculars who hate religious vehemently more than the reverse
!
“For over two years many of the residents feel threatened by the ever-increasing activities of the Chabad Hassidic movement,” he said. “This is demonstrated by a line of carefully thought-out and planned activities by the followers of Rabbi Milubavitch which include the establishment of religious institutes within the neighborhoods such as yeshivas, mikvehs and haredi kindergartens.”
Kol hakavod l’Chabad!
“The councilman claims that Chabad has been engaged in a campaign reforming local teenagers into ultra-Orthodox believers.”
What a tragedy! Young Yidden reconnecting with their beautiful heritage!
The satan is getting nervous. He knows that Moshiach is about to come and then he is finished.
“The councilman claims that Chabad has been engaged in a campaign reforming local teenagers into ultra-Orthodox believers”
Hopefully this is not true and there are no efforts made, c’vl, to pressure local teens to become chareidim without their parents’ consent. If this is true, however, this would make it difficult and hypocritical for these same chareidim to object and interfere when the various messianic “jews” engage in similiar evangelical efforts forcused on young israelis.
The issue is one of parental consent. They should not be going around the parents when it comes to religious indoctrination.
I was in the area recently and no one bothered the Na Nachs.
… So what are they gonna do? Not allow Chabadniks to live in certain areas now? To forbid them to make farbrengens? To speak to anyone on the street? And that bus line has nothing to do with chabad, by the way.
The Chutzpeh!
Brainwashing these poor neshommes into a life of Torah v’Shomrei Mitves.