The rabbi of Jerusalem’s Old City HaGaon HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl Shlita has sent a letter to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and other elected officials, calling on City Hall preserve Kedushas Yerushalayim, particularly the Old City.
In his letter the rav addresses “all Jew and shomrei mitzvos and the honorable representatives in Knesset and City Hall”, citing today, hundreds of families merit living “between the walls” as the saying is used to described those living in the Old City.
The rav continues by citing the magnitude of the crying over the pain of the transgressions in the city, shows that have taken place since Nir Barkat’s assuming his post five years ago. The rav speaks of the thousands of visitors attracted to the non-kosher restaurants and the tuma associated with the music and cultural events, citing how “tens of thousands of Jews” are directed to these very same places and events all the while tens of thousands of chareidim are exposed to this against their will as they head to the Kosel to spill out their hearts.
The rav turns to the chareidi city councilmen to “do all within your power” to change the reality that exists in the Old City today. He asks to look into closing the Karta parking lot on Shabbos, which was ordered opened on Shabbos by Barkat to accommodate the many visitors to the city on Shabbos R”L, wishing to make the parking facility available to them.
Rav Nebenzahl also calls on the chareidi politicians to look into the closure of the Old Train Station complex on Shabbos, citing how that has turned into a major chilul Shabbos venue. He also addresses the new multi complex movie theater near the Supreme Court.
Jerusalem City Hall officials are unwilling to comment on the letter.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Rabbi Nebenzahl’s call will unfortunately fall on deaf ears. Even if Barakat would consider it, no way would Lapid, Bennett and other anti religious in the Zionist government allow it and the outcry from the chilonim in general would be deafening. Do you want to make Jerusalem Jewish when they’re trying to make it as tamei and immoral as possible?
The people of the Old City suffer big time from all the festivals, slichot and events which increased to a large extent under Barkat while cityhall at the same time practically stopped enforcing noise laws in the Old City.
Hopefully that will change now, but I’m not holding my breath.
#2 The Arabs in the Old City suffer? We suffer from the loudspeakers of their mosques every single morning at 4:00 a.m. that wakes up the entire household while our events are only several times a year.