The frum residents of the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood of the capital have been fighting an uphill battle since the first ones moved in as there are elements in the community strongly opposed to the new religious atmosphere that prevails. They fought to establish minyanim and in the early days, were often compelled to appear in court for violating zoning laws, hosting minyanim in apartments.

One of the strongholds of the old non-religious lifestyle appears to by the minhelet, the local community council that has much to say about the goings-on in the community. Despite a directive from City Hall against sponsoring chilul Shabbos entertainment, the minhelet continues to offer residents movies on Friday night.

This is rapidly leading to a coalition crisis in Jerusalem City Hall as the chareidi councilmen have given Mayor Nir Barkat a two-week ultimatum, to stop the movies and shut down the minhelet or they are pulling out of the coalition government.

Last Shabbos, hundreds of shomer Shabbos residents protested outside the minhelet when the movies were aired.

This past Sunday, 7 Shevat, 16 members of Yahadut Hatorah, Shas, Bnei Torah and Bayit Yehudi serving in the Jerusalem City Council formulated a letter to the mayor, calling upon him to act as well as to cut any and all funding to the minhelet. They explained the chilul Shabbos is intolerable and a gross violation of the long-standing religious status quo in the city as the minhelet is an arm of the city government.

Councilman Yitzchak Pindrus was of the opinion the minhelet must be brought down and Kiryat Yovel represents a watershed compelling the mayor to choose; either enforcing the religious status quo or lose the religious parties in his coalition. Councilman Chaim Epstein called for a total cessation of all chilul Shabbos in all city institutions.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)