Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai appears to be committed to his anti-chareidi agenda following his recent verbal assault against against chareidi chinuch. He will now be compelled to show his true colors as the Ramat Aviv Gimmel community demands a policy statement, expected on Monday.
His comments earned him bonus points with the city’s secularists and he is being approached to comment on next week’s planned anti-Chabad protest, seeking to combat Chabad’s growing influence in the Ramat Aviv Gimmel. Ramat Aviv Gimmel is viewed as a bastion of the city’s affluent secularists. Chabad is no newcomer to opposition in that area, with parents seeking to take shluchim to court for daring to “brainwash” their children, taking about mitzvos and shabbos.
The Tel Aviv City Council is scheduled to meet, actually convening to discuss the growing chareidi fear in their city, seeking to formulate a plan to prevent the takeover of their community.
City Councilman Reuven Ladiansky is working to compel the mayor to express his support for the Ramat Aviv Foundation’s protest effort. The mayor has in the past tried to remain neutral, realizing after all that he is the mayor of the entire city, but Ladiansky feels he no longer has such a luxury due to the ‘growing threat’. Ladiansky is also demanding an explanation regarding reports City Hall is funding a mehadrin bus, with separate seating for males and females in Ramat HaChayal.
Chabad officials continue to explain that most of the area is pleased with their activities, working to save many lost youths, and that the secularists do enjoy good media coverage but nevertheless, they are a minority opinion. The secularists in Ramat Aviv Gimmel however continue to express their concern over Chabad’s growing influence over their children, some of whom having already adopted a frum lifestyle.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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2 Responses
Let him say it outright. This way EVERYONE will know where he stands (unless he is like Fearless Leader who talks out of both sides of his teleprompter).
The Israeli politicians resort to “hate” mongering when they sense that their popular support is slipping. This is a known method to garner support by frightening the secular population as if to say, “if you do not vote for me, then you will be subject to religious coercion.”
We have seen this before and we will see it again since the religious are gaining the upper hand in Israel due to natural population growth, (they have more children than the secular), immigration (they tend to come to Israel to learn, and many end up staying here, and many families decide to leave chutz l’aretz to live in Israel), there are many new ba’al t’shuvas every year.
The seculars tend to leave Israel after the Army service and find a new live in all parts of the world, they marry late in life (if at all), do not have many children (yeled v’kelef, v’kelef adeef).
If the secular mayor can’t arouse his secular following, then he will loose in the next election and some one who realizes the coming power of the religious will replace him.