The Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood of Jerusalem is not peaceful these days, as according to a MK from the Shas party, the sephardi rav of the community, HaGaon Rav Yitzchak Cohen has received death threats.
According to a Kikar Shabbos News report, quoting a Shas Member of Knesset anonymously, Rav Yitzchak Cohen has received death threats in recent days.
The story begins with Chassidei Karlin, who last year requested to set up a large tent in the city area on Shimon HaTzaddik Street to accommodate many mispallalim during Rosh Hashanah. They received a permit for last year only.
Last Pesach, sephardi avreichim submitted a request to establish a tent for Yeshivas Bein Hazmanim and the city complied. This was the case last month too, during the Av bein hazmanim. The city permitted the avreichim to set up tents to accommodate lomdei Torah. The city has also given a permit to set up a tent for Tishrei, to be taken down by 3 Cheshvan.
However, last month, Karlin chassidim once again submitted a request to erect a tent on the city property but they quickly learned the area in question was already taken by sephardi avreichim. City officials told the chassidim they must look for an alternate venue.
Karlin however does not wish to look for a new venue, and the chassidim are demanding the sephardim vacate the area. They explain they invested significant sums of money to prepare the area, so it is usable, and they are unwilling to walk away and permit others to use it, insisting it is rightfully their for Tishrei.
Neighborhood residents, headed by Rav Y. Cohen, enjoy the backing of HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen Shlita, head of the Shas Moetzas Gedolei Torah, who sent a letter to Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon requesting that he defend the sephardi avreichim, who were given the permit first.
In his letter, Rav Cohen explains that the sephardim live in the neighborhood and there is no reason for them to have to seek a venue elsewhere to accommodate the chassidim who do not live in the area. In addition, Rav Cohen also request assistance in establishing a permanent beis medrash on the area in question.
Prior to Rav Cohen’s letter to the mayor, HaGaon Rav Moshe Tzadka sent a letter to Rav Shalom Cohen, requesting his assistance. That letter was signed by prominent sephardi rabbonim who reside in the Shmuel HaNavi community as well.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
Seems like the Karlin have no legal chazakah to the area in question since it is public property and the rules seem to imply a “first-come, first served” permit system. It was very generous of the karlin to improve the site at their own expense but they did not obtain any contractual guarantees from the municipal government for priority use of the site by virtue of those improvements. Seems like another case of Sephardim being one step ahead of the Litvish……
It’s all just the satan trying to get in the way of the powerful tefillos of thousands of yidden on Rosh Hashana!
Seems like i have no buisness to this Machlokes in question since it is other people and the rules of logic seem to imply to butt out of this system. It was very generous of YWN to host my views at their own expense but they did not realize that i am a nusance and will try to work on myself during Elul. I apologize for my previous comment and will try to correct my mistakes in the future. Lets be careful on what we say on what we say and discuss!!!!
Klal Yisroel needs Shalom to reign.
WoO, that’s a lot of talk from YWN. It seems like they have their opinions and conclusions of what’s happening!! Great fake news outlet!
For a number of wrong reasons they’re painting this story wrongly…
#1- yes this is a defat do neighborhood, but it is a Chasidish’h/Litvish neighborhood as well. It’s connected to arzei habira, it’s across ohr sameach/ maalot Dafna / machal. There is many katlin chassidim in the neighborhood as well, so don’t make it sound like Karlin is invading a foreign neighborhood.
#2- many years ago the government of Yerushalayim gifted properties to different communities, proportional to their size to help them with what they need. Karlin was given a nice size property which they did not need at the time so the city asked if they can use it for something els, so they agreed on condition that the city will replace it with another property when they need one. Over the last decade the main shul for Karlin became to small to host the thousands of people coming to their rebi for rosh hashana. There was a vacant dirt township property sitting on the heart of Shimon hatzadik, a 7 min walk from the main synagogue so katlin came to the citi and said hey you owe us a property, give us this vacant property. The government at the time had plans to build some type of gym on the property so since Karlin would only need it 2-3 times a year, after long debates it was understood that Stolin should invest in the property itself, clean it up and pave the grounds and that they would get to use the gym for when they need it. Nothing was finalized but rosh hashana was approaching so the city gave them one time permits and agreed to finalize the agreements later in the year. So Stolin went ahead, invested hundreds of thousands of $ into the property and had a beautiful rosh hashana.
Over the year the citi stalled their plans of the gym and now had a beautiful property that was all fixed up sitting around, so a few sefardi people came and requested permits to create tents there for their community’s needs. Since there was nothing going on, the permits were given.
Now katlin came back with the obvious understanding that these permits should not affect the deal they had with the citi and the fact that their owed a property and the only reason people are using it is because Karlin invested and made it usable on the understanding that get it when they need it…..
And the sfardi community’s are aging we finally got permits for tents to host our needs. Why are you guys pushing us out? Find another place. And karlin believes that they’re being cheated. You can’t ask me to invest in a property that is not usable o. The understanding that they can use it 2-3 times a year when they need it to then just do whatever you want with it and say we never promised….
A Kesiva V’chasima Tovah to all of Klal Yisrael and May moshiach come already.
P.S. let’s hope and pray for YWN not to always find the faults of klal Yisroel, to always defend all of kla yisroel, not to find the worst video of every beautiful event and that their writers, editors and owners our judged with kindness in hashem’s eyes as well! Amen!
DESPICABLE BIASED HEADLINE DEATH THREATS to who????!!!!! Whoever lives in yerushalayim knows that if there were any threats or damage it was towards the chasidei karlin and everyone knows what happened this past motzei shabbos that sefardim came and tried to reck amd damage karliner shul on rechov Yoel in yerushalayim and police had to be called and just this night they came and tried pouring gasoline there to light a fire SO IF THERE’S ANYONE WHO’S GETTING THREATENED THEN IT’S THE KARLINER CHASSIDIM
HELLO?!? ANYONE THERE?!?
Really?!? Death threats?!? New is readily available … read … Read who assailed whom….
It’s not the way this Chassidus goes about their business.
Did yeshiva world check the facts out with the askanim in Stolin before posting this article?! Obviously not. You’ve got the story very wrong.
(As a side note, Stolin is the korban here for it’s a far greater rift between Shas and Yahadut Hatorah. ) And we all know how stoliners behave in general, as oppose to….so get the facts straight!
Another important fact that you guys are missing is that Stolin has a permit for this Rosh Hashanah already and the permit for the sefardim ended THIS week! So they don’t even have it for Tishrei!
The article does not say who gave the death threats, but I’d like to know. I do not believe that Karliner Chassidim gave death threats.