It appears that a small number of non-frum residents of Yerushalayim’s Romeima neighborhood are bothered by the relative quiet in the area, which has been living a shabbos status quo for quite some time. Enlisting the support of attorney Yossi Chavilov, the infamous anti-frum Jerusalem legal advisor, they plan to challenge the current status of the community, beginning with demands to dismantle the gate that closes Mem Gimmel Street on shabbos, leading to the Undsdorf area. In recent weeks, a metallic gate was added to the community towards enhancing the eruv.
The non-frum residents turned to City Hall, finding Chavilov is a willing partner in their struggle, with residents maintaining the new addition to the eruv totally prevents the entry of vehicles on shabbos, and they are unwilling to accept this.
Community leaders question why the sudden aggressiveness, explaining that even prior to the new eruv structure, vehicles were prohibited from entering the community on shabbos, adding their latest eruv enhancement is not in violation of the law.
Chavilov has not wasted time, and has already sent off letters pointing out the new addition to the eruv requires city approval, which he states was not obtained. He maintains as such, the addition must be disassembled since it was constructed without the required permit.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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6 Responses
Anti-Shabbos tensions in Yerushalayim? What is wrong with us? Our enemies have educated arabs in America who support terrorism and think terrorist groups are social service agencies, and do not offer one word of criticism as their “fundamentalist” brothers commit cold-blooded murder on every single continent, and even against other muslims who are black.
And we Jews? Anti-Shabbos strife? In Jerusalem? In history, when we become pathetic, it does not bode well for us, heaven forbid.
In physics there is a law: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
We are now seeing the reaction.
Unsdorf, not Undsdorf.
Chavilov should get lost. I don’t know where the fence is located, but as far as I know, there has always been a traffic sign at the place where Rechov Petach Tikvah starts, saying no entrance on shabbos/yom tov. (That’s about 500 meters beyond MDA – beyond the area where the seculars live, which is between Rechov Petach Tikvah and MDA / Yirmeyahu (Senter 1).
I don’t understand the rank hypocrisy here. On the one hand, the article talks about a “status quo” it then goes on to say that the gate was added “in recent weeks”. So which is it? If the gate is new, it is the chareidi community in Romema which violated the status quo, regardless of whether people drove there or not.
Two things about all this “kiruv” in Yerushalayim:
1. Don’t violate Bain Adam L’ Chavero. Der Aybershter happens to think this is important too.
2. Set up a Kiddush with Cholent and Yerushalmi Kugel (and pickles). More Yidden have become frum through Chesed.
Duh!
JewLover:
They aren’t trying to be “mekarev” secular Jews. They just want to enforce their lifestyle on secular Jews. Look at the above picture. Will even 1 Jew be shomer shabbos from seeing that or will more seculars become disgusted with Chareidim?
I always wondered about the chilul shabbos of the police and soldiers. For every protest there are many police Jeeps/cars on the scene…and officers have to be mechallel shabbos to contain the rioters/protesters. Isn’t that chillul shabbos? These protesters are gorem a yid to be mechallel shabbos. They are creating more chillul shabbos in a futile effort to halt chillul shabbos!!!