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Aug 17, 2014

Bet Shemesh 2, the spitting sequel, in Elad

Elad is a community fairly similar to RBS, though without the "Anglo"population. It is a community that was supposed to originally be fairly mixed between the different sectors, but has turned out to be largely Haredi, with a smaller Dati Leumi community remaining.

There has been a fight going on in Elad abut a Dati Leumi ulpana. The mayor designated a building for the Ulpana that is located not in the Dati Leumi part of town, but in a Haredi neighborhood. The Haredim want the school relocated, claiming tzniyus issues.

So, unfortunately, it is not just in Bet Shemesh that such fights happen between communities. However, further with the "unfortunately", Bet Shemesh has become the model, not for coexistence, but for the fighting.

In Elad people involved in the fighting of the allocation for the Ulpana are saying that if the mayor does not retract the allocation - they will turn Elad into "Bet Shemesh 2"..

Another quote from Elad is from "Yisrael", who said "we are ready for anything. we will make their lives bitter. there are spitters here in Elad as well. We will do everything possible that will prevent them from coming here. Everything. From my perspective, Elad can become Bet Shemesh 2.
source: Ynet

I must say, the sequel is almost never as good as the original.

And people should aspire to copy and imitate the good things from other places, not the bad things...

It is really a shame. I was in Elad recently, when Gilad Sha'ar, Eyal Yifrach, and Naftali Frankel were still missing. Eyal Yifrach was from Elad, from the Dati Leumi community of Elad. This became the beginning of a period of tremendous unity (whatever unity means, that was the word used), as fights were put aside, communities came together and ignored their differences, and communities supported others they are usually, or often enough, at odds with. I was in Elad, and I saw the Haredi community doing everything possible to support the Yifrachs and work for Eyal's release - mostly through prayer, as that is the tool in their wheelhouse, but they also worked to support the family and strengthen their morale.

What happened to that unity? Was it so fragile that it could so quickly turn around in such an extreme fashion, that a Dati Leumi school is such a threat to the much larger haredi community? Suddenly they are back to being so bad that we will have to become "Bet Shemesh 2" to chase them out?

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4 comments:

  1. I suspect that the particular individuals who are threatening BS 2 did not take part in the shows of unity with the Yifrachs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I REALLY hope they keep the battle within the political arena and do NOT harass the students themselves !!!
    The incidents in Orot 2011 were NOT the first example of such harassment in Beit Shemesh.
    In 2006-2007, Beit Shemesh's Ulpanat Gilah was in it's previous location (a pure haredi street at the 'bottom' of RBS-A). Every Friday morning for almost a year, there was a 'havgana' outside of the school -- they brought tehlim, shofars, and put on an entire production outside of the school. Instead of getting angry, the Ulpana students hung a sign outside of the school which stated "The previous Beit Hamikdash was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam, and the future Beit Hamikdash will be built from Ahavat Hinam." In my opinion, the grown men 'tora scholars' at that havgana have a LOT to learn from the 13 year old girls that hung that sign.
    B'sorot tovot

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you think Gila was first? In 1999/2000 the Etrog school was located in the school building on Nahal Gilo. for months (years? I dont remember how long until they left), every single day there was a minmyan outside Etrog of people saying tehillim and blowing shofar. eventually etrog was moved and bais yaakov was given that building

      Delete
  3. I want to bring up that urban planning of public 'brown areas' seems to really suck. Is it hard to forecast 5-10-15 years ahead? Municipalities seem to be stingy on public land. Given that, the Haredization of Elad and overtaking of the dati-leumi sector happened almsot from the beginning and over the past ten years is increasing and frankly, unstoppable - like Bnei Brak and BS. I would relocate the DLs to Shoham.

    ReplyDelete

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