Beit Shemesh Mayor Daniel Vaknin rejected an anti-chareidi
initiative by secular and national-religious councilmen
intended to halt construction for the chareidi public and to
change the building plan for the future Ramat Beit Shemesh
Gimmel to prevent chareidim from purchasing apartments.
Vaknin announced the formation of a panel of experts to
discuss these issues following a request by the city's
chareidi councilmen.
The City Planning and Construction Committee met to consider
the demand issued by a group of councilmen calling for
"balance" between the chareidim and the religious with the
declared goal "to stop the chareidim."
Councilmen representing Degel HaTorah, Agudas Yisroel and
Shas sent a letter to the Mayor asking him to reject the
idea, saying the non-chareidi councilmen behind the
unilateral move "are not driven by the good of the City of
Beit Shemesh and its development, but by extraneous
considerations that have no place in our city."
When the meeting opened, the chareidi councilmen presented a
proposal to set up a joint committee including experts and
prominent public figures, adding, "clearly all of the members
of the city Council agree that the city is open to all
populations and sectors."
The Planning and Construction Committee did not hold a
discussion on the issue and the Mayor announced at the
beginning of the meeting that he intends to set up a
committee to deliberate these questions and that he would not
hold a rushed, unfocused, populist meeting on such a loaded
and sensitive issue.
