Secular Group Forms To Block Haredi Control Of New Israeli City

Harish was supposed to be a new city for all Israelis. But Israel's haredi controlled Housing and Construction Ministry tried to cook the books to favor hardim and drive out other interested buyers. Now a secular group has formed to fight back where it counts most – in new apartments.

File photo: Secular protest against a haredi-controlled Harish

Secular Group Forms To Block Haredi Control Of New Israeli City
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

The battle over the character of the new Israeli city of Harish has moved from a war of words to actual (but nonviolent) action.

The Israeli business daily Globes reports that a secular buyers group is organizing to bid in tenders for lots in the new city of Harish.

The city was supposed to be developed for a mixed population and it’s current residents are split between a majority of secular residents and a minority of Zionist Orthodox.

But Israel’s haredi-controlled housing ministry zoned the lots for high density residences and designed those residences to accommodate haredi families and discourage non-haredim from purchasing apartments.

Enter Israeli businessman Israel Avital and Jerusalem real estate broker Assaf Hubara, who set up a building association to bid on Hareish tenders. They have reportedly received hundreds of requests in the past week for more information about the new development, many via the Facebook page of Liberated Harish, and have already signed up 50 buyers.

"The tenders are open to everyone, and there is a severe housing shortage which we are constantly complaining about. Now we have a one-time opportunity to buy an apartment at cost prices, a new apartment in a new town. Why not enjoy the prices?" Hubara told Globes.

“You can call this Zionism, but my objective is to reside at a reasonable price, not to mortgage myself forever. NIS 4,000 a month for 20 years - a young couple can't afford that,” Avital, who plans to live and raise his children in Harish, reportedly said. "We want to enjoy low prices such as there were in Modi'in and Shoham when they started out. All that has to be done now is to solve the problem of the population and bring as many secular people as possible."

Avital and Hubara turned over the management of the project to Bemuna Ltd., a Zionist-Orthodox-run real estate company which already manages several projects in Harish, because it has a proven track record.

Comments

[George]

For future harmony Israel should create new developments for Haredim and new ones for seculars. Face it, Haredim do not want to live with the seculars and seculars do not wish to live with the Haredim.

In the normal course of events separation between classes happens without fanfare. The wealthy do not want to live with the riffraff and separation occurs on purely financial grounds. The riffraff cannot afford the prices of wealthy neighborhoods and voila no riffraff living within the wealthy. No protests, money or the lack of it is the catalyst.

[Rebitzman]

They have a website for donations?

[Chazal Qaeda]

Chareidim: can't live with em, can't live without em...

[Jeff]

They'd better be careful. The Haredim have tehillim.

[Korbendallas72]

The new strategy the Haredim have adopted is area denial. "Haredi only" and some such. They'll declare statehood eventually.

Chareidim: can't live with em, can't live without em...
Posted by: Chazal Qaeda | September 10, 2012 at 07:47 PM

Oh yes we can. More importantly, we will. You worthless turds have dragged us into a conflict with EVERY GODDAMN STATE IN WHICH THERE IS A JEW, and for what?

[Fred Beans]

in Lakewood Mesifta one boy stabbed another last night! this news will never make it to mainstream media since all the corrupt officials in lakewood swept it under the rug as they do with all crime within the frum community.

[A. Nuran]

Chazal Qaeda, we can live without them. Easily.

[Jerry]

Harish was supposed to be a new city for all Israelis.
The city was supposed to be developed for a mixed population
What they mean is jews only and no arabs need apply. Entire cities are being built but they are only for jews. Has there even been such a segregated society as Israel? What is especially crazy is that the jews even segregate themselves in even smaller divisions such as haredi and secular and zionist orthodox.

[Mike S.]

god botherers of all stripes... lawlzzzzzzzz

[ruthie]

a jew is a jew is a jew

[David]

Isn't it a problem that the apartments were specifically designed for Charedim and not normal people?

[Korbendallas72]

Haredim are not Jews. They're Haredi. They have their own language, their own culture, their own Torah. They are worthless, useless, shallow, and stupid. You can't talk to them, you can't reason with them, you can't live near them. They are NOT JEWS.

[Korbendallas72]

Jerry - The other 17 Judenrein nations controlled by Arab despots in the name of a pig named Muhammad? Find one.

[David]

You can't talk to them, you can't reason with them,

Posted by: Korbendallas72 | September 11, 2012 at 08:09 AM

Rather reminiscent of "The Terminator".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKbZMIP4XUE

"It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."

[God is not amused]

Ruthie/"A jew is a Jew is a Jew." It used to be that way unitl...tad ah......the Ultra reared its ugly head. I was told dead to my face by a "chassid" ..."you are not a Jew." Then I got an earfull of fallacious arguments.

Mamakating, NY-Woodbury, NY ALSO trying to keep the Haredi out. Budapest Hungary is murmuring against the "beards".........NOT seculars, I got some clarification on that. Obviously nobody wants what the Haredi is bringing to the community table, which is "give me your money and get out of my community, you are all scum of the earth"

[Jeff]

I was told dead to my face by a "chassid" ..."you are not a Jew." Then I got an earfull of fallacious arguments.

I've told this story here a couple of times. I was told by a young Satmar that I'm not a Jew. Of course, he told me I'm still going to hell for not observing the mitzvot. The fact that he was able to reconcile the two contradictory statements I can only attribute to cognitive dissonance (because it's getting to be the holidays and I don't want to call it a congenital mental illness).

[I can't think of a name yet]

Okay, so someone told Jeff that he's not a Jew. And korbandallas said that Haredim are not Jews. Tit for tat. Everyone thinks the other is not Jewish.
Jeff, how do you reconcile the statements made on this blog that Haredim are not Jewish, with your obsession about Haredim. If they're not Jewish, why even think about them. Or is it cognitive dissonance?

[Jeff]

Jeff, how do you reconcile the statements made on this blog that Haredim are not Jewish, with your obsession about Haredim. If they're not Jewish, why even think about them. Or is it cognitive dissonance?

Once again, the superior reasoning abilities of the yeshiva-trained mind.