The proposal by Yaakov Wider, a member of the Bnei Brak City Council and chairman of the Likud faction, seeking to repeal the restriction on residential building height in the city, will be put to a vote tonight at the Bnei Brak City Council meeting.
Currently, the municipality limits construction to a height of only 6.5 stories - a very unusual restriction in Israel's urban landscape,
Wieder claims that the current restriction harms the ability to provide a solution to the acute housing crisis in the city, one of the most crowded in Israel, and that this is "an opportunity to lower housing prices and prevent corruption.".
According to him, "removing the restriction will allow more apartments to be built in those areas and will help lower housing prices." He claims that it will "uproot the existing situation that has opened the door to corruption and embezzlement, and allows a 'bypass' for cronies and 'grease-mongers.'".
In his explanatory remarks to the proposal, Widar noted that the "halachic" arguments raised against high-rise construction also do not stand the test of halachic law. According to him, a ruling by the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi David Yosef, makes it clear that "there is no halachic impediment to approving high-rise construction plans and building high-rise buildings.".
Vider called for adopting the ruling and abolishing the restriction, as is customary in all cities in Israel. "The public in Bnei Brak should not continue to pay the price for the whims of the activists. The residents expect that anyone who claims to be acting on behalf of the rabbis will not vote against an explicit halachic ruling and against a real reduction in the cost of living in the city.".
The vote will test the council members - primarily Shas representatives, who will have difficulty explaining how they oppose the explicit ruling of the First of Zion.
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