The Arad Mall, the only mall in the southern city, was recently sold to Menachem Kane and Simcha Greenbaum, two Gur Hasidim.
According to a report by Simi Spolter in 'The Marker'', The value of the property was approximately 34 million shekels. In August, Ashtrom, which owned the property in partnership with private businessmen, reported the sale of the mall for no less than 40 million shekels.
The mall was established in 1996 on a land area of approximately 20 dunams. It has two floors with a built-up area of approximately 12,500 square meters and a parking lot with approximately 300 parking spaces. The mall's marketing areas total approximately 8,000 square meters, of which approximately 2,100 square meters were previously sold to Shufersal. The remaining areas are leased to various tenants.
According to The Marker, quite a few residents of the city see this purchase as a bad omen. In a conversation with The Marker, former mayor Nissan Ben Hamo of Yesh Atid claimed that this is part of the Gur Hasidim's grand plan to take over the city. "They will turn this mall into a mall like in Beit Shemesh, without women and businesses that don't suit them.".
Another concern expressed by residents in many posts is that the Super Pharm branch in the mall that is open on Shabbat will be forced to close, even though it is the only one open on Shabbat in the city.
In a video published by the municipality's CEO Lidor Cohen, he attacked those who were worried, claiming that the mall would remain the same: "Their Rebbe doesn't like them hanging around in malls. The mall doesn't interest the Gur Hasidic community at all. Whoever bought it bought it for investment. Whoever bought it bought it for the square footage, there are 40,000 square meters of residential and commercial space that could be built outside, and that's all he's interested in. So enough with the lies.".
However, Kane and Greenbaum admitted in a conversation with The Marker that they do indeed intend to make the mall more suitable for the ultra-Orthodox, but they claim this is mainly due to demand. "We want it to be a mall that appeals to the ultra-Orthodox, with their brands and needs, but secular people will also find their place and feel at home here.".
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