Dispute in the city: On Ibn Gabirol Street in the city of Elad, construction of a girls' boarding school is progressing, despite the opposition of neighbors.
About a year ago, when a sign announcing the construction of an Ulpana was placed there, residents began to demonstrate in the designated area. After businessmen appealed to postpone the protests and demonstrations after the elections, the residents complied.
This week, a meeting was held between street residents and activists from all ethnic groups. They all protested against the construction of the Ulpana and agreed that it could lead to break-ins.
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Ibn Gvirol Street is home to 600 ultra-Orthodox families, and six synagogues operate on the street. According to synagogue activists and treasurers, in addition to the activity of the ulpana for girls on weekdays, the building - two of which have already been built - is planned to host activities by the Bnei Akiva organization or the Ezra movement. "This will turn the street," according to the residents, "into a street full of break-ins.".
On Ibn Gabirol Street, there is the Noam school, which serves the religious-national public in the city. When it was built, the residents opposed the construction, but later resigned themselves to the fait accompli. This time, they promise to fight against the Ulpana at all costs.
A resident of the street told Haredim10: "We are not like the extremists in Beit Shemesh. We will not break the law or interfere with legal activity. We are just asking the mayor to prevent the inappropriate mixing of communities in the city. When we protested before the elections, they told us: Wait, Porush will sort everything out. But it turns out that the opposite is true: Porush closed an agreement with council member Shai Natan from the Jewish Home for massive progress in construction.".
Aharon Fisher, the synagogue collector on Ibn Gvirol Street, in a conversation with us: "I spoke with Yisrael Porush. He says: 'It will be fine,' an ulpana will not be built on the street. On the other hand, the city rabbi, the eminent Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Grossman, tells me that the municipality should be pressured not to build the ulpana. We tend to believe that what has been done cannot be undone and that once the building has been approved by the Ministry of Education, it is difficult to change. It is clear that Porush committed to giving something to the religious-nationalists who went with him and he still needs them. We gathered dozens of collectors and decided to embark on a comprehensive struggle. Demonstrations and protests in the city.".
The municipality's spokesperson responded: "We prefer not to comment on rumors spread by irresponsible sources.".
