A Guest Post by Rabbi Dov Lipman

On Friday, a group of Bet Shemesh residents traveled to Har Nof on Friday to protest outside the home of Minister Eli Yishai. The group was there to demand that the regional council for construction, under the auspices of Yishai's IInterior ministry, grant residents the right to appeal their approval of the plans of RBS Gimmel 2 which was designed for Chareidim alone. The protest was also about the general direction of the city.

The protestors who included Anglo olim, Russian olim, and Sephardic, veteran residents of the city, emphasized that this was not a protest against Chareidim. They all declared how they welcome living in a city with Chareidim and that new neighborhoods should be built for Chareidim. But, not for Chareidim alone. The city should be built with balance and should continue to grow as a place where all populations can feel comfortable and have a place to grow.

The protest achieved its goal of bringing the issue to the national press and numerous press outlets covered the protest and are now working on programs about the broader issue. The national coverage will have a huge impact on the ministers and other decision makers and is part of a plan the residents have devised with a newly hired media strategist. The council's response regarding the appeal is due by tomorrow. If the appeal is denied residents will challenge the council in court. The following are pictures from the protest.

https://picasaweb.google.com/113805316526362830017/HarNof?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzw-9LmwsbhHA#5681475250007766418