After the Asra Kadisha people have suffered a major blow in their efforts to get the construction stopped at the Golventzitz plot (Ramat Avraham) in RBS, they have set their sites on the next fight.

For the past 1.5 years they have held up the development and construction at Goloventzitz claiming that there are graves below. Every time they hit another level of digging in the attempt to locate the graves, they find the area empty of graves, and the Asra people then claim that it is further down and they must continue digging. They have even been fighting wit the Eida people, as the Eida wants to declare the area grave-free and allow construction to go ahead, while the Asra people continue to claim there are graves somewhere below. According to the local press it is pretty definite that the Asra will be ignored, or forced to give in, and permission will be granted to move ahead with the construction.

With that sound defeat, it was time to move on to the next disruption of life that they could possibly find to cause. They quickly found it, as the City of Bet Shemesh has begun digging to build the Heichal HaTarbut, the Cultural Center (located on the plot of land between Migdal HaMayim and the Kirya Hareidit).

According to this report on Kikar, 4 of these goons were arrested yesterday as they attempted to stop tractors from digging. They claim, as they do just about every time a tractor moves anywhere in Israel, that there are Jewish graves in the area, and the construction will harm them.

It is worth noting that the City of Bet Shemesh has taken a decision that all construction in the city from now on will be in coordination with the Asra Kadisha. For whatever reason they chose to coordinate all construction with the most extreme of the organizations that deal in these matters, the fact is that they did and the digging going on in that area is done with Asra Kadisha approval. Despite the fact that Asra has a supervisor on site, these goons (4 of whom got arrested) came along and threw themselves into the way of the tractor, claiming that the Asra supervisor is being ignored and grave caves are being dug up.

The Asra is out for power and control, and Bet Shemesh should break the contract with them and give the responsibility over to one of the other organizations that deal in these issues.

I am not in favor of digging up graves, without following proper procedure. Graves are a sensitive ssue, and they should be dealt with carefully, with a halachic supervisor whenever possible. That would include at times moving them but at other times coming up with solutions to leave them in place in a way they will not be harmed. The Asra though is declaring the spotting of graves with no proof just so they can control the area.
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