Haredim in Ashdod don't like free wifi

The next issue in Ashdod is an unexpected one. We have come to expect fights over public Shabbos-observance, over kashrut, over conversion, over allocation of public resources such as buildings for schools and shuls, plots for construction and the like... who knew that wifi in a secular area would be a problem?

Let''s start off like this.. Many many years ago I used to leave my wifi open and available with no password. I was basically leaving it accessible for my neighbors thinking the impact on my usage was nominal at worst and I could easily do a chessed with any neighbors near enough that wanted it (and some did). Eventually I started to see people, often kids but not only, sitting outside for extended periods of time and I realized they were using my wifi. After that I secured it with a password and that was the end of that.

Just the other day someone asked me about his wifi that has no password and the signal reaches outside strong enough for Internet surfing to just one spot - and he often sees people, usually hassidic men, parking their cars right there in his parking spot under his porch and using his wifi. Because of that he decided to secure it with a password.

So, the story, as reported by Actualic, is that the City of Ashdod has decided to install free public wifi along the beachfront for the benefit of the beach-goers.

The free wifi will be available along the entire beachfront by the regular, mixed, secular, beaches, but will not be next to the separate beach that the Haredim use, as the Haredi leadership does not want it available.  can't tell if this was just assumed or if it was requested. Or maybe they just did not want to do it by the Haredi beach.

But no, the complaint is not that wifi is being provided along the entire beach but not by the Haredi/religious beach. The complaint is that free wifi is being provided - by the secular beaches.

Haredi askanim in Ashdod are complaining that the free wifi access will attract Haredim as well to the beach area, to the secular beach area. The free open wifi itself is a problem, as anybody wanting to use internet will just go down to the beach area and immediately have access to unfiltered Internet and be able to access anything they want. In addition, being near the secular beaches will expose them to immodesty and inappropriate views and atmosphere.

The askanim are pushing Haredi leadership to work to thwart the plan as it still needs to pass final approval in City Hall.

A plan for secular residents, to be implemented in secular areas, cannot happen because Haredim might go there to benefit from it as well.
a. maybe let people choose what they want or dont want to do.
b. if it is so bad, educate your people to not partake in it.
c. stop moving to secular areas and then trying to control their lives
d. if you want to move to a secular town, and that is your right, stop complaining how you don't like what they do.

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