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Kindergarten politics
Israeli democracy may be a work in progress. At least it seemed so last night at the monthly Jerusalem City Council meeting.
The council, which is dominated by ultra-Orthodox representatives — all men — even though that community constitutes less than a third of the Jewish population, tackled a proposal to put an ultra-Orthodox kindergarten in a predominantly secular Jewish neighborhood that apparently overwhelmingly rejects the plan.
The mayor and his deputy, along with a white-bearded rabbi, argued passionately for the kindergarten, even though there is an existing public kindergarten 50 yards away from the proposed site. Residents of the Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood accused the council of plotting to “take over” their neighborhood. They feared a Jewish bathhouse would be next, and then a religious school.
Once a tiny minority in Jerusalem, the ultra-Orthodox, who often impose a ban on driving on the Jewish Sabbath, as well as other restrictions in the areas where they live, together with the modern Orthodox, constitute roughly half of the Jewish population of the city, largely because of their high birth rates. There are no entirely secular Jewish neighborhoods left in the city.
One secular council member accused the mayor of starting a war among Jews and destroying the “third temple,” a reference to modern Israel. “Every bare piece of land, you put up a synagogue,” he said. One mixed secular-religious neighborhood has 14 synagogues and no community center, said another secular council member.
The rabbi suggested the secularists were “like the Nazis.”
“You’re not letting us live where we want to live,” the rabbi said.
A man stood up and shouted at the rabbi: “This is not Germany!” He became so enraged, security guards forcibly removed him from the hall.
The rabbi continued: “The Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) are staying in the city and they’re not leaving for Tel Aviv and the secular people are leaving. You should deal with demography. You should have kids.”
There was no public comment period, as is common in American city council meetings. Instead, observers in the tiny galleries stood and shouted down the council members. Security removed more than a dozen citizens after loud outbursts.
In the end, the outnumbered secular Jewish council members put forth a resolution that said, in part: “The city hall will nor represent one sector over another … (and) will not disturb the status quo.”
The council rejected the resolution and pledged to build the kindergarten.
Palestinians have not been represented in city council meetings since the city was “reunited” in 1967. They now constitute 39 percent of the city’s population and do not vote because they consider Israeli control of East Jerusalem an illegal occupation of their land.
In 15 years, Israeli demographers expect Palestinians will constitute a majority of the city, at which point, perhaps a Muslim mayor will be deciding where to put the ultra-Orthodox Jewish kindergartens.
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