Deputy Mayor of Beit Shemesh and local chairman of Degel HaTorah, Yisrael Silverstein, sent a sharply worded letter on Wednesday to Mayor Shmuel Greenberg proposing what he described as a groundbreaking solution to the exclusion of kollel families from Israel’s subsidized housing program.
The letter follows Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s directive to the Israel Land Authority to prevent families of avreichim who have not regularized their military status from participating in the Dira B’Hanacha lottery.
Silverstein, considered one of Degel HaTorah’s senior representatives in the city, wrote: “In recent weeks, the Israel Land Authority, at the instruction of the Attorney General, made an outrageous and cruel decision. This is not just a legal decision. This is a harsh and dangerous public statement against an entire community. This is persecution in the guise of proper governance. And above all, this is a severe blow to innocent people.”
“Even according to the logic of those persecuting us, they must ask themselves a fundamental question of justice and humanity: What are the children guilty of? What is the wife guilty of? What is the fault of a young family whose entire dream is simply to have a roof over their heads?”
He noted that even convicted criminals are not denied access to housing programs because of their offenses. “In the State of Israel, even someone who robbed a bank of 20 million shekels and was sentenced to 20 years in prison—his family can still apply for housing programs,” he wrote. “Even families of those convicted of the most serious crimes are not punished for the actions of their relatives. And only here, due to the ‘sin’ of limmud Torah and belonging to the Chareidi public, entire families are being punished.”
“Yes – even those who did not serve in the IDF in the Arab sector can participate in the housing programs. Yes – even families of criminals and the worst offenders can participate in the housing programs. But davka the Chareidi public, specifically families of avreichim and Torah students, are being targeted and discriminated against.”
Silverstein urged the mayor and city council members to publicly demand that the Israel Land Authority freeze the policy immediately and also proposed a more dramatic municipal response, noting that Beit Shemesh has enough privately owned land reserves to continue development independently of the Israel Land Authority.
“Beit Shemesh has many private land reserves. There are alternative ways to develop the city without relying on the Israel Land Authority. You cannot harm our residents on the one hand and expect us to continue cooperating as usual with the Authority’s land marketing projects on the other.”
He called on city council members to join the demand for an immediate freeze of the lotteries until a full and fair solution is found, and of course, after bringing the matter to the decision of the Gedolei Yisrael. “It is unacceptable that young Chareidi couples should be punished simply because they belong to the politically ‘wrong’ sector,” he wrote.
At the end of the letter, Silverstein emphasizes: “This struggle is not only about apartments. It is a struggle for the kavod of Lomdei Torah, for equality, for the right of the Chareidi public to live here as equal citizens in a Jewish state. We must not continue turning our cheeks. It is time to say clearly: the children should not be the ones paying the price.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
