Mrs Teitelbaum and Mr Yoel in the same week. Maale Adumim heading for Satmar?

Pretty cryptic title to this blog right?
Well, this weeks dose of small mindedness on MA chat and in the local "Maale Adumim" paper got me motivated enough to write my bit.

Firstly, there was a heck of a lot of discussion around the sign at the entry to the city. Legitimate discussion that went a bit over the top, but ok, every body has an opinion. The issue being fairly well resolved by the mayor deciding that only municipal announcements would be put up and not commercial advertising (cigarettes and alchohol)....not perfect, but ok.

BUT, along comes a Mrs Teitelbaum (the Satmar Rebbes family name) and opines that Maale Adumim should stop spending moneyon making the city clean, tidy and pretty, and instead give the money to Torah institutions.

Now dont get me wrong. I am clearly in favour of promoting a an education system that gives all students (in state schools) a basic religious background, so that maybe kids will know enough about their heritage so as not to campaign against mezuzot as religious coercion.
The state religious and Torani schools dont have that problem, but a lot of monitoring needs to be done so that what happened in Emanuel doesnt become an epidemic.

But this is what Mrs Teitelbaum wants. Let the city look like a slum and funnel money to Torah institutions. She doesnt say for example, that more money should be spent on activities for the youth of Maale Adumim. Or that money should be spent on furthering education in general, or even aiding some of Maale Adumim's more disadvantaged population. No, she wants Maale Adumim to go the way of Bnei Brak and Geula.

The second thing that got me a bit aggravated, was the article in the "Maale Adumim" paper about the owners of the Mitzpe Nevo markolet who want to add a second storey to the existing building for extended commercial purposes.

Here's the link to the title. The person who is leading the objections to this move is called Yoel....coincidence....Yoel Teitebaum was the previous Satmar Rebbe, who's ilk are closer to the Taliban.

What are the objections? Some say (according to the rag) that the markolet is not that busy and extending it is not justified - Is this based on a study that they have done? Have they heard the owner's reasoning for the expansion? Maybe the expansion would benefit the neighborhood?

Some say that instead of extending the markolet, another markolet should be built further down the road. - Again, is this based on wishful thinking, so that people wouldnt have to walk an extra hundred meters? Has anyone thought about the number of clients needed to make a business like this viable? And if there is a surplus of people living in and around HaGilgal, maybe its because so many property owners have turned their houses into illegal apartments??

The best for last. Some say that expanding the commercial centre would bring undesireable people into the neighborhood. Women without head covering and immodestly dressed. Because, as was written, "Mitzpe Nevo is known for it's conservative way of life, where most of the women wear head coverings and traditional dress. Where the rabbinical judgement is carried out with a "high hand" and the appearance of undesireable visitors, especially in the summer, with provocative dress.......would cause tension and for educational and modesty considerations, it would be better for these people not to set foot in the neighborhood"

Maybe it would have been more honest for this Yoel guy, who lives apparently next to the markolet, to say that an expansion would bother him for say, blocking views, causing shade, more noise.....that's legitimate. Bringing in a taliban lifestyle would be sad.

So there we go....Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach

FOR REAL??? Next we'll have a mehadrin bus system