Plans for a religious-Zionist neighborhood in Jaffa (Yafo) have been approved once and for all – this time by the Supreme Court.
Justice Esther Chayut rejected a petition by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) against the construction of the small, 20-unit neighborhood. The plans have passed all the stages of the municipal approval process and were approved by several courts, but ACRI stubbornly claimed that the project was illegal.
Specifically, ACRI claimed that the winner of the construction tender, the religious-Zionist “BeEmunah” group, plans to build only for the religious-Zionist population sector, thus discriminating against others – namely, Arabs.
Tel Aviv District Court Judge Yehuda Zaft, in rejecting the suit last year, included in his ruling the following criticism of ACRI: “The petitioners’ position appears to reflect a built-in contradiction. On the one hand, they claim against restricting the availability of the apartments to the national-religious sector… while on the other hand, as can be learned from the petition itself, they have acted and are acting to find housing for the Arab community in Jaffa; it need not be assumed that they are seeking land for construction for everyone, but rather only for one specific sector.”
“Had the winner of this tender targeted the apartments for the Arab sector,” concluded Judge Zaft, “it appears that the petitioners would not have found anything wrong with this.”
Yisrael Zeira, chairman of BeEmunah, said in response, “The court ruling paves the way for the establishment of a new Jewish neighborhood in Jaffa.” BeEmunah officials say they plan to begin planning for yet another similar housing project in the city.
Yeshiva in Jaffa: Renewing a Tradition
The new neighborhood is being built in light of the increasing attractiveness of Jaffa as a religious-Zionist location, despite the city’s significant Arab minority. As in other areas, the presence of a new yeshiva is a significant attraction. Headed by Rabbi Eliyahu Mali and now in its second year, the yeshiva has 30 students, and demand is growing.
Jaffa Chief Rabbi’s Student
Rabbi Mali studied for several years in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, whose founder, the late saintly Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, began his Land of Israel rabbinical career in 1904 as "Chief Rabbi of Jaffa and the Neighboring Moshavot."
Some 20 families linked with the yeshiva live in Jaffa, and more are expected this coming year.