Waiting for the train - without haredim
Waiting for the train - without haredimiStock

The B'tsalmo human rights organization has turned to the Transportation Ministry and Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber, protesting the plans for the metro to skip Bnei Brak in favor of neighboring Ramat Gan.

Netivei Israel is expected to present its plan for the metro within the coming days, and as part of the plan a route will be constructed, bypassing Bnei Brak in favor of neighboring Ramat Gan.

The metro, which is expected to be Israel's largest public transportation project, will cut the haredi city of 200,000 off from the rest of the country's center. The plan includes three lines and 23 local authorities, and two million passengers are expected to use it per day.

Meanwhile, the reason for Bnei Brak's exclusion seems to be concerns that construction will be delayed due to protests against construction on Shabbat (Sabbath).

According to B'tsalmo, this is inappropriate and serious discrimination against a large community, on the basis of its beliefs and religion, as well as collective punishment leveled against residents of the bustling city, 88% of whom use public transportation.

The organization noted that residents of Yehud-Monosson, Be'er Yaakov, and Givat Shmuel, which are ten times smaller than Bnei Brak, will have a metro station.

In its letter, B'tsalmo called for urgent action to ensure that stations will be built in Bnei Brak, in accordance with the size of the population and relevant need.

"It is unthinkable that tens of millions are being paid for for programs so that haredim can go out to work, but at the same time they should not have access to transportation there."