‘Choke’ ultra-Orthodox out of neighborhood, says Jerusalem official

A local Jerusalem official called for “choking” ultra-Orthodox residents out of the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood, unleashing a storm of condemnation Tuesday.

Addressing an influx of ultra-Orthodox families in Kiryat Yovel, Yovelim community center director Yehiel Levi described his plan to “choke” them out of the neighborhood by planning cultural events, such as movie screenings, for the community’s secular citizens specifically in areas where there is a large Haredi presence.

“When you choke them, they leave… This is the mechanism that works today,” Levi told Army Radio.

Levi’s comments prompted sharp criticism from politicians, and calls for him to be fired. He later apologized.

An ultra-Orthodox man seen walking in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood in Jerusalem, on August 19, 2014. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

In a letter to the chairman of Jerusalem community centers, Mayor Nir Barkat called for Levi to be fired, saying that it would be “unacceptable” to ignore such comments made by an official whose salary is paid by the municipality and the Education Ministry.

President Reuven Rivlin supported Barkat’s call, writing in a Facebook post: “A public servant is obliged (to serve) the entire public, not just specific sectors.”

Members of parliament from a variety of different parties joined the chorus of condemnations.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) called for an immediate clarification of the community center director’s comments. “I do not accept any form of discrimination, racism, and hatred toward Haredim or any other public in the State of Israel,” said Bennett.

Interior Minister Arye Deri (Shas) called Levi “unworthy of holding any public position, and certainly not in a neighborhood as sensitive as Kiyat Yovel.”

View of apartment buildings in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, on February 19, 2017. (Yaakov Lederman/Flash90)

MK Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism) labeled Levi’s remarks “anti-Semitic,” adding that “he cannot act against Haredi residents from a neighborhood for which he is responsible.”

Over the past decade, Kiryat Yovel has been a focal point of the growing religious-secular divide in Jerusalem. For decades since its establishment in 1952, the neighborhood maintained a pluralistic population consisting of Israelis from a variety of religious backgrounds, but no Haredi community.

Following the 2008 construction of an ultra-Orthodox kindergarten, secular residents of Kiryat Yovel began lamenting what they said was a Haredi takeover of the neighborhood.

Such members claim not to take issue with ultra-Orthodox residents themselves. Rather, they say, they are concerned by the anti-pluralist trends they see in their community.

Hours after the initial report, Levi issued an apology for his comments. He said his words were taken out of context and that the idea of “choking” ultra-Orthodox Jews does not reflect his true views.

Levi made no mention of any intention to step down from his position in an apology letter he wrote to the Yovalim chairman.