A Mikvah in Ramat Aviv: Developments in the Neighborhood Controversy
Three months after land was allocated based on false claims, the religious community has been asked to collect hundreds of letters to manufacture a 'local need.' The Hiddush organization accuses the municipality of selling out secular residents for political deals.
Attempts to establish a mikvah in Ramat Aviv continue: late last week, an appeal was circulated within the neighborhood's religious community to recruit 300 women to write personal letters demanding the construction of a mikvah.
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In the appeal, which was distributed to local synagogues, it was stated that Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv Haim Goren requested the organization of these letters to be sent to Deputy Mayor Assaf Zamir, who, according to Goren, "is trying very hard to help with the mikvah."
The appeal comes three months after the municipality's property committee approved the plot allocation, based on the claim that the request originated from the neighborhood committee and its residents. However, the chairman of the Ramat Aviv HaYeruka neighborhood committee, Eitan Akiva, stated in a signed letter that the committee never requested the establishment of a mikvah.
Promised Letters
Once this basis was debunked, the municipality claimed there were requests from women in the neighborhood, but failed to present them when challenged. Now, instead of producing requests submitted prior to the decision, they are soliciting new letters.
Back in May, the "Hiddush - For Freedom of Religion and Equality" organization, representing hundreds of residents, demanded the cancellation of the decision. In a letter sent by Adv. Dr. Yifat Solel, the organization's deputy CEO and legal counsel, it was argued that the decision was made by deceiving committee members and lacked any factual basis. They maintained that approving a mikvah in a secular neighborhood requires a formal needs survey and an assessment of existing services.
The municipality replied that it seeks to create a dialogue with residents and examine alternatives, but such a dialogue has not taken place to this day—instead, the campaign to recruit letters began.
"The Neighborhood is Secular"
"It turns out that, as we suspected, there were no requests at all, and this is a clear attempt to sell out secular residents in favor of agreements with religious parties," stated Adv. Dr. Yifat Solel. "We will demand to receive every request on this matter to verify when it was submitted and examine its authenticity."
"After this whole operation was born on a 'fake' and they are trying to revive it with a 'fake', it is time to tell the truth: Ramat Aviv is a secular neighborhood, and there is no need for a mikvah that will only harm the residents' way of life."
