Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Opens Hotline to Report Chabad Influence
Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Reuven Ladianski has launched a new hotline for the city’s residents in an attempt to fight what he sees as the Chabad’s “religionization” of the city. Ladianski’s decision was a response to numerous complaints that Chabad’s displays have given many people the notion that “Judaism = Chabad” after a successful Chanukah season in which Chabad placed up almost 100 public menorahs throughout the city • Full Story
The Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv, Reuven Ladianski, has established a hotline for residents to report instances of “religionization,” or “hadata,” in the city.
This move follows the widespread public display of Jewish faith by Chabad during Chanukah, placing over 100 public menorahs around Tel Aviv, bringing the light of Chanukah to tens of thousands, many of who would not have celebrated otherwise. The massive success of Mivtza Chanukah in the city, which is usually described as a bastion of secularism, did not sit well with certain crowds.
Ladianski has expressed his frustration with the prominent presence of Chabad in the city, stating that it gives the impression that Judaism is synonymous with the movement. The hotline, called “Chiloni-Phone,” (“secular phone”), will allow individuals to report instances of religious influence, including missionary activity, gender segregation, and restrictions on the presence of certain religious items in public spaces.
In 2020, when the Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, banned the presence of tefillin stands outside of schools, a protest movement emerged in which thousands of men across the country donned tefillin in defiance. Similarly, when a rumor circulated that a member of the Knesset was seeking to criminalize the promotion of Judaism to young people, a mass demonstration involving the use of tefillin at local Chabad stands took place.
Despite these challenges, the Chabad movement remains undeterred in its efforts to spread Yiddishkeit in Israel. In the face of attempts to stifle their activities, Chabad’s only response will be to redouble its efforts, determined to bring light and faith to the nation.
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