Investigators from the Land Enforcement Authority arrived at the home of Rabbi Aharon Stern to summon him for questioning in the context of the demolition saga of the 'Ziv Yehuda' shtibbalach in Bnei Brak. Dozens of the community's elders were called to the scene, held a protest prayer - and explained to the investigators: "The construction was not carried out by one person and certainly not by the rabbi."'
In the midst of the struggle against the demolition of the 'Ziv Yehuda' synagogue in the Kiryat Herzog neighborhood of Bnei Brak, investigators from the Land Enforcement Authority arrived today (Sunday) at the home of the synagogue's rabbi, Rabbi Aharon Stern, to summon him for questioning.
The community claims that the investigation is intended to examine the Rabbi's responsibility for the illegal construction, and that as a result, he could be subject to heavy fines.
According to them, this is another step in the proceedings being conducted by the Authority against the Ziv Yehuda synagogue and other synagogues in Bnei Brak.
When word came that the investigators were arriving, dozens of the community's elders were summoned to the rabbi's house - who held a protest prayer, in an attempt to express their opposition to the rabbi's summons for questioning, precisely at a time when the future of the entire synagogue was in doubt.
During the event, the youths spoke with the investigators, trying to explain to them that the community rabbi was not the one who carried out the construction. They claimed that the construction of the shteblach and its expansion were carried out over the years at the initiative and with the assistance of many residents of the neighborhood.
""The construction here was not done by one person and certainly not by the community rabbi," the elders told the investigators. "This is a synagogue that was built and maintained by thousands of residents of the neighborhood. The attempt to place responsibility on the rabbi is unjustified.".
The event comes after a legal battle that lasted about 4 and a half years against the demolition of the 'Ziv Yehuda' shtibbalach.
Last week, the appeal filed with the District Court was rejected, and later the petition filed with the High Court was also rejected outright.
This morning, due to the court's decision, the synagogue's prayer tents were dismantled. Tomorrow, Rabbi Stern is expected to appear for questioning, and he is expected to be joined by many of the community's elders who will express their protest.
The 'Ziv Yehuda' synagogue serves as a prayer center for residents of Kiryat Herzog and northern Bnei Brak and operates around the clock.
On behalf of the 'Ziv Yehuda' community, it was stated: "Arriving at the home of the community's rabbi in an attempt to impose personal responsibility on him for construction that was done by an entire community is a difficult and outrageous step. We call on the authority to stop the harm to the rabbi and anyone who can to intervene immediately and prevent the continuation of the abuse in the synagogue.".
