Israel: "Rent Control" - Religious style | 'OK to rent to Arabs when security not at stake'

"I related to him the importance of not giving a hand to our enemies [to use against us] to push us from our homes and cities. If you have no fear due to security reasons, there is no problem [renting homes to Arabs]."

Apartment building under construction in East Jerusalem
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Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: JPOST | Ahmadiyya Times
By Ahmadiyya Times | December 17, 2010

In Israel, the term ‘Rent Control’ has a different meaning altogether.

According to a recent article published in the Jerusalem Post on December 16, whether the religious Jews can rent real estate to Israeli-Arabs or not, the decision rests with Rabbis and on what day of weeks it is.

Not that there is a weekly on-off schedule of any sort, it is just that the Rabbis have been beck and forth on almost daily basis on the issue of selling and renting real estate to Israeli-Arabs. And, they have also flipped-flopped almost on daily basis.

Even the thought of such a discrimination would be despised in the United States and the religious institution and leaders are expected to hold themselves to higher moral standards - that is - to not discriminate in social matters based upon colour, religion, ethnic background, or gender, etc. In our friend and ally, Israel, the practice appears to be a matter of religious practice and a common pastime discussion.


The newspaper reported that Rabbi Haim Druckman claims “he convinced Safed chief rabbi to sign onto opinion permitting religious Jews to rent homes to Arab Israelis.”

Apparently, Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliahu recently issued a halachic ruling (similar to a fatwa issued by a Muslim  cleric) which encouraged the city’s Jewish residents not to rent or sell homes to non-Jews.

The ruling has provoked enormous controversy in Israel in recent days.

The paper reported that Or Etzion's Rabbi Haim Druckman went all out on Thursday morning to explain the reasoning behind the rabbinic counter-opinion issued by him and signed by other rabbis, including Rabbi Shmuel Eliahu

“Druckman spoke in particular about how he convinced Rabbi Eliahu to sign the new letter,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

"I related to him the importance of not giving a hand to our enemies [to use against us] to push us from our homes and cities," Druckman said according to the newspaper.

"If you have no fear due to security reasons, there is no problem [renting homes to Arabs]," the paper further reported about Druckman’s statement.


-- By Imran Jattala for Ahmadiyya Times [Follow http://twitter.com/ijattala]

Read original JPOST article here: 'OK to rent to Arabs when security not at stake'