Gorwing pains

Shul Crisis in Ramat Shlomo: Eliezer Rauchberger's Solution Breaks Ground

After years of makeshift prayer spaces in Jerusalem's newest Haredi neighborhood, a city official finally approved four shuls for thousands of families stranded without a permanent place to daven.

Leizer Rauchberger with the gabaim of the shul and the agreement which was signed

After months of disputes with city officials, residents of Jerusalem's new Ramat Shlomo neighborhood can finally breathe easier. Deputy Mayor Eliezer Rauchberger has approved construction permits for four new shuls addressing a severe shortage in the rapidly expanding area.

The breakthrough comes as the neighborhood grapples with significant growing pains. Hundreds of new housing units have been built in recent years, but residents have been forced to pray in temporary structures and makeshift arrangements, with some congregations even facing eviction by city authorities.

In the most significant development, the "Ohel Reuven" shul received the area's first permanent building permit. The five-story, 18,000-square-foot facility will include a main prayer hall, women's section, reception hall, study rooms, ritual bath, and additional community spaces.

A second shul, "Imrei Fi," will be constructed at the intersection of Patal and Mutzafi streets, featuring an 8,600-square-foot complex above two new kindergartens. Two additional synagogues will share a five-story, 10,700-square-foot building, with Sephardic worshippers occupying the lower floors and Lithuanian congregants the upper section.

"This implements our mission to expand sacred spaces in Jerusalem," Rauchberger told local media. "Particularly in new Ramat Shlomo, where hundreds of families moved in without a single permanent shul. We're working diligently to establish additional houses of worship for all communities and congregations in the area."

The approvals come after years of bureaucratic delays, primarily benefiting residents aligned with the Degel HaTorah religious party. Plans for more synagogues, including the "Ayelet HaShachar" congregation adjacent to Ohel Reuven, are currently in the approval pipeline.

Kikar HaShabbat contributed to this article.


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