The Be'er Channah Foundation has succeeded in canceling a temporary restraining order issued following a request by Reform figures that had put a halt to the construction of the Be'er Channah Beis Knesses in Netanya's Ramat Poleg neighborhood.
Six months ago Reform figures managed to obtain a restraining order to halt construction on all of the plots allocated for synagogues throughout the city of Netanya, triggering angry reactions in the general public, even among non-observant residents.
When Be'er Channah, a foundation whose aims include the construction of a shul in Netanya's prestigious Ramat Poleg neighborhood, learned of the sweeping court order, the foundation filed a petition to cancel the restraining order based on procedural and other claims.
The foundation's attorney, Dr. Nissan Sharifi, noted in the petition, "It is readily apparent that the interim injunction issued is drastically disproportionate, and is based on sentiments of `as long as I can't have it, you can't have it.' The respondents (and the petitioners as well) should have looked for and located better alternatives than stopping all land allotment procedures for synagogues throughout the city of Netanya..."
Sharifi also claimed the Reform organizations behind the suit "have overlooked the fact that the Ramat Poleg and Ir Yamim neighborhoods already have two synagogues filled beyond capacity and residents in these neighborhoods are unable to pray together due to their petitioners' negligent conduct [in bringing their suit], which derides the need for Jews to pray in a synagogue, together in a minyan, in accordance with Jewish law."
The district court issued an unprecedented ruling to cancel the restraining order and ordered the Reform petitioners to pay NIS 5,000 in attorney's fees.
Atty. Sharifi told Yated Ne'eman that the court decision was a Chanukah miracle and condemned the sweeping attempt to prevent the construction of botei knesses in the city.
Lev L'Achim anti-missionary activist Rabbi Moshe Lachover, who has made concerted efforts to battle the restraining order, said, "For a long time Reform figures have prevented the construction of seven botei knesses in the City of Netanya through the restraining order, which restricts the municipality from building botei knesses in Netanya, a city which suffers from a severe shortage of botei knesses.
"The general public may be unaware that the City of Netanya is blessed with 250 botei knesses, yet because new neighborhoods were recently built in the city, the primarily young couples that occupy them have nowhere to pray due to the Reform suit.
"How remarkable that during Chanukah the Reform activists, who symbolize the Hellenists, were delivered a blow."
