"Criminals' Families Get Housing, Torah Scholars Don't": Beit Shemesh Deputy Mayor Demands Lottery Freeze
Beit Shemesh Deputy Mayor Israel Silverstein has sent a scorching letter demanding a freeze on Israel Land Authority housing lotteries, calling it a moral outrage that families of convicted bank robbers can apply for subsidized housing, but Torah scholars cannot.
A senior Haredi municipal official has launched one of the most pointed attacks yet on Israel's decision to bar Haredi draft dodgers from subsidized housing programs, demanding an immediate freeze on government land lotteries and warning the city will stop cooperating with the Israel Land Authority altogether.
Israel Silverstein, Deputy Mayor of Beit Shemesh and chairman of the local Degel HaTorah faction, sent a sharply worded letter Wednesday to Mayor Shmuel Greenberg, calling the Israel Land Authority's decision to exclude Haredi young men who have not regularized their military status from the "Discounted Housing" program a "cruel and infuriating decision"- and laying out a moral case that he says cannot be ignored.
The Moral Argument: What Did the Children Do Wrong?
Silverstein's central argument cuts to the bone. "Even by the standards of those who persecute us, they must ask themselves a basic question of justice and humanity: what did the children do wrong? What did the wife do wrong? What did a young family whose only dream is a roof over their heads do wrong?"
He then delivers a comparison designed to sting: "In the State of Israel, a man who robbed a bank for twenty million shekels and was sentenced to twenty years in prison, his family can apply to a housing program. A man convicted of the most serious crimes and serving a life sentencem his family members are not punished for his actions. And only here, 'in the sin' of Torah study and belonging to the Haredi community, they decide to punish entire families."
He also noted that Arab citizens who did not serve in the IDF remain eligible for the housing programs, while Haredi Torah scholars are specifically excluded.
A Threat With Real Teeth
Silverstein's letter goes beyond moral protest, it contains a concrete threat. Beit Shemesh, he notes, has significant reserves of private land and development options that do not require Israel Land Authority involvement.
"You cannot on the one hand harm our residents, and on the other hand expect us to continue cooperating normally with ILA land marketing," he writes, calling on city council members to join a demand for an immediate freeze on all housing lotteries until a full and fair solution is found.
"We will not continue to turn the other cheek. The time has come to say clearly: the children should not have to pay."
The Political Context
The letter arrives at a moment of peak tension between the Haredi community and state authorities over military conscription enforcement. Silverstein's move is particularly significant given the backstory: he was himself a candidate for Beit Shemesh mayor, but stepped aside at the instruction of senior Torah leaders in favor of Greenberg, who in turn committed to stand up for the Haredi community's interests. Silverstein is now pointedly calling in that commitment.
The letter concludes with a sweeping declaration: "This struggle is not only about apartments. It is a struggle for the dignity of Torah scholars. For equality. For the right of the Haredi public to live here as equal citizens in a Jewish state."
Beit Shemesh is one of Israel's most significant cities for housing, with thousands of young families awaiting lottery results for new apartments.