The bitter dispute over control of the Sadigura institutions in Jerusalem has escalated to Israel's Supreme Court, after Justice David Mintz ruled that the interim order issued in favor of the Jerusalem side will remain in force until the court decides otherwise.
The dramatic ruling came as part of a decision on temporary remedies in an appeal filed this week against the earlier judgment handed down by Justice Aryeh Romanov. In effect, all unilateral moves within the amuta, the nonprofit association that oversees the Sadigura institutions, are now frozen until the Supreme Court holds its hearing.
Justice Mintz's ruling means the parties may not make substantive changes to the structure of the amuta, its membership, its managing committee, or its assets, and must preserve the situation as it stood before the earlier ruling. Any attempt to alter the status quo will now have to wait for the Supreme Court's final decision.
The move to the Supreme Court marks a significant turning point in a dispute that has intensified in recent weeks over control and management of the Jerusalem institutions. Until a final ruling is reached, the existing arrangement will be preserved, and neither side will be permitted to take unilateral steps that could change the reality on the ground.
The legal battle comes against a backdrop of rising tension in the field, as nearly every evening in recent weeks has brought Hasidim, apparently aligned with the Bnei Brak side, to the Jerusalem institutions, with confrontations and attempts to seize control by force breaking out on site amid the deepening rift between the rival camps.
Last night, following Justice Mintz's ruling, Hasidim believed to be affiliated with the Bnei Brak side again arrived and attempted to force their way into the room of the Sadigura Rebbe of Jerusalem, after a similar break in attempt occurred just last week.
With the interim order left standing, the struggle now shifts to the highest judicial arena in the country. Until the Supreme Court rules, any unilateral change to the current situation remains frozen, and both sides will have to wait for the decision that will determine the future of the Sadigura institutions in Jerusalem.
