Bnei Brak Municipality accused of blocking road with dumpsters before Shabbat

Tensions flared in Bnei Brak after officials from the municipality allegedly instructed a driver to place large metal dumpsters on an access road near the Sufrim Complex before Shabbat. The action was reportedly a protest against secular residents driving through the neighborhood on the Sabbath and concerns about the secularization of the city.

Secular residents who found themselves trapped inside the neighborhood called the police. Officers responded by removing the dumpsters and reopening the road. The driver who placed the containers was summoned for questioning on suspicion of endangering a traffic route, and he maintained that he was following instructions from the municipality. However, the municipality has denied directing the placement of the dumpsters.

The neighborhood, part of a government-subsidized housing program, is home to both haredi and secular residents. Escalating tensions over Shabbat driving have led to previous incidents, including haredi residents placing a fence on the road last week, which police removed as an illegal barrier. Police noted that secular individuals also engage in provocative behavior, such as reckless driving and burnouts, particularly when passing by synagogues.

Police stated that no legal decision had been made to close the road and urged the involved parties to seek a resolution through the courts.

“

Secular people also intentionally provoke haredim, drive recklessly, and do burnouts. Anyone who enters by car through the new Landa Bridge passes by synagogues. Secular people have another way to enter.