JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The city of Arad in Southern Israel has been embroiled in controversy after the local mall, the only one in the city, was purchased by two Gerer chasidim, who are trying to make sweeping changes in the mall, including closing it on Shabbat and removing all pictures of females. Secular residents of the town are fuming over the proposed changes, saying that this is an attempt to destroy the character of the town and create charedi domination in the mixed town of 30,000 residents.

“The Mayor, Mr. Yair Maayan, informed me that in recent days an instruction was issued on your behalf to remove images of women or any female representation from all commercial areas of the mall,” the legal adviser of the Municipality of Arad wrote this week in a letter to the new management of the city’s mall.

The letter was sent after the mall was transferred to the new chasidic owners. Following the transfer, the Israeli flag was removed from the building’s entrance, the background music played in the mall was changed, and advertisements containing images of women were taken down at the management’s instruction.

“At the outset, I emphasize that this is a grave, improper, and unlawful directive, one that the municipality will not ignore. This instruction directly harms human dignity, gender equality, and the fabric of public life in the State of Israel in general, and in Arad in particular, which is a secular and liberal city,” wrote attorney Haim Shiman, the municipality’s legal adviser.

The transfer of the Arad mall into the hands of the Gerer chasidim is seen as another chapter in the city’s ongoing religious transformation. This follows the recent allocation of extensive construction areas for charedi neighborhoods, as reported several weeks ago in Maariv, as well as the transfer of public buildings to leaders of the chasidic community.

These developments sparked considerable anger among residents outside the community, and reactions on social media quickly followed. “Arad, the writing is on the wall,” an anonymous resident wrote on Facebook.Another resident posted a drawing depicting a sign that read: “This road leads to an area under charedi control. Entry for soldiers is forbidden and endangers your lives.” The post was captioned: “Coming very soon to Arad, courtesy of the bulldozer backing them.”

One anonymous commenter wrote: “The demand to remove images of women is illegal. Any business that cooperates with the greed-driven demands of this draft-dodging sect and removes such images automatically loses me as a customer.”

Former mayor Nisan Ben Hamo harshly criticized the current leadership: “The mayor sold us out to Gur, that’s a fact. We must save our city. He formed a coalition with them over the heads of the secular residents, handed them all the key positions, and now he complains?”

According to Ben Hamo, residents have begun protest actions: “We are fighting. There have already been demonstrations and other protests. For two years now, residents have been struggling. The mayor was not even an Arad resident, he moved here just three months before the elections to meet eligibility rules. Today, residents are extremely angry.”

Former deputy mayor Maxim Okanin expressed a more conciliatory view: “Arad is a city of diverse communities, and that is part of its strength. Property rights are fundamental, but Israeli law is clear: there is no place for the exclusion of women or harm to public rights in a commercial space open to all.”

“The challenge in Arad is not to defeat one another, but to learn to live together : to recognize, respect, speak a shared language, and avoid coercion from any side. The city’s future success lies in maintaining the balance between individual rights and the shared public sphere. Live and let live, Arad must remain a home for everyone.”

Mayor Yair Maayan responded firmly to the developments at the mall: “The municipality views with severity any attempt by the mall’s new owners to alter its character and exclude women from the public space.” According to him, the municipality sent a warning letter to the mall’s management demanding that all measures taken be revoked. “If the violations do not cease, the municipality will act to close the mall immediately.”

Some residents expressed pessimism regarding the city’s future. Local resident Shlomi Tabachnik said: “We are heading toward disaster, and it’s not just Arad, it’s the whole country. I heard the mayor threatened to close the mall. That’s a joke. It’s all talk. What is he actually capable of doing? He has two seats on the city council; they have five. One word from Gur and he’s out of office. By issuing such a statement, he is effectively admitting that the situation is improper. But that’s not all. He brought students to the city, and today several female students traveling by bus were spat on. Arad is in terrible shape.”