A beach in Ashdod (archives)
Photo: Avi Roccah
Ashdod beach may be restricted to haredim
Company setting up strictly kosher resort village in southern port city demands closing off adjacent beach for use of ultra-Orthodox community
Will a significant part of Ashdod's beach be open to the ultra-Orthodox community only? The Minrav Group is holding negotiations with the Ashdod Municipality's economic company ahead of the establishment of a strictly kosher resort village, at a total investment of NIS 160 million (about $42 million).
The compound will be located about 100 meters (328 feet) from the Riviera Beach, in the southern part of the city.
The Minrav Group has confirmed that a resort village with 220 summer cottages and 80 hotel rooms, stretching over 13 acres, would build in the area together with haredi entrepreneurs from New York.
The project will also include a synagogue, a mikveh (ritual bath), swimming pools, a spa and strictly kosher restaurants.
In a document obtained by Yedioth Ahronoth's economic supplement, the head of the real estate division at Minrav, Chanan Bartal, writes to the manager of the economic company in Ashdod, "Following our discussion with haredi entrepreneurs and several meetings in your office, it is clear that they are interested in building a haredi resort village, but a precondition is a municipal arrangement for restricting bathing to the haredi public in the piece of shore adjacent to their plot."
The municipality's economic company said in response, "Closing the beach off to haredim is being examined, but a decision has yet to be made. This is one of the company's demands for setting up a resort village."
