Edmund Sanders reports that confrontation between Israeli Haredim and their secular counterparts has intensified of late, as the ultra-Orthodox community has begun to take root in formerly secular, urban enclaves:

“They’re not coming here just to live,” said David Shulman, who is helping to lead a neighborhood group opposed to the Haredi expansion. “They are here to take over the neighborhood.”

He said Ramat Aviv was targeted because it is known as a bastion of secularism. “If they can conquer Ramat Aviv, it would be like a jewel in the crown,” he said.

[…]

Haredi residents defend their right to live anywhere in Israel and say they are the ones who have been subjected to harassment and discrimination by the secular majority.

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