The cultural tension within Jerusalem's Jewish population

The cultural tension within the Jewish population in Jerusalem manifests itself in many sectors of the urban public space. The main dilemma is one of conflict between the various practices on the Sabbath and holy days. In the eye of the storm is the issue of public transportation on the Sabbath and holy days, particularly in main thoroughfares. The secular population demands the free flow of traffic; the ultra-orthodox on the other hand aspires to halt it altogether. Secular residents play an active role in keeping restaurants and places of entertainment open on the Sabbath and holy days, particularly in those neighborhoods that do not have a large concentration of ultra-orthodox population, who strives to close them. The tension is manifested in the attempt by each side to expand its political clout on the municipal level, and each side’s aspirations to rise to decision-making positions and control over public funds. The influence of the ultra-orthodox sector is proportional to its growing numbers in Jerusalem’s population, exacerbating the competition and the tension. This is very evident in the correlation between the municipal council’s political clout and its ability to tip the scales on issues relating to practices in the city’s public space. The growth rate in the ultra-orthodox sector results in the sprawl of its residential areas to other neighborhoods and to burgeoning of local cultural tensions elsewhere.