Residents Live in Fear of Mentally Ill Neighbor, Authorities Offer No Help

Residents of an apartment building in Rishon LeZion are living in a state of constant fear, describing their situation as a "horror movie" due to the behavior of a neighbor in his twenties who suffers from mental illness. The disturbances began with property harassment, including spilling oil on the floor and smearing silicone on security cameras. These incidents have escalated to the neighbor allegedly using a screwdriver to damage apartment doors, causing panic among families and children.

The neighbor, known to have a history of psychiatric hospitalizations, lived with his mother for six years. However, she recently left the apartment following disputes, leaving him to live alone. Residents claim his behavior has worsened since then, increasing the sense of threat within the building.

One resident, Dina Zilbershtein, who lives opposite the neighbor's apartment, described seeing him wandering the lobby in unusual attire and smearing silicone on her door's peephole camera. "When you see these images in front of your face, it looks like it's from a horror movie," she stated. The fear is particularly acute for children, with one 10-year-old reportedly too scared to use the stairwell alone.

Other residents report daily anxiety, fearing what might happen next and feeling unsafe even performing simple tasks like taking out the trash. They express frustration with the authorities, stating that repeated complaints to the police and the district psychiatrist have yielded no effective action. "The police told us that as long as he hasn't attacked anyone, there's nothing to be done," Zilbershtein said. Similarly, the district psychiatrist's office reportedly directed them back to the police, leaving residents feeling caught in bureaucratic limbo.

The residents emphasize that their complaints are not directed at the neighbor himself, whom they understand to be ill, but at the perceived inaction of the system. They feel that the neighbor requires supervision and treatment in a controlled environment, and that they are left unprotected due to the bureaucratic runaround between agencies.