Arad Mayor Denies Youth Shelter Eviction Claims Amid Controversy Over Gur Hasidim

The mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, strongly refuted allegations circulating on social media that a youth shelter for at-risk teens in the city was being evicted by municipal order to benefit the Gur Hasidic community. The claims were spread in a post by left-wing activist Naor Narkis, who accused Gur Hasidim students of repeatedly harassing and attacking the shelter's residents and volunteers throughout the past year without any response from authorities, leading to the eviction decision.

Mayor Maayan dismissed these accusations as baseless and labeled them "fake news and severe incitement." He clarified that no youth shelter or any building in Arad has been evacuated this year and that both the municipality and police have no record of stone-throwing or harassment incidents at the site. Maayan also personally criticized Narkis, stating that after failing to secure a spot in the primaries, Narkis is continuing to incite against the religious community to foment division among Israelis.

This dispute highlights ongoing tensions in Arad between secular and ultra-Orthodox groups, with the mayor emphasizing the need to avoid inflammatory rhetoric that could deepen societal rifts. The municipality and police maintain there is no factual basis for the eviction claims or the alleged violence by Gur Hasidim students.