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An investigative report on the conduct of the Bnei Brak municipality as a microcosm of Haredi politics: piles of garbage, rats, abnormal electricity consumption, a huge deficit, and the employment of 219 workers over the age of 67, including three over 90. The author argues that the Haredi political system, based on milking the public coffers and distributing spoils among Hasidic sects, offers a preview of Israel's future.
An investigative report by Amichai Attali presents Bnei Brak as a preview of Israel under Haredi political management. The city, described as the most densely populated in Israel and the sixth in the world, suffers from piles of garbage in the streets, rats, pirated electrical cables, and illegal construction. Its electricity consumption per square kilometer is the highest in Israel. The municipality employs 219 workers over the age of 67, including 22 over 70, eight over 80, and three over 90, at a cost of about 40 million shekels per year. A 69-year-old worker earns about 76,000 shekels per month. Council member Yaakov Vider, the sole opposition, describes an election system based on agreed rotation between Hasidic sects without real competition, where the mayor is elected with a North Korea-like majority. Vider claims the municipality is divided as spoils among groups, and there is suspicion of free electricity supply to associates. The author asserts that the Haredi political system, based on milking the public coffers and lack of long-term planning, serves as a warning model for the entire country. The municipality's response claims that most workers are not of retirement age, and that the electricity consumption is due to the large number of educational institutions.