‘We can’t live together’: Elections heighten secular-Haredi tensions in southern desert city

In Arad, a southern desert city, tensions between secular and ultra-Orthodox residents have intensified ahead of the October 27 parliamentary elections. The ultra-Orthodox now account for about 40% of the population, up from a secular majority. Secular residents describe a city transformed by demographic change, citing incidents of Shabbat enforcement, vandalism of women's images in ads, and conversion of rocket shelters into prayer rooms. The local municipality shifted to ultra-Orthodox control after the 2024 local elections. The dispute mirrors a national debate over military service exemptions for religious students and the growing political influence of Haredi parties.

In Arad, a southern desert city of 30,000, tensions between secular and ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) residents have escalated ahead of the October 27 parliamentary elections. The Haredi share of the population has grown to about 40%, up from a secular majority. Secular residents describe a city transformed by demographic change. Noam Cohen recounted an incident two years ago when Haredi boys shouted at his car for driving on Shabbat and insulted the women in his group. Residents complain of vandalism targeting images of women in advertisements, reflecting religious opposition to displaying women's photographs in public spaces. Shlomi Tabchik alleged that the municipality allocates public buildings to the Haredi community and that some rocket shelters have been turned into prayer rooms, reducing their availability during emergencies. In March, 84 Arad residents were wounded when an Iranian missile fell in the city. Former mayor Nisan Ben Hamo, who served from 2015 to 2024, said his secular faction lost control of the municipality after the 2024 local elections when Haredi residents turned out in large numbers. He warned that liberals need to increase their voting rates. Haredi resident Yitzhak Gordon, director of Arad's finance department, said relations are mostly friendly and that complaints are amplified by people on the internet. Some secular residents acknowledge peaceful day-to-day coexistence but worry about pressure to conform to a Haredi lifestyle. The dispute mirrors a national debate over military service exemptions for religious students and the growing political influence of Haredi parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition.