Har Nof to keep its name after battle between municipality and residents
Lion had ordered the name changed to Neot Yosef, after former Sephardi chief rabbi and Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
By TZVI JOFFREA view of the Har Nof neighborhood, Jerusalem(photo credit: WIKIPEDIA/SIR KISS)
Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood will keep its name after the municipality’s naming committee voted unanimously to cancel a change proposed by Mayor Moshe Lion and approved by the committee last year.In November, Lion had ordered the name changed to Neot Yosef, after former Sephardi chief rabbi and Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who passed away in 2013.A central group that led the fight against the name change responded to Thursday’s decision to cancel the change by saying, “The heads of the protest, with the back up and sympathy of thousands of residents, fought day and night and time after time heavy pressure was placed before them from the municipality and from outside [the municipality] and with the aid of heaven they got through them all.”Residents responded with outrage to Lion’s original announcement about the name change, claiming the municipality did not consult with them or their representatives before making the decision. The municipality ignored their opinions about the change, they said, adding that they also did not like the logistical issues, such as changing mailing addresses.
