This is a document from 1979 which was circulated during one of the largest ultra-Orthodox demonstrations opposing the building of a national stadium in Jerusalem. They believed that building the stadium would desecrate the holy city of Jerusalem and turn it, in their words, into a “second Paris.” The authors of the document explain that they are protesting not only against Mayor Teddy Kollek but also against the ultra-Orthodox Agudat Israel representatives in the municipality, who they see as partners in this “terrible crime.” They accuse these representatives of not doing enough to prevent the stadium from being built and to thwart Teddy Kollek’s other schemes. The document ends with the following words: “We will not rest and we will not restrain ourselves and we will not allow the sanctity of Jerusalem to be desecrated.” The document is signed by a group called Bnei Torah (Jerusalem).
In 1973 there was a proposal to establish an Olympic centre in northern Jerusalem, where the ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood Ramat Shlomo was later established. At the beginning of the project, fierce objections were raised by ultra-Orthodox circles, who viewed the entire enterprise as a strike against the holiness of the city, as can be seen in this document which calls for people to, “protest against the building of a stadium within Jerusalem the Holy City, God forbid, which will turn Jerusalem the Holy City into a secular city like that of the gentiles, God forbid.” They also objected to the positioning of a stadium, where most of the sporting would take place on Shabbat, in such close proximity to ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods.
Ultimately, due to the numerous objections, the project was shelved, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin ordered the mayor, Teddy Kollek, to move the project to southern Jerusalem where Teddy Stadium was eventually built in Malha.
