The ultra-Orthodox Neturei Karta sect, which has tried everything from mass demonstrations to threats of violence and clashes with the police to halt the construction of a swimming pool with mixed bathing facilities, offered 500, 000 pounds today to prevent completion of the construction.
The sect offered the proprietors of Jerusalem’s President Hotel, who are financially interested in the pool, 150, 000 pounds in cash and the remainder of the half million after it conducted a fund-raising campaign in the United States. An additional 100, 000 pounds would be contributed, sect leaders pledged, if the pool were converted into a “mikvah,” a ritual bath for women.
The builders of the project rejected the offer. They announced that the pool would be open for swimming on the Sabbath but users would be required to purchase tickets during the week.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
