After reports leaked during recent days of a backroom deal between Shas leader Minister Eli Yishai and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat regarding the elections for Jerusalem’s chief rabbis, pashkavilim against Yishai are beginning to appear in the city, apparently as the Ashkenazi chareidi camp begins to fight back, unwilling to sit back and relinquish the seat to the dati leumi candidate.

The pashkavilim pertain to Yishai as well as appealing to HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, who is viewed as the next Sephardi chief rabbi of the capital, but no one is standing behind them and accepting responsibility.

“Eli Yishai has given a get (bill of divorce) to the Torah world” says one, with others simply expressing outrage over his willingness to sell out the chareidi Ashkenazi community just to secure a slot for Rav Yosef, a son of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita. The notices speak of the “smelly deal” using other similar terminology to express disgust over the situation. They also make a public appeal to Rav Yitzchak Yosef to withdraw his nomination, to exclude himself from the unacceptable tactics towards securing the chief rabbi post.

They pashkavilim are signed by “pained bnei Torah” nut no one has accepted responsibility as this report is being published.

Interestingly, last week YWN-ISRAEL reported that as a result of the deal between Barkat and the dati leumi community, Rabbi Aryeh Stern was expected to become the next Ashkenazi chief rabbi but it appears that prediction may have been premature. It now looks as if that the rav, affiliated with Merkaz HaRav, is not a shoe-in after all since some of the voters, from the Reform and other ‘streams’ of Jewry object to Rabbi Stern because of his strong right-wing views and they may not vote for him as the dati leumi community was counting upon for they may prefer someone who is not as outspokenly affiliated with the political right-wing.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)