According to Jerusalem chareidi city councilmen Mayor Nir Barkat has become a different person after Moshe Leon announced his candidacy in the Jerusalem mayoral race. The backing for Leon comes from the two primary deal-makers involved, Avigdor Lieberman and Aryeh Deri. Leon’s candidacy is also backed by Likud, so with the Sephardi chareidi vote, Likud and Yisrael Beitenu on board, he poses a serious challenge to the incumbent.

The chareidi councilmen report that prior to Leon’s announcement, getting a meeting or even quality phone time with the mayor was quite difficult, but now, “the phone doesn’t stop ringing” as Mr. Barkat appears willing and extremely eager to improve his working relationship with the chareidi tzibur. He went as far as actually meeting with a man who ran against him in the mayoral race, Meir Porush.

However, this week Leon was told to stop using the Likud/Beitenu logos in his ads for the parties are backing him, but an official announcement is yet to take place. Some believe that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wishes to back his former bureau chief, Leon, but he is also trying to weigh the repercussions of such a move since Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid are backing the incumbent, Nir Barkat.

Leon is looking at the Ashkenazi chareidim, who have yet to announce if they are running a candidate, perhaps former Mayor Uri Lupoliansky, or if they will join Shas and back Leon.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)