Many Jerusalemites feel the growing dispute surrounding the Yerushalayim eruv in many neighborhoods is not coincidental, but it actually reflects the growing controversy surrounding the upcoming Yerushalayim mayoral race.
According to the polls, which many insist are unreliable, there is no chareidi candidate who is guaranteed to emerge the victor in the race as the secular candidate; opposition City Councilman Nir Barkat, continues to earn popularity among voters.
Further complicating the mayoral race is the inability of the frum community to line up behind any one candidate, with Agudah’s Meir Porush fighting for support, while the incumbent, Mayor Uri Lupoliansky announcing he will step down and honor the coalition agreement. Nevertheless, many insist that Lupoliansky will ensure City Hall remains under chareidi control, while Porush cannot make the same claim.
In comes former Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who enjoys the support of Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlita, which will further weaken the candidacy of any Ashkenazi mayoral hopeful. If Deri does indeed enter the race, he will pull the Sephardi vote, religious, chareidi and secular alike, analysts agree.
As secularists step up their efforts to ‘maintain control’ of their neighborhoods and take control from chareidim in City Hall, the issue of the city’s eruv seems to have become entangled in the storm, resulting in rabbonim questioning the mehadrin eruv’s integrity in many neighborhoods, and the Rabbanut eruv on major roads connecting one neighborhood to another.
Polls addressing the mayoral race indicate that no matter whom the chareidi candidate is, the winner in the race will be Barkat.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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7 Responses
You forgot that Rav Mordechai Eliyahu shlita who has a strong following in Yerushayalim is showing approval of Nir also.
We want URI to stay, he is the only frum candidate that can win. Maybe the coalition agreement can change L’maan Hashem.
Porush should think about the consequences and let deri run by himself, representing the frum community. Deri will then win. We cannot rely on polls bc the religious voting pattern is not predictable (for the lack of a better word)…
deri can get many secular votes… he needs to campaign though.
HaRav Eliyahu is not supporting Barkat, it was an incorrect rumor
Rather then care whether the mayor is secular, Orthodox or haredi maybe one should look at who will do the best job of ensuring the long-term advancement of Yerushalayim.
Why are the articles analyzing what community the person is from as opposed to each candidates goals and their ability to bring them through.
maybe i’m naive. i always thought that agudas yisrael was owned and runned by rabanim of the moetzes. the people elected were not elected in their own right but rather in response to the rabanim who urged them to follow their call.
now meir porush is running for mayor. did any rav or member of the moetzes ask him to do this? or is this his party and he just uses rabanim for his personal needs. who exactly is his rav or rebbe that he listens to? of course soon he will have to run around and find rabanim to back him up. could anyone now tell me who they are ? what is this a private business of the porush family?
Porush should be poreshed and let Uri win a second term.
Prosh Porush!
These people in Israel can be so shortsighted. They insist on having another chareidi candidate so that someone else can get a turn to be mayor and in the end that person wont be elected. Uri is the only chareidi candidate with a chance. Now they get nothing.
Tafasta meruba lo mekabel klum