Despite the increasingly audible call to Beit Shemesh Mayor Rabbi Moshe Abutbul to step down from his post, the latter visited HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita and received a warm bracha.
Abutbul’s election victory marked a major score for Shas, as he was the Sephardi party’s candidate, an election victory that marked a significant new reality in Beit Shemesh, which up to recent years, was comprised of secular and dati leumi residents, now rapidly becoming a chareidi city. The changing demographics are at the heart of the dispute in the city as the dati leumi residents feel they are being overrun.
According to a HaMevaser report, the visit took place on Wednesday, 2 Teves, ‘Zos Chanukah’, at which time the Gadol Hador told the mayor not to worry, assuring him his opponents will not succeed and he should continue running the city as he has to date.
HaMevaser adds that over recent days, the mayor also received support and Brochos from many admorim.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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as a resident of beit shemesh i want to add : Reb Moishe you are doing a great job here in Beit Shemesh Keep strong and keep going forward we are all here with you
Please sign this petition and help us to get a mayor who cares about all Jews!
https://www.atzuma.co.il/beitshemesh
Actually the mayor should have stopped the sikrikim and he didn’t. He was either threatened by them, paid off, or too afraid to deal with them. If he was passive about an issue which affects a large number of city residents, he is not mayoral material. When a person oversees a city, it his job to ensure that all of its citizens are fairly treated. It was a problem that this charedi enclave was allowed to be built near an already existing cluster of THREE dati Leumi neighborhoods. The school was planned in that location all along. Some funky business must have gone on that made this group of sikrikim think that they had a right to the building-and if the mayor or one of his subordinates is the responsible party, they should own up to it. And if there was no behind the scenes deals gone wrong, and these sikrikim are simply nuts, then who is to say they won’t come after the RBS community or BMTL’s shul building or any other building they decide is part of their territory. The mayor must put a stop to it, and if he can’t, he’s ineffectual and should step down.