Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Yossi Deutsch (Yahadut Hatorah) surprised participants in the Shlomei Emunim kinnus, explaining “Jerusalem is not anyone’s private property, but belongs to all of chareidi Jewry. In the next administration, there will be 16 chareidi seats on the 31-seat council”.

Since the defeat of the chareidi candidate Meir Porush, who ran against Mayor Nir Barkat in his first term election, Deutsch has refrained from making such statements publicly, until now. He feels however there must be a united chareidi political unit for if not, rabbonim and admorim may endorse different candidates as was the case in the last election in which Gur and Belz supported Barkat and not Moshe Leon, with the latter backed by the other chareidim. In addition, the Bnei Torah party representing the Yerushalmi faction, the break-off faction from Degel Hatorah which had its own candidate, Chaim Epstein.

However, it appears Deutsch is confident, optimistic there will be a chareidi majority in the next Jerusalem government.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)