Life for the chareidim in the Haifa government has not been easy since Mayor Yona Yahav refused to honor a coalition agreement which involves permitting Degel Councilman Miki Alper to move into a deputy mayor slot. Yahav has decided to openly defy the agreement and show his disdain for the chareidim.

Degel Hatorah leader MK Moshe Gafne has decided not to resign from the Haifa coalition but to remain and continue despite the mayor’s defiance towards the chareidim.

Gafne is quoted by Yated Neeman saying he does not recall such a situation occurring in any other city in Israel in which a mayor brazenly defies a coalition agreement, stating “When the Belz Chassidus buys a building privately and plans to convert it into a school because it has no other alternative, when nothing else works, he (Mayor Yahav) issues a closure order against the school – behavior that is out of the realm of logic. What does he expect, that they will learn in the street?”

Belz took the matter to court as reported by YWN-ISRAEL and the court overruled the mayor’s decision in favor of Belz.

Gafne is quoted adding “This reminds me of Haman HaRasha and Zeresh and his wise men. I am not chas v’sholom making a comparison in the framework of ‘Yahav and his wise men’ are beginning to fall. In my view, he is falling with the chareidim who he has harmed so and lacking any logic. He is a mayor who is bad for everyone”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)