Many meetings and lengthy negotiations have taken place between the parties in the past months pertaining to the upcoming Elad mayoral race, meetings which were conducted by Av Beis Din HaRav Yehuda Silman, appointed as the agent for Degel Hatorah. The rav met with representatives of the various factions in the hope of reaching mutual agreement between them, including Shas and Agudas Yisrael.

Unwilling to abandon its quest to run with its own candidate, amid its tenacious desire to oust Mayor Yisrael Porush from City Hall, it is now rumored that Degel may put up Yossi Sheetrit, a member of the Betar Illit Council as its candidate, Kikar Shabbos News is reporting.

Persons in the Shlomei Emunim faction have attempted, albeit it appears unsuccessfully, to bring Degel on board to support the incumbent, Yisrael Porush, who is seeking a second term.

Degel Hatorah chairman, MK Moshe Gafne, appears adamant regarding his wish to oust Porush, a feeling not necessarily shared by all his colleagues. In fact, YWN-Israel recently reported Gafne told party officials he recently met with members of the party’s Torah Council; HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, and HaGaon HaRav Rabbi Dov Landau, as both of them have many talmidim in Elad.

They told him that it is not only about what is just good for the party as a political party, explaining they have hakoras hatov for the assistance Mayor Yisrael Porush has extended to the Slobodka tzibur in the city, and as such, they would not act against him and would not interfere in his candidacy.

That said, HaGaon HaRav Yosef Efrati supports Gafne’s effort to find a suitable candidate.

Gafne is unyielding in his demand that Shlomei Emunim honor the agreement, which states in this election, it is Degel’s turn to run its candidate. However, Shlomei Emunim officials feel that Porush is so well liked and has done such a splendid job, it is in everyone’s favor to permit him to remain in office.

For now, nothing is final, and it remains to be seen in Porush will be permitted to run for a second term, or will Degel run its own candidate, and a third possibility would be seeing a Shas candidate in the election, as party chairman, Minister Aryeh Deri, very much wishes to see a Shas mayor in Elad City Hall.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)