The Vaad of Eight of Agudas Yisrael is meeting in Bnei Brak on Monday evening, 9 Elul, ahead of municipal elections around Israel, including chareidi cities and municipalities. The meeting will take place in the shadow of increasingly audible threats from Degel Hatorah of running its own candidate in Haifa, breaking deals with the Agudas Yisrael-affiliated Shlomei Emunim faction, and machlokes in a number of cities including Elad, Beit Shemesh, and of course, Yerushalayim.

The committee is composed of Deputy Ministers Yaakov Litzman (Gur) and Meir Porush (Shlomei Emunim), Agudas CEO Yosel Kopparberg, Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert (Gerre), Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Yossi Deutsch (Shlomei Emunim), MK Yisrael Eichler (Belz), Shmelka Halpert (Vishnitz), Yaakov Tessler (Vishnitz) and askan Reuven Breish (Belz).

At the meeting, the members are expected to map the cities across the country pertaining to the balance of power of all parties and collaborations everywhere.

It should be noted that at times, additional members join the various discussions, in a professional manner, in order to broaden the perspective on the various issues that arise on the negotiating table. In this meeting, it is expected that the statements of the sister-faction, representing the litvish tzibur, Degel Hatorah; which threatens to break the national “deal” with Shlomi Emunim, will appear, as well as to discuss its plans to run separately in Haifa elections.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)