Speaking on Sunday morning to KAN Moreshet Radio, senior Peleg Yerushalmi official Rabbi Avraham Boimel spoke with host Mendy Bitan, addressing the decision of Gedolei Torah of the Peleg to back Ofer Berkowitz in the Jerusalem mayoral race and not Moshe Leon, the Degel Hatorah candidate in the race, who was elected mayor.
Rabbi Boimel claimed that Gedolei Torah were opposed to Leon’s bid for mayor, and some rabbonim even order residents to vote for Berkowitz. “Gedolei Torah like HaRav Asher HaKohen Deutsch, a rosh yeshiva in Ponevezh, HaRav Tzvi Friedman, HaGaon HaRav Baruch Shmuel Deutsch, and the Gerrer Rebbe, who specifically told his chassidim to vote for Berkowitz, so there is no place for the question why the support was given for Berkowitz,” Rabbi Boimel explained.
Rav Boimel rejected the attacks heard by Degel Hatorah MKs, “over what they consider an accomplishment, that Maran HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita succeeded in persuading some chassidim and they voted Leon”, as he put it.
“The time has come for Degel Hatorah to stop its long-standing trend of blocking and shutting the mouths of any rav who does not identify with them…No group in Judaism has the right to impose the opinions of its rabbonim on other groups, but this is not the correct thing to do, and it was never the case in the world of Torah and Yahadut”, Rav Boimel concluded.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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18 Responses
Wow. Peleg actually voted for someone who wanted to secularize Jerusalem? Shame on them.
Who voted in Barekat who secularized Jerusalem, ma’az?
To : A jew who (doesn’t ) care:
Shame on who !?! The tens of Gedolei Hador and all of the Admorim who are of the opinion that the puppet Lion controlled by the Ocher Yisroel Eivet Lieberman could not be an option to run the holy city of Yerushalayim , and therefore gave the P’sak to vote Berkowitz ???
Shame on you !!!
A potential theory:
Peleg have 1 mitzva “Sinas H’IDF”.
So if Leon has ties to Liberman he can’t be allowed to be Mayor. Sad story really.
Anyways it sounds like some Peleg Rabbi’s are calling for ‘democracy’ and “I can choose who to follow and don’t influence me”, probably to soothe their conscience for going against the Gedolim.
Does anyone care about peleg?
isupportgedolim: Degel never voted for Barakat in either of the elections.
banshak: I’m not sure which tens of gedolim you’re referring to. They exist in your head only. All the litvishe gedolim supported leon aside from the small peleg breakaway. (And yes, it’s a small faction, contrary to what they and you make yourselves believe.)
And banshak, somehow your admorim were very happy to support leon in the previous elections.
I agree with “A Jew who cares”- I live in Yerushalaim and the Peleg is a small faction –
BTW – there are families that live in peace together even though some are Degel and some Peleg
I ca not understand why anyone – especially from Chutsa LaAretz would think they know better than Rav Chaim Kovyevsky SHLITA and Rav Edelshtein Shlita
And yes, Degel DID NOT vote for Barakat who although not anti-frum – surely brought in a lot of secularity to Yerushalaim
And Peleg voted for him and also alot of Gerrer Chasidim
I really don’t understand all this – especilayy woth the Peleg – as “mainstrem Charedi” = Degel is not enough for them
the Gerrer Rebbe did NOT tell his chassidim to vote for berkowitz. why would you lie?
@tzaddiknistar
His true chassidim knew how to read between the lines and did his unspoken will to vote for Ofer Berkowitz. A loyal son does his parents will intuitively, without having to be told.
A jew who doesn’t care:
Harav Ezriel Aurbach SHLIT”A , Harav Shmuel Deutsch Shlit”a ,Harav Zevulin Shub Shlita , Harav Yisroel Yitzchak Kalmanovitz Shlita , Harav Tzvi Friedman Shlita , Harav Shmuel Markovitz Shlita h, Harav Asher Deutsch Shlita , Harav Ben Tzion Bordiansky Shlita , Harav Moshe Shternbuch Shlit”a all gave a P’sak that it is Assur to vote for Leon . This obviously doesn’t fit your agenda being that you have no Gedolim .The only name you cold remember is Harav Kanievsy Shlita.
Wow banshak. I have no gedolim? I didn’t know that Peleg counted their small leadership as the only gedolim, and disregard all the mainstream ones. FTR, I didn’t mention any names though the one you mentioned for me should be enough being that he is THE gadal hador. I don’t need to list them because the only ones who don’t agree with me are the ones you mentioned, the Peleg leadership, who are a breakaway from mainstream Charedi society.
I can see that you were too busy reading your hapeles trash paper to go join the tens of thousands of charedim last week at the kosel together with the gedolei hador.
For anyone wondering: Harav Chaim Kanievsky said (in a strong lashon) that whoever votes for Berkowitz will have to answer for it in Shamayim.
Berkowitz’s entire campaign was in order to secularize Jerusalem and drive out the charedim.
banshak!
Rav Moshe Shternbuch gave a Psak to vote Leon – pls check your facts
And yes, all he Rabbonim u mentioned r from the Peleg’s “MOETSES”
Teh mainstream Charedi Ashkenazi world in Erets Yisroel listens to Rab Chaim Shlita and Reb Gershon SHLITA
I don’t think people who live in Chuts LaAretz can even know where they would be if they were lving here
I assume a large majority – a VERY LATGE ONE would be with the mainstream Charedim
I doubt the “senior official” got an OK from the Peleg Moetstes to say what is quoted here
Chazal who say that poverty is מעבירין את האדם מדעת קונו Pictures of hundreds of kids with nothing better to do than block traffic as Etz supporters does not paint a pretty picture.
Anyone who is not completely biased and is willing to be open to what the peleg yerushalmi (in the last elections 22,000 chareidim including many gedolei Yisrael and talmidei chachamim voted for them ) holds is welcome to read. The gedolei hador who held not to vote for Leon were of the opinion that since Leon is Avigder Leiberman’s close confidant and considered by Yisrael Beiteinu to be their man in Yerushalayim he was the man who took care of the negotiations which led to the establishment of the Lapid coalition and was one of the people who drafted the original law of lapid and Leiberman to draft bnei yeshivos – the law for which at the behest of Maran Harav Shteinman and all the gedolim, close to a million chareidim gathered to protest – a few months ago he wrote that he will do what it takes to keep the non religious majority in Yerushalayim (see article on Kikar shabbos – a few months ago- ) and after being elected promised that he will not close the mitcham hatachaneh – a huge public facility that is open on shabbos – and on the contrary will streghnthen it. Because of this they were very hesitant of supporting him. They did negotiate with him but it was clear that they would not have any gaurentee’s that theyre schools and shuls will not suffer redifos from his coalition. From Berkowitz they got gaurentees to keep the status quo and that their schools and shuls will not be discriminated against. Therefore their gedolim held that one should do everything (obviously including voting for the other candidate) possible to make sure Leibermans candidate will not become mayor. Although this psak entails voting for a non frum candidate whith an non frum agenda there are times that the gedolim will say to do that as by the elections that took place at the same time in Haifa where degel hatorah went with Einat Kalish a leftist candidate who was backed by Meretz and their leader in Haifa a conservative rabbi