Chief Rabbi of Tiveria HaRav Moshe Tzvi Buchbut launched a harsh attack against newly-elected Mayor Ron Kobi on Wednesday, attacking his ongoing anti-religious policies.

The rav said, “This guy comes from Tel Aviv and becomes mayor. Even his wife and children do not live here, to make [the city] secular, and everyone, like puppets, are seated in silence. He wants Tiveria to be the northern entertainment capital of the state, so rude and impudent. There are some sycophants who do not dare to speak, what do you think, that he is the city’s sheriff? This is a city of law. He thinks he is fighting against the rabbis, he fights against the Almighty, he said that Shabbos is not ours, we received it at Sinai and wants to make Tiveria the capital of the entertainment. I hear municipality officials who are afraid to talk, cowards, cowards.”

At this stage a mini-riot broke out due to the rav’s words. Rav Buchbut added, “Whoever does not want to hear me leave, for what do we demand other than our self-respect?”

In response, the mayor issued a harsh statement against the city’s rav, accusing him of being a political appointment by Shas chairman Aryeh Deri.

Kobi wrote on his Facebook page: “It’s all a political appointment of the corrupt Aryeh Deri. He dares to attend a memorial ceremony in the home of a respected family in Tiveria and to espouse a speech of political incitement against the mayor and against city workers and secular residents of the city.

“The city of Tiveria is a city of everyone, both secular and religious and we cannot force this coercion here in the public sphere.”

The mayor continued his harsh remarks: “This is precisely the reason why the public in Tiveria does not respect and probably will not respect a rabbi who was placed here from Bnei Brak by the corrupt Aryeh Deri and his band. Shas voters will no longer vote for Aryeh Deri and his party, and he will not pass the minimum threshold [to enter Knesset].

“The corrupt Aryeh Deri is building his party on the basis of chareidi coercion for perpetuating poverty and a submissive public, and also for the votes of many Arabs from the villages who choose it because their parties deviate from the path.”

At the end of his speech he added: “Tiveria is the deepest of all, and from it will be redeemed, in the name of Hashem, we will succeed: Aryeh Deri go home! The State of Israel against religious and chareidi coercion, live and let live.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)