Rabbonim affiliated with Degel HaTorah are meeting to discuss the candidacy of Rabbi Meir Porush as “the chareidi candidate” in the Jerusalem mayoral race.
After the Jerusalem District Court ruled on Thursday that former Shas leader Rabbi Aryeh Deri is ineligible to run, it created a new reality vis-à-vis Porush’s bid for the city’s top spot. Polls show Porush cannot beat out secular candidate Nir Barkat, a report that has gedolim concerned, with some leaning towards compelling the incumbent, Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky, to run for another term. Polls have shown Lupoliansky would tie with Barkat.
This would break the agreement between the Agudah and Degel factions of United Torah Judaism but according to a recent Yated Ne’eman report appearing for Rosh Hashanah, Maran Rav Elyashiv Shlita was quoted as saying that if Porush cannot win, there is no agreement.
Porush appears determined to continue, discarding pre-election polls, confident he will emerge the victor in the 11 November mayoral race.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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8 Responses
Actually, one statement in this article is wrong. It is not “polls” (plural) that state that Lupoliansky would “tie” Barkat…it is only one. There are other POLLS (see the Jerusalem Post only 2 weeks ago)that show Lupoliansky decisively beating Barkat. That makes a difference. One hopes that Degel Hatorah shows an example to Agudah that Gedolim should be followed EVEN at the expense of BREAKING a POLITICAL deal.
Excellent idea NeveAliza. While on that subject, it would be an excellent idea for ALL Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva HERE IN AMERICA to get ALL the eligible frum voters (even Bnei Yeshiva – they can go Bein Hasidorim or before Seder)to vote on election day. Maybe the Polls in New York are decisively for Obama but in New Jersey (yes Lakewood) it is a lot closer.
What is more important?
Changing a deal bt UTJ and Agudah or having a winning candidate who it Torah observant, that is the true question. This not easy for Porush to swallow, that he is not the ideal or winning material.
#6
READ again #5
to see where ur comment has no basis.
rabbiofberlin, The only ‘gadol’ that he has on his side is his father – who had the same problems with gedolim. Menachem taught his tzatzkele how to be a politician.
Sammygol: Thanks for expressing what we all feel. I have written at length about this in the YWN Coffee Room under “Porush (NOT) for Mayor”.
To rabbiofberlin: You have misunderstood the whole sorry tale yet again. This isnt a matter of my Gedolim against yours, this is a matter of politics and shady underhand dealings with pressures being applied on ALL Gedolim from dangerous criminals with chareidi clothing. Wake up brother! Please research the Beitar elections and the Boyaner Rebbe’s private rooms that had listening devices installed that were traced to Porush!! Do you think that the reason that all family Porush were thrown head first out of all Boyaner mosdos was because of your “illogical assumptions”? Boyan is one of the most easygoing chassidius and nevertheless…. Grow up rabbi!
Who cares about Betair and other issues, when we are talking about the Mayoral race!!!
Porush is not the candidate that can win the election for many reasons, Deri-maybe, but he is disqualified from running for office, the present mayor is the strongest possibility.
Is a frum mayor essential for Yerushayalim? and how impt is this political agreement? Real answers are needed.
“If all the chareidim would stand behind porush, he has as much a chance to be elected as any other chareidi politician”.
WRONG, WRONG and more WRONG!!!!! No candidate wins the election by receiving even 100% of the charedei vote—they need the votes of others to reach the top. That is the point of the problem, who else is voting for Porush (when even those in the charedei camp are planning not to). If you want a frum mayor you need to put someone forward who can consolidate votes from different segments of Yerushalymee’s.