Karmei Tzur resident Shlomo Neeman is the new head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, receiving 47% of the vote as compared to the second-place opponent, Moshe Svill with 36% and Yitzchak Brinker with 16.5%. Neeman replaces Davidi Perl who was forced to resign amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. His slot was filled temporarily by Svill.

Neeman, 43, is married and the father of 5. At the age of 17 he arrived in Israel from the FSU and began his limud torah in Yeshivat Har Etzion. He has worked in a number of posts in the Jewish Agency and then became senior advisor to Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Ze’ev Elkin.

Elkin calls Neeman “the right man at the right time for the job”, explaining there is a window of opportunity that has opened to annex Gush Etzion and he believes Neeman is the person who will accomplish this.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)