VIDEO: Leading Jerusalem Mayoral Candidates Elkin, Berkowitz, Deutsch & Leon On Israel’s Meet The Press

The leading mayoral candidates in the Jerusalem race, Ze’ev Elkin, Ofer Berkowitz, Yossi Deutsch and Moshe Leon were guests on Israel’s Meet the Press. They were each given the same amount of time to present their program as well as to respond to questions. The 42-minute program is in Hebrew.

The discussion is conducted in the usual Israeli fashion, with the candidates interrupting and stepping on one-another rather than permitting one-another to speak without interruption.

Municipal elections will take place in cities and municipalities nationwide on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, 21 Marcheshvan 5779.

One of the very interesting points is that the only chareidi candidate, Yossi Deutsch, said that there is ample time until Election Day for him to receive the endorsement of Degel Hatorah, which to date has announced it is backing Moshe Leon. Shas is also backing Leon. Leon responds, stating there is no basis for Deutsch’s statement.

Elkin admits he moved to Pisgat Ze’ev a number of months ago, citing he lived there in the past. Since he has been in Israel, he explains he has lived in either Gush Etzion, which he insists is part of Greater Jerusalem, or Pisgat Ze’ev. He took a swing at candidate Moshe Leon, who recently relocated from Givatayim to Jerusalem to qualify for the election race.

Leon insists that unlike Elkin, he has widespread endorsement. He added he is committed to the city and unlike Elkin, who will return to serving as Minister of Jerusalem Affairs if he loses, while he has been working around-the-clock over the past five years for Yerushalayim.

Berkowitz targets Deutsch, explaining, “I am sorry, but you don’t represent the working chareidim. Sorry to tell you but this is reality”.

Berkowitz feels the Leon would not be running if not for backing of Shas and Yisrael Beitenu, adding “It is most significant to know who is backing him and where his support base originates”.

Berkowitz explains he is speaking about chareidim who work, those who do not feel the need to close down all of Jerusalem on Shabbos but agree with the live and let live attitude.

Other topics were discussed including the toeiva parade, the needs of the residents of predominately Arab eastern Jerusalem and more.

Ashdod Municipal Elections Turning Ugly & Anti-Chareidi

The election campaign in Ashdod is hot and candidates continue to de-legitimize the chareidi tzibur. On Monday morning, 29 Tishrei, a video clip of candidate Eli Nacht, of the Atid Ashdod party and a candidate for the city council, calls on the Russian voting public to vote and to prevent what he calls the chareidi takeover of the public space. He uses his Facebook page to get his message out.

In a particularly offensive and slanderous video, the local chareidi public is accused of wanting to shut down the television on Shabbos, to take control of the cellular companies on Shabbos and to apply separate hours for men and women in shopping centers in the city alongside a chareidi in the home of every secular Jew to bring him back to teshuvah. This is how Nacht hopes to persuade the Russian residents to get out and vote, for him.

This is a continuation of the anti-chareidi campaign that has gained momentum in recent months. Chareidi children as seen walking with their parents in the city, showing them ‘taking over’ the parks, the public spaces.

As the chareidi community in the southern city continues growing, there has been a growing sentiment against them, which has grown following protests to close malls on Shabbos and to limit Chilul Shabbos in the city. The municipal elections are being used by some candidates to advance their anti-chareidi agenda.

Head Of Degel Hatorah In Yerushalayim: Our Tzibur Will No Longer Be A ‘Nebach’

The head of the Degel Hatorah party in Jerusalem, Eliezer Ruchberger, came out with a scathing attack against City Hall, accusing the administration of discriminating against chareidim in the city, including in mixed neighborhoods, citing residents suffer from a severe lack of services in many areas, adding “our tzibur will no longer be a nebach – the discrimination ends”.

During the founding ceremony for the Torah V’Tefilla Shul in N’vei Yaakov, Ruchberger said, “You can write it down. In the coming term, we are going to change the priorities and budgeting of the Jerusalem Municipality. Tens of millions [of shekels] will no longer be spent on nonsense. These millions [will be allocated] for shuls and mikvaos. Ramat Shlomo is an exemplary community but there is not a single mikve in the community. Can this be? They are playing with the budget for nine years and it will be gone and that will be it”.

He added, “In the next term, the battle will not be for budgets but for building shuls and mikvaos using the funds that went for different things.

“They are trying to play with us in one way or another. The equation is quite simple. In order to meet the demands, demands require power and this is the political game. In the State of Israel, the one with power receives a response and the one who does not have is a nebach, remaining with his issues and problems. To our tzibur – the time has come to stop being a nebach and the discrimination will stop in all areas!”

Jerusalem’s Chareidi PTA Endorses Elkin In Mayoral Race

Jerusalem’s Chareidi PTA on Monday announced it is endorsing Ze’ev Elkin in the city’s mayoral race next month. “Elkin is the best mayor to meet our needs” the organization’s media statement said.

Elkin responded, “I will be your representative in the municipality. I do not advocate the transfer and referral of institutions from one stream to another, but it is also appropriate to give the chareidi education unit the appropriate response to the growing demands of the chareidi parents”.

The leadership of the parents’ union of all the chareidi state schools in the city, which includes parent representatives of chareidi public schools in Jerusalem, numbering over a thousand families, announced their support for the candidate for mayor of Jerusalem, Ze’ev Elkin.

Yanki Goodman is a member of the management of a the chareidi PTA in Jerusalem and a member of the parents committee at the girls Bnos Yerushalayim School: “We met in recent weeks with a number of candidates for mayor of Jerusalem, some of whom were completely cut off and did not have the slightest understanding regarding what we are taking about. Mayoral candidate Ze’ev Elkin is the worthiest candidate to serve as mayor of Jerusalem, and to meet our needs both in shuls, as well as in educational institutions and in cultural matters.”

Candidate Elkin responded, “I believe that the mayor should provide a solution for the entire population of the city and all the demands that comes from parents who live in the city…”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)