FIGHTING IN THE HAREDI PARTIES

The victory is a major one for the dati leumi Bayit Yehudi party, as well as for Likud. It is a significant blow to the Chareidim in the city, who once again were not united, as Shas and Degel Yisrael backed Abutbul, but Agudas Yisrael would not join the ticket because Shas and Degel refused to back the Agudah candidate in the Jerusalem race. In that race, the Agudas Yisrael candidate, Yossi Deutsch, lost.

Bloch said following the notification of her victory that she plans to “take down the wall and mechitzos” and begin building with a new positive vigor.

“…You have to see the expansion here, chareidim and secular people dancing in a circle – that’s the end of days,” added Bloch. “This is what we have davened for all these years, and the people of Israel are waiting for such a thing.”

According to Bloch, “There are no more partitions, we have finished with the stigmas that the city of Beit Shemesh is a city with camps, the final result of the ballot box is the negligible detail now, and the important thing is the feeling of the people living here.”

“Many chareidim voted for me, I know what the situation is at the polling stations, and there is no doubt that thousands of chareidim said, ‘We want to live in a healthy society,'” concluded Bloch, who turned out to be victorious in the race.

With a number of victories in hand, according to most political analysts, Degel Hatorah is now likely to inform Agudas Yisrael that the tables have turned, and now; it will hold 60% of the joint Yahadut Hatorah pie and Agudas Yisrael will only hold onto 40%. In the past, the situation was reversed, as the chassidim maintained they are the majority. It’s now a litvish ballgame. Many are offended by these categorizations, but reality is what it is, and the parties are separate, and in this case, they opposed one another. Following this election, in the Jerusalem city council for example, Degel has six seats and Agudas Yisrael only three.

Degel Hatorah’s candidate in Jerusalem, Moshe Leon, beat out Agudas Yisrael’s Yossi Deutsch, and Leon is now facing off against secular candidate Ofer Berkowitz. While the polls predict a tight race, Degel officials are exhibiting confidence. That said, if they do not receive the support of the chassidim, Agudas Yisrael, Berkowitz may take the race.

It will be interesting to see how the chassidim act vis-à-vis the runoff election. Most predict that despite the fact that Leon is Shomer Shabbat and Berkowitz is not, Deputy Minister Yaakov Litzman, the Gerrer Rebbe’s man in Knesset, will not support him, but will announce he is voting for Berkowitz, or alternatively, will recommend to the Gerrer Rebbe Shlita that chassidim refrain from voting in the race. This occurred back in the race when Nir Barkat was elected for his first term. Litzman would not back a fellow Agudas Yisrael candidate, now Deputy Minister Meir Porush, his political nemesis, and refrained from backing anyone, opening the door for Nir Barkat. This time, it may be Berkowitz instead of Barkat.

MK Menachem Eliezer Moses however, who is the Vishnitzer Rebbe’s representative in Knesset and chairman of Agudas Yisrael, announced on Wednesday morning that he will suggest to Agudas Yisrael’s Moetzas Gedolei Torah that they back Leon in the race. Moses insists it is time to push party politics aside and look at the big picture, which demands achdus, adding that this is imperative ahead of Knesset elections in 2019. He reminds the tzibur that if the chareidim would have remained united, there would not be a runoff election, but unfortunately, this is not the case.

Aryeh King, who endorsed Deutsch in the mayoral race, and whose party received two seats in the Jerusalem Council announced it should be clear to all, that in the runoff, Leon is the man. In the elections, King, who is Shomer Shabbat as well, insists the religious voting public must vote for Leon.